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For Portland meeting notes for meetings held 2004 through
2007, please visit the Portland Archives.
2008
June 2008 Presenter:
Meg Grace Meg Grace began her presentation to the Portland group by setting up her music stand. Although most of us had just learned that she is a musician, she didn’t play for us. Instead, she used the stand for her notes and took us on a tour of the development of the Internet. Following this, she launched into a convincing discourse on why it is that we, as editors, would do well to create an Internet presence. Some of us have been around long enough to have witnessed the astounding growth of the Internet from its beginnings in the early 1960s as a framework through which scientists might share research findings with one another, connected to no more than one other location at a time. The military grew the idea for its own communication. And the INTERconnected NETwork continued to develop through the 1970s with the evolution of e-mail and the TCPIP Internet protocol. Many of us cherished our first personal computers in the 1980s and learned to use browsers. Yet, few foresaw the development of the WWW. Meg’s own first modem worked at an amazing 24 baud/sec, a connectivity which, she says, is similar to a straw when compared to the sewer pipes of today. (For more on this, visit: http://www.computerhistory.org/internet_history.) Meg believes that editors need Web sites. Everyone is online. And the range of social marketing sites and business networking sites continues to grow only larger. A sampling of these sites includes:
A Web site enables potential customers to contact us, to learn about us and the services we provide, and to make purchases. All we need for the latter is a “buy now” button and an online shopping cart/invoicing system. Some of the current options include:
Meg also notes that blogs provide additional ways for people to learn about and find editors. In considering a Web site, Meg says the first step is to do some planning to flesh out the vision for the site. Consider the site’s functions, the needs to be met, and the desired level of interactivity. For example, decide whether or not to include articles or forms. Before building the site, Meg suggests that we imagine three potential visitors and describe what each does when they get there. Then repeat this same exercise for an existing customer. Once the vision is formulated, gather relevant images, logos, graphics, company colors, photographs, writing, pdfs, links, product information, music, and movies. A movie of about two minutes in length can humanize a site in ways that no number of words ever could. Then decide on the content for each page. After materials are gathered, begin to sketch, brainstorm, doodle, and look at related sites. Allow the design to emerge from these considerations. We then need to decide whether to design a site ourselves or hire someone to create one for us. In this part of the process, consideration of best practices recommended by the W3C is essential. As the organization states, “the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) develops interoperable technologies (specifications, guidelines, software, and tools) to lead the Web to its full potential. W3C is a forum for information, commerce, communication, and collective understanding.” (From: http://www.w3.org.) We need to use valid code, meet accessibility standards, and be visible to search engines. These are important concerns, particularly because guidelines continue to change. (For example, use of tables and frames for page layout is no longer acceptable. The code for tables is verbose, so they are best limited to presenting tabular data only. And frames are discouraged, because they prevent a site from being indexed by search engines.) Many hosts provide templates for site design. In some cases, the templates are not W3C-compliant. Two popular hosts are:
Meg gives 1and1 a “C,” because the site builder demo is difficult to use or modify. GoDaddy gets a “Pass,” as it provides no demo for actual testing. She notes that Do-It-Yourself sites in general tend to use tables and can be noncompliant.
If hiring out, Meg suggests that we make sure that the Web developer is compliant with Web standards, creates sites that are search-engine friendly, provides designs that reflect the individual person and business, and gives personalized, one-on-one attention and customer support. In addition, we need to recognize that, once online, the site will require updating. If we want people to visit and to return to the site, we need to take care to do this regularly. The updating is also something we can do ourselves or hire out. Content Management Systems are available to help with DIY updates, and include:
Typically, these systems are based on the use of templates. Meg notes that Contribute uses the metaphor of a Web browser. The Contribute process involves opening Contribute, connecting to our site, browsing to the page to be altered, creating a draft of that page, making and saving any changes, and then publishing. Alternatively, as Meg notes, “Hiring a professional Web site developer frees your time, allowing you more time to be a professional editor.” Among the questions asked during Meg’s presentation was one regarding the “miniature images” that appear before many current URLs. Meg says these are known as favicons (favorite icons) and provided a link for making our own: http://favikon.com. Another question involved what kinds of things we might do to ensure that Web browsers rank our sites as high as possible. This is a question that will require some research and is clearly a topic of interest for a future presentation. Since she spoke, Meg has reviewed my notes and provided additional information, including the following suggestion: Use your domain name to brand your business online. Secure a domain name that reflects your business, i.e., mybusinessname.com. Then use it everywhere, especially for your e-mail address. Be aware that you don't need a Web site to use your domain name. Create an e-mail address that is your business identity on the Internet: myname@mybusinessname.com.
Submitted by Rosanna Mattingly
April 2008 "In indexing, there are many ways to be right." —Martha Osgood Although the technology of indexing has changed substantially from index cards to powerful software, the process—attentive, considered, creative—remains much the same. This process produces what Nancy Mulvany calls “a structured sequence—resulting from a thorough and complete analysis of text—of synthesized access points to all the information contained in the text. The structured arrangement of the index enables users to locate information efficiently.” It is the audience that matters here. As Cher Paul indicated during her presentation, every work begins with at least two audiences: those who have never read the work and those who have. An index needs to serve readers at many levels. Cher emphasized the importance of being taught, whether through a class or through an
individual arrangement. Although she is self-taught, it was out of necessity; no other options
were available when she wanted to learn. When she decided to incorporate indexing as a regular
part of her work some years later, she took a class and found that her indexing improved
tremendously. Among the many opportunities for learning, Cher mentioned several that she has
experience with or that have received consistently favorable reviews:
Cher reminded us that instructors will specify materials to index during a course of training. Yet, for those who want additional practice in writing indexes and those who simply want to experience the indexing process, she recommended working with a used copy of a college-level introductory text in History, Psychology, or Sociology. These kinds of books lend themselves to indexing. They present material in relatively small chunks and provide substantive headings for sections. In addition, they are written according to the well-worn rubric of going-to-tell, telling, and telling-what-was-told. In preparing the index, first establish the aboutness of the material at the level of the book, the chapter, the section, and the paragraph. Then, place these considerations in the context of the range of subject knowledge and the audience. In essence, ask: What will the reader want? Two issues frequently encountered in indexing are the author-written index and the concordance. Cher noted that the indexing process is generally difficult for an author, who tends to be too close to the material to adequately represent the reader. A book is conceived and organized by its author according to how the author understands the material or believes the material is best explained. Even so, people learn differently, people use books differently, and people bring different levels of knowledge to a given topic. A good indexer is highly adept at finding connections within the material and providing multiple points at which to access the author’s information. The second issue, the concordance, is basically the result of a search-and-list program that
searches a specified document for a given list of terms. The resulting list contains all the page
numbers on which each term appears, but allows for no differentiation among entries. As Cher
explained, if the text discusses cats and the concordance list includes the word cat, any pages that
contain relevant terms (but not cat), e.g., Manx, Maine Coon, mitten toes, and mange, will not be
included; this material will be unavailable to the reader. Further, a concordance allows for no
differentiation among the given page numbers: every page on which the word cat appears will be
She noted that, if there is one, the Mulvany book is considered “the bible” of indexing. For indexing software and other resources, google indexing software and check the
American Society for Indexing web site. Among the software products available,
three common ones are:
All indexing software is database software that has been specially designed for indexing, and all three of these products allow the indexer to view the formatted index while writing the current entry. Cher noted that each software package has a free downloadable demo. Although these downloads have limited functionality and capacity, they do provide users with a sense of how the software works. Low-cost student versions with nearly complete functionality, but limited capacity, are available also. Those who purchase a student version can apply its cost to the professional version. Cher is a skilled and experienced indexer. For her, a project generally requires that she make two passes through the material. She often begins by creating a detailed table of contents with subheadings and, on average, is able to work with 150–200 pages per week. In searches for opportunities to do indexing, Cher recommended requesting work as a freelance contractor. Otherwise the inquiry may be recycled at HR. In addition, make a request to be kept in mind for future projects and to be sent on to others who may be interested. That said, Cher noted that, even though the market for indexing is huge, it is not one that is easy to break into for those who work independently. In reviewing and helping clarify my notes from her presentation, Cher suggested adding that,
although not discussed, work related to book indexing includes journal and periodical indexing,
encyclopedia indexing, Web site indexing, embedded indexing, and taxonomy development.
Indexing is a rich and varied enterprise. Additional information can be found at organization
American Society for Indexing submitted by Rosanna Mattingly
February 2008 Speaker: At the February meeting, Mary Spinnler, enrolled agent and licensed tax consultant, spoke about issues for 2007 taxes. These notes are not meant to provide tax advice. Please do your own research or consult a tax professional like Mary, who is self-employed and understands the needs of independent contractors. Major changes for 2007 federal taxes include the Alternative Minimum Tax (maintains the same threshold for 2007 only), the mortgage insurance premium deduction for 2007 only (depends on your adjusted gross income and your indebtedness on your first or second home), and the federal residential energy credit for such improvements as energy-saving windows, exterior doors, insulation, central air conditioning, and solar water heating. Requirements for deducting contributions are now more stringent. Receipts are required for all cash contributions (cancelled checks or acknowledgements from the charity); noncash items must be in good or better condition. (The Salvation Army Web site has lists of items with their thrift store values.) Any item valued at $500 or more requires an appraisal. A good idea is to take photos of everything donated. IRS audit issues include business deductions for mileage, meals, cell phone use, computer use, and miscellaneous business expenses. If cell phones and computers are not used exclusively for business, Mary suggests keeping a log of their business use. She also suggests noting your odometer reading at the start and end of each year whether or not your car is used exclusively for business. That reading will be compared to the business mileage deducted. The IRS is also aggressively auditing returns showing gross income less than $10,000 and a net loss. In addition, the IRS is questioning whether information on Schedule C pertains to a business or a hobby. Criteria include whether it's conducted for profit, if gross income exceeds deductions for three out of five years, the manner in which the taxpayer carries on the activity, the expertise of the taxpayer, time and effort spent on the activity, and the history of income and loss with respect to the activity. If you work within the TriMet area, you may need to pay TriMet tax. Download instructions and the form from Oregon.gov. Submitted by Sue Mann
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