Who wants to come have lunch and tell us what you think of the Plaindealer?

Yep, we’re looking for some of our readers to share their opinions. Sounds like fun, right?

We’re inviting readers to apply to be a part of a focus group scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 1. Those selected to participate will be asked to give their perspectives on the newspaper, and we’ll provide a delicious lunch.

We’re looking for a cross-section of readers who represent a variety of voices in the community. We need folks who are willing to give genuine feedback about what they like about what we’re doing, what they want us to keep doing, what they don’t like or would change and what they would be OK with us spending fewer resources on.

We have a trained facilitator coming — a professional who has been working with newspapers across the country for decades. If you want to look him up, his name is Kevin Slimp, and he’s a bit of a newspaper guru who specializes in newspaper design and engaging readers. We were able to obtain grant funds to make his visit possible, and we’re looking forward to having him come visit and help us do an even better job for the community.

You might ask why we’re doing this. Why would we take the time to bring in someone to ask you what you think about your community newspaper? Because we want to understand our audience, and listening to the community is a vital part of having a strong relationship with our readers. Sure, we get plenty of informal feedback every week, when we run into folks around town or readers call or email. But having a structured, purposeful exercise to listen and reflect on our practices and examine how we can serve the community even better is important.

Our goal is to take a cross-section of our readership, gather their perspectives and be able to paint a portrait of observations about the Plaindealer.

If you’re interested in participating in our focus group, please fill out a form here. We’re hoping to have more than enough interested readers, and would love to pick your brains to help us do an even better job serving the community.

Erin McIntyre and Mike Wiggins are the publishers of the Plaindealer. Email them at erin@ouraynews.com and mike@ouraynews.com.