Focus group went well!

My focus group earlier today went well, AND my new digital recorder worked!  (Sigh of relief:-)  Now. . . the transcribing begins. I want to do this right away while everything is fresh in my mind, such as nonverbals displayed during the conversations, etc., but finding the time is the issue.  My recorder does have an earphone option so at least I won't be keeping my family up while I'm listening and transcribing! 

My participants were very forthcoming and later all expressed gratitude to me for the opportunity to participate. (Didn't expect this:-)  They said that they rarely get the opportunity to discuss what they do in such detail and to interact with others who have similar roles.  They said the discussion was beneficial to them in that they picked up ideas for their co-workers.  The discussion also seemed to be somewhat of a bonding experience, as one of the participants was a retiree and the others hadn't seen him in some time.  The retiree actually said that discussing his former role in hospice made him miss his work and patients, and he thanked me again for the opportunity to "re-live" this part of his life.

I offered candy and had some water available.  The water seemed to be a good idea, since with all the talking, they wanted something to drink. 

Working on my scholarly lecture review and the mash-up, too.  So much to learn, so little time!!  I have so much new respect for researchers and the time/commitment involved.