On one of the seats in the front row of the audience, there will be the following message:

Hello!
Would you be willing to gather answer sheets and pencils from the audience using the box under your seat? Also, would you be willing to tally the responses from the answer sheets using the worksheet in the box? Also, would you be willing to read the results of the tallied responses to the audience?

Kate speaks with the person in the seat with the message, and confirms their (or another person’s) voluntary participation.

Kate returns to the stage and holds a clipboard and a small remote to a digital projector. She turns on the projector and on the projector screen behind her flashes up a slide with the word “Welcome.”

Thank you for joining me for this brief focus group. I will be asking you a series of questions, and, if you will look under your seats, you should find an answer sheet with a pencil taped to it. I will be collecting your responses at the end of the session.

We will be assessing your personal reactions to a branding strategy for a writer and artist’s online presence.

Kate changes the slide to one with “namrogetak.com.“

On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being “entirely unlikely” and 10 being “extremely likely,” how likely is it that you would visit a website with this url?

Kate pauses for 5 seconds while the audience marks their answers, then changes the slide to one with “@namrogetak.”

On the same scale, how likely would you be to tweet at or retweet someone with this handle?

Kate pauses for 5 seconds while the audience marks their answers, then changes the slide to one with “namrogetak.”

On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being “I’m repulsed” and 10 being “I’m delighted and intrigued,” how do you feel about it as a brand?

Kate pauses for 5 seconds while the audience marks their answers.

Now we will move on to the yes or no section of the answer sheet. Please circle Y for yes and N for no.

Number 1: Unpronouncable words are a good branding strategy.
Number 2: Unpronouncable words have no place in branding strategies.
Number 3: Unpronouncable words are undermining the social contract.
Number 4: Unpronouncable words are the result of a misguided attempt to be unique while failing to take into account a strong possibility of audience alienation.

For your final response, in the blank space at the bottom of your answer sheet please write what you imagine is the phonetic approximation of the word on the screen if you were to say it out loud.

Kate pauses for 10 seconds while the audience writes their answers.

Thank you for your participation! If you would pass your answer sheets and pencils to the end of the aisle, this lovely volunteer will collect them.

The volunteer picks up the answer sheets and pencils.

While the performance continues, our volunteer will tally your responses and report back the results of the focus group.

**The performance continues, the volunteer tallies the results.**

Kate addresses the volunteer.

Please read the results of the focus group.

The volunteer reads the numerical results. Kate asks the volunteer if there were any particularly notable phonetic pronunciations. Kate reads those responses out loud.

Thank you for your thoughts and your candor. All of your comments will be helpful in the development of the writer and artist’s branding strategy.

Curtain.