----------------------------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 <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
From: "Nancy C. Mulvany" <nmulvany@well.sf.ca.us>
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