The concept of theCWTgroup is now entering it’s 7th month of development. Currently, theCWTgroup has approximately 30 consultant subscribers and 10 general industry subscribers.  Consultants are listed under the Consultant menu along with their email and number of new posts they’ve made.  The Consultant section is not available to general industry subscribers.    The idea of the consultant area is that it is a “safe area” where there can be candid discussion about products and practices. In the future, there will be complete transparency relative to who has access to which part of the site.  Users can currently add Biographical Information under the “edit account” tab.  A profile page is being developed to display this information.  Biographical information is important so users can evaluate posts written by others with whom they are not familiar.  If you are uncomfortable with your contact information being displayed on the Consultant User list, please send an email to info@theCWTgroup.com and your account can be deactivated.  In the future, we will add a function which will allow you to “unsubscribe”.

To fine-tune our vision, a focus group meeting was held in Detroit last week. Several potential improvements were discussed. The next major event with wide consultant attendance is the Cornell Nutrition Conference.  Should we try to schedule a theCWTgroup dinner and discussion there?

The launch date is set for the first of 2019.  At this time, all subscribers will need to acknowledge the policies that are posted on theCWTgroup.  All users are encouraged to read these policies and suggest possible improvements.

The focus group had a long and intense discussion relative to 2019 subscription fees.   The idea with the most traction is a subscription fee like the annual SPAC subscription fee associated with ADSA.  From theCWTgroup management viewpoint, if subscribers are not willing to pay a subscription fee then that means they are not gaining value from the site. Leading to the conclusion that it is not worth further funding.

A suggestion under consideration is that site utilization be evaluated annually. At that time, consultants that have not been contributing to the site would be asked to unsubscribe or move to General Industry category with much less access to content.  The site is intended to be a peer-to-peer sharing platform. Much of its value depends on user interaction.