Welcome Everyone!

Thank you for agreeing to joining our Internet-based discussion board about Peanut Butter! Over the next three (3) days (Thursday, Friday, Saturday/Sunday), we’ll be conducting an online discussion about peanut butter....how you use it, what your favorites are, feelings about the various kinds and brands of peanut butter, whether you prefer chunky or smooth, etc.

Let me begin by thanking you for taking the time to participate in this discussion. I can only imagine how busy all of you are with school, jobs and your various personal responsibilities.

It all starts with you.  You are playing a part in a much larger project that will take place over the next few months.  Our next step is to take your feelings "on the road" and to sit down with consumers like yourself to listen to their perspective on peanut butter.  In late February we will conduct a quantitative survey with hundreds of peanut butter consumers to see how their opinions match up with the stories, anecdotes and opinions voiced by folks like you.  You are setting the stage for our project and the success of this initiative is in your hands.  Thank you for your help and dedication to both BuzzSponge and this project.   
WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR HELP!

First, some background about the discussion. I work for a market research company called Peacock Nine, which is based in Chicago. I think that Peacock Nine is an incredibly exciting place to work because it allows me to talk to people from all different walks of life about the things and issues that are meaningful to them---like FOOD and PEANUT BUTTER. The purpose of this discussion is to explore your feelings about PEANUT BUTTER from as many angles as possible.  The more information you share with us the more you will help me understand your opinions and feelings. So feel free to speak, and speak often--both to me directly and in response to the opinions of each other. One last point, please note that we have nothing to sell or promote to you, and you will never be contacted in the future about any product or service, unless you choose to opt-in to participate for future research studies.

Secondly, we’ve got some exciting news. As we mentioned to you in our earlier emails, we will be providing each of you with a $100 gift certificate to Amazon.com in exchange for your time and opinions. These gift certificates will be e-mailed to you on Monday after you have completed all three days of this discussion board.

Furthermore, we have an extra incentive for our participants this week: on Monday, we will be providing the one person with the MOST OFTEN and MOST COMPLETE answers to our questions with an ADDITIONAL $100 gift certificate to Amazon.com. You will decide who that lucky winner will be by a hidden ballot vote at the end of the discussion board on Friday (unfortunately you will not be able to vote for yourself...I hope that you understand).

Some tricks and tips regarding this discussion board. There are no “right” or “wrong” answers in these daily discussion sessions. We’re just looking for candid and honest answers to our questions. It is important to remember that YOU ARE MY EXPERTS! I need to hear how you personally feel about things--not how your friends and families feel about PEANUT BUTTER. Also, be sure to read each other’s posts, and feel free to respond to them, too! By commenting on each other posts, and asking follow-up questions, we’ll have the most enjoyable and productive group discussion possible. What we don't want are just a series of simultaneous individual interviews. You are all passionate people...that is, in large part, why we picked you.  Please take the time to read up on everyone's posts and feel free to voice your agreement or disagreement with what they are saying. Most importantly, your interaction with one-another will ensure that everybody’s ideas about PEANUT BUTTER are effectively shared, and that we are all learning something from each other!

Won oder thing to considdr: Typos dont mater here. We all make them, so don’t worry about it if you do!  What is most important is that you get your thoughts on the discussion board for the rest of us to read and respond to.

More to come...

Here are a few more logistics…

1. Expect my posts for the day to appear each morning --by 6:30 AM Eastern Time.

2. Please visit the discussion board site AT LEAST once a day – at any time(s) that are convenient for you. We expect that it should take you 20 minutes a day to answer each question; however, please feel free to visit as much as you’d like, and spend as long as you’d like answering our questions and responding to one-another.

3. If you need to contact me, you can do so by A) clicking on the envelope beside my name, B) sending an email to me at chriselliott@peacocknine.com or C) phoning me at 312.664.4433 x1. 

4) Should you need to contact me after working hours, I can be reached via email at chriselliott@peacocknine.com.

How this site works:

You’ve arrived at the site where you can view all the “posts.” Posts are messages left by me (the moderator) and you. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to bookmark (save in Favorites) the web address that brought you here, since you will be visiting this site on a daily basis over the next six days.

Our discussion is divided into “Sections.” You’ll need to choose a section to delve into by picking from the list of Section options near the top of your screen. All sections will be dated to help you get your bearings.

I’ll post one or more sets of questions each day. Please read each one and respond to it.

To reply to any post, click on the “Reply” button located just to the left of the name of the person who wrote the message you want to reply to. A new window will appear, with the message you are responding to on the right, and a blank box on the left for you to type your response. If you would like to use a “quote” from another respondent in your reply, feel free to cut and paste from the original message on the right.

Once you’ve typed your message, click on the “Post Message” button below the message entry box to add it to “the thread” (the interwoven series of messages that will form the “fabric” of the discussion).

As we move through the various days, please make sure read back through everyone's posts so you can see what everyone has said. If you want to go back to elaborate on a particular point, please feel free.  It will still count toward your general responsiveness for this project and just may make you an extra $100!

Thanks a lot!

Look for the first day's topic early tomorrow morning!

In the meantime, feel free to make posts and to generally get to know one-another.

With the preliminaries out of the way, let’s get started!

At this point, let’s get familiar with the medium and learn a bit about each other! Please devote a paragraph or two to the following questions.

We want to learn about Y.O.U! We’ve got "peanut butter fans" participating in this discussion from all over the United States.  Help us all get to know where you are coming from.
--Where do you live? 
--How does peanut butter fit into your life?  What role does it play?
--What varieties of peanut butter are your favorites?
--How do you feel about the different kinds of peanut butter available today (mainstream, natural/organic, fresh ground, etc.)
--What brands of peanut butter do you buy?
--Pease provide us with a detailed description of what an "ideal peanut butter moment" for you looks like and feels like.
--Finally, how would you feel if PEANUT BUTTER no longer existed?  (sounds, smells, feelings, emotions, etc.)

Please be detailed, chatty and conversational in your responses as possible. “Speak” in paragraph form, Use these questions as the basis of your reply. Feel free to tell us about your  "foodie" self, but try to touch on as many of the questions listed above.

TO REPLY TO THIS (OR ANY OTHER) POST, PLEASE CLICK ON THE “RESPOND TO” BUTTON TO THE LEFT OF THE AUTHOR’S NAME AT THE TOP OF THE POST. WHEN THE NEW WINDOW APPEARS, TYPE YOUR REPLY ON THE EMPTY/LEFT SIDE. IF YOU’D LIKE, CUT AND PASTE FROM THE ORIGINAL MESSAGE TO THE RIGHT. BE SURE TO READ AND (IF YOU ARE SO INCLINED) RESPOND TO POSTS BY OTHER PARTICIPANTS. 

ALSO, IT HELPS TO DRAFT YOUR RESPONSES IN WORD AND THEN CUT AND PASTE THEM ONTO THE BOARD.  THERE IS NOTHING WORSE THAT LOSING YOUR WORK!