========================================================================= Date: Mon, 31 Oct 1994 14:10:22 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: "Nancy C. Mulvany" Subject: Indexicon President's Response ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- The following message is the response of Steven Waldron, President of Iconovex Corp. to the review, "Indexicon, The Only Fully Automatic Indexer: A Review," by Nancy Mulvany and Jessica Milstead, published in the American Society of Indexers' Key Words (Sep/Oct 1994). Mr. Waldron's response was originally posted on America Online and is re-posted with permission. Subj: Indexicon President's Response Date: 94-10-28 01:12:28 EDT From: SCW To all professional indexers: Re: Key Words article In reading the article in Key Words by Nancy Mulvany and Jessica Milstead, I found their observations to be incisive and accurate for the most part, with a few notable exceptions. It was very informative, to say the least, both for my staff and myself. I would offer the following comments: With regard to professional or human-quality claims made about the product, these will be clarified in all advertising and p.r. in general, as well as on all future packaging. Obviously, there are ads, articles and packages already in circulation that are impossible to correct. I deeply regret these errors in communication and pledge that all future ads, p.r. and packaging will describe only those product capabilities which are readily demonstrable. Unfortunately, there will be a lag time of approximately 45 days due to ads already submitted, etc. Fortunately, our major advertising campaign does not begin until January. The purpose of INDEXICON (and future products) IS NOT to replace professional indexers. The product is intended for situations where it is not possible for a professional indexer to handle the volume and diversity that can be found in on-line services, newsfiles, and in the generation of internal documents that may be revised by a human indexer. It is also intended to be a tool for professional indexers and others. I agree that INDEXICON cannot replace a professional indexer. INDEXICON is a product manufactured by Iconovex Corporation. We do not wish to be associated with the excessive claims that plague the software industry. It appears that, due to our own oversight, we fell prey to something that we wished to avoid. You have my sincere apology for these errors. There were a few items discussed in the Key Words article that are not entirely accurate. I will address those items with the authors. Some of the problems occurred due to a lack of experience with the product and a lack of understanding of the product's capabilities and the procedures necessary to achieve the desired result. This is a situation that can be easily remedied. The authors have not utilized the product in it's entirety. INDEXICON represents only ten percent of the product's capability. We will be releasing those products which have already been completed on a regular basis. We have found that there are two kinds of people; those that think that computers have always been able to do this and those that know that they can't. We want this to be a powerful tool for professional indexers, but INDEXICON'S main purpose is to create a quality index in areas where professional human indexing is not feasible or required or where professional indexing will be used to edit the final product. Future versions of the product will be directed more toward document retrieval and management. As you examine our products I would appreciate any input you could offer, especially your ideas about areas for improvement or features you would like to see added. I would like to have a continuing dialogue with your colleagues on a positive basis. Expert advice is always welcome! If members are interested in evaluating future products, I would be happy to provide beta releases for their perusal. My personal e-mail address is SCW here on AOL, or you may write me at: Iconovex Corporation 7448 West 78th Street Bloomington, MN 55439 Thank you, Steven C. Waldron President, Iconovex Corp. ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 31 Oct 1994 14:10:38 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: "Nancy C. Mulvany" Subject: Mulvany & Milstead Respond ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- To: Steven C. Waldron President, Iconovex Corp. We would like to thank you for your thoughtful response to our review in Key Words of your product INDEXICON. As you surmised from our review, we were not pleased that the product appeared to be positioned as a replacement for professional indexers. We are immensely pleased that Iconovex will modify its advertising and packaging to better reflect the document retrieval and management market for which it is intended. In an industry so often obsessed with market share and unit shipments, your response to our concerns is indeed a pleasant surprise. Professional indexers would surely welcome software tools that can aid in the design of quality indexes. We look forward to a continuing dialogue with Iconovex regarding computer-assisted indexing tools. Nancy Mulvany and Jessica Milstead October 28, 1994 ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 31 Oct 1994 14:11:49 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Hazel Blumberg-McKee Subject: Re: Technical Communication courses on indexing In-Reply-To: <199410301723.AA17251@freenet2.scri.fsu.edu>; from "Jean Lutz" at Oct 28, 94 10:03 am ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- I guess I've had too many courses in my life in which there was entirely too much theory and not enough practice--and sometimes none at all. I've got a B.A., two master's degrees, and a law degree, so believe me, I've taken a lot of courses. The way that I learn best is by doing. Law school was all theoretical. If I hadn't been a law clerk all the way through law school, I would have emerged knowing nothing whatsoever about the law and how to practice law. I guess I don't really understand how theory can make one a better indexer. I became an indexer when I graduated from law school: West Publishing Company, then in St. Paul, Minnesota, hired me as a legal editor and put me in the indexing department. My supervisor then trained me. I never got any indexing theory, and I can't say I'm unhappy about that. After 1 1/2 years at West, I went into business for myself, and since 1985 (with a few interruptions for forays back into office life), I've been self-employed as an editor, indexer, proofreader, researcher, and technical writer. I learned all these things by doing. I don't mean to sound contentious, but the American educational system seems to me to put far too much emphasis on theory. The argument I keep hearing is "We're not a trade school." What's WRONG with being a trade school? What's wrong with being able to produce a product? I went to law school hoping that there'd be some practicality there. My other two master's degrees were in German Literature and Linguistics and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. All theory. Again, I learned to teach by doing and by having some excellent mentors. Theory just didn't do anything. I have friends in library school, and all they're getting is theory. (That may be the library school they're attending; I don't know about how other library schools work.) They're learning nothing about computers. They're finding that, if they don't get any job experience while they're in library school (and many of the profs at the library school are violently opposed to students working while they're in school; one prof actually said: "Take out all the loans you can get now, pay off the loans later, don't work, and get all the theory you can while you're in school. Once you get a job, you'll get practical experience."), they aren't getting hired. Maybe I've just seen extremes. But I think we could easily learn something from, say, the Germans, who have apprenticeship programs in all sorts of university programs. We need more practicality in our system of education. And I speak as someone who taught for a number of years. Anyway, sorry to've gotten up on a soapbox here. I figure that there'll always be a war between theory and practice. I come down (obviously!) on the side of theory, based on my experiences and those of my friends. I'm not trying to start a flame war or anything (honest!). Perhaps I've gotten a more one-sided education than most. SIGH. :) -- Hazel Blumberg-McKee (hazelcb@freenet.tlh.fl.us) "No passion in the world is equal to the passion to alter someone else's draft."--H. G. Wells