Hello fellow fans, this is Dawn Fratini. I have been your webmistress at CharlaineHarris.com for the past five years. I want first and foremost to assure you: This is not a marketing survey nor a ploy to gather information for commercial purposes.

I am a graduate student at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the Department of Film and Television, and I am conducting this survey, in part, as the basis of an academic paper. The faculty advisor on this project is John Caldwell PhD.

The Goals:

1. To find out more about you as individuals and as a community of fans, and to give you a forum for self-expression within this community of ours. Portions of the results will be published on the website in the spirit of getting to know each other and sharing experiences.
   
   
2. To interpret the results so as to form an understanding of what it means to be a fan in general, and of Charlaine Harris' work in particular. This interpretation will be in the form of an academic paper which draws upon an ethnographic, as opposed to media research, practices. Translation: The goal is not to chart statistics. The goal is to let you tell your own story, which I will endeavor to quilt into one larger story.

I am hoping to be able to conduct a second follow-up survey which will allow you to read and comment upon my interpretations, keeping the dialogue open.

If you kindly decide to participate, please be assured of the following:

• Your anonymity will be protected above all.
• Any information you furnish will NOT be passed along to vendors, marketing researchers, or any other commercial interests.
• Your email address will absolutely NOT be passed on, added to a mailing list, or divulged in any manner. If you supply an email address, it will be used only in the event that the results of this survey are such that follow-up questions seem necessary.
• None of the parties involved (Charlaine Harris, CharlaineHarris.com, Dawn Fratini, survey participants) are receiving financial award or compensation in this endeavor.
• With the exception of email addresses, any information you furnish may be compiled, excerpted, quoted or referred to in the resulting academic paper.
• The information you supply in the “Personal Information” section will be used to create a demographic profile for academic purposes only. It will not be published on the website, nor will it be forwarded to publishing or marketing entities.
• The information you supply in the sections pertaining to “Charlaine Harris” and “Other Entertainment” sections may be excepted, summarized, or quoted on the website.