Compiling a glossary

[bluecorr]

Hi!

I want to compile a glossary in a certain indusustry. I intend to make it as complete as possible. In order to do that I have to come up with a complete list of terms regarding that industry.

My initial idea was to look up glossaries in the industry and add all terms I can find in my list "to do". Please note I don't intend to steal their definitions. All definitions will be written in my own words.

Is this ethical or not? If it isn't then could anyone advise me how to proceed on compiling the most complete glossary in a certain industry?

Thanks

[sem4u]

As long as you write the definitions in your own words then I don't see a problem.

Also, see if any of the glossary sites, e.g. glossarist.com will link to your glossary.

[bluecorr]

Yes I will definitely write all definitions in my own words. I was just wondering if taking terms list would be ethical or not.

Thanks :)

[sem4u]

I would look at a couple of glossaries and compile your list that way.

[engine]

I would think that it it is unethical to take someone's work without permission, no matter how simple or straighforward.

Use a good thesaurus, a good dictionary and your own grey matter and it should be better than those already available. If you know your industry it's possible to improve upon the often simple approach used by some sites.

[Woz]

One could argue the ethics of researching your glossary by looking at other glossaries but certainly taking their "unique" content would be both unethical and illegal. But then often times a thesaurus and dictionary are not enough to compile a glossary (- sorry engine -) due to the difference between glossaries, dictionaries and thesauri.

A Glossary is definitions of terms revolving around a particular topic or industry.

A Dictionary is explanations of words and phrases as used in a particular language, sometime with grammatical and etymological notes.

A Thesaurus is a cross referenced database showing the hierarchal relation between terms.
ref - Taxonomy of Knowledge Organization Systems [nkos.slis.kent.edu].

So, quite often terms that are common to an industry or subject area are not common within a specific language and so would not appear in a general dictionary. (But then even if you do use a dictionary are you not researching from someone else's work? Hmmm ... the line gets blurred ... )

So, assuming you, or your client, are familiar with the subject in question, then you should be able to compile a decent list of terms by examining the day to day conversation linked to the topic. Then, simply define the terms and you are almost done.

However, if you are not familiar with the subject, then you need to research the terms, and, honestly, the easiest way is to read other glossaries.

Certainly you should not take the glossaries holus bolus, but compiling a list of terms from these glossaries is perhaps acceptable. As I say, one could argue the ethics. And even if you are familiar with the topic, researching other glossaries after you have completed your initial definitions will probably remind you of terms you have forgotten.

From a legal point of view, most terms used in an industry would be common to all participants in the industry and so would not normally be copyright-able. For example, a Mouse is a common computer term and so not copyright-able, but IntelliMouse® is a Registered Trademark and so needs a ® sign. Other more Company Specific terms may require permission from the copyright holder be inclusion in your glossary. Be Careful.

As to displaying your glossary, please do not generate individual pages for each term in the glossary purely for SERP listings unless you have at least a decent paragraph about each term. Small pages like these do well in the SERPs but there is nothing worse than clicking a search listing and ending up on an almost blank page with a single solitary sentence. You might get the listings but you will lose the users.

Then again, a H-U-G-E page with hundreds of listings that takes minutes to download, yes there are heaps of them out there, is going to the other extreme. Chances are the user will click-away before the page has downloaded.

I tend to sit in the middle with 10 terms/definitions per page which gives enough meat for the spiders to chew on and enough text to interest the user and entice them further into the site.

Of course, it goes without saying, Don't Put Your Glossary In A Frame!, because users usually end up on sub-pages from the Search Engines without any way of getting into your main site.

Also, if at all possible, make your glossary searchable, both terms and definitions.

Glossaries are great, they provide great spider fodder, and, if you are starting a site for a new topic with which you are not familiar, compiling a glossary is the fastest way to come up to speed with the lingo used in your chosen topic.

And remember, when your glossary is finished, you need to list it with, well, Glossary Directories and Lists.

Onya
Woz

[bluecorr]

Awesome Woz. The idea of reading daily conversations and picking out terms that could be part of a glossary did cross my mind and I might just do that. Once completed I will go back and add terms that I first forgotten about :)

Thanks for your post, much appreciated.

[rogerd]

Nice post, Woz. This one's a keeper!

[howiejs]

"Also, if at all possible, make your glossary searchable, both terms and definitions. "

Are you building different pages / titles for the above?

And "Glossary Directories and Lists."

Any suggestions for this?

[Woz]

And "Glossary Directories and Lists."
Any suggestions for this?

Oops, sorry for the extreme delay in answering this.

Searching the major engines for Glossaries would be my first choice.

Then search for glossary lists in your particular subject. With most SEs searching for [subject glossaries] will work fine, but with Google's Stemming you will end up with results for [subject glossary] which is not what you are looking for. In Google you need to search for ["subject glossaries"] as a phrase.

Then just follow the links.

If you need further resources, try looking at the baklinks for competing glossaries in your subject area.

Onya
Woz