In the comfort and privacy of your home, or in the comfort of your workspace during your lunch break, you have a golden opportunity today.

You can tell businesses, including the Herald, how they can serve you better. It’s an opportunity to let us know what you see as important, to let us know what you need and want as a consumer. And you could win a lot of moolah for participating.

To us, our online survey — on NorthKitsapHerald.com — is more than a chance for you to win some money for answering some questions. The Herald and its parent company, Sound Publish-ing Co., partners regularly with Pulse Research of Portland, Ore., an independent firm that works with media and retailers nationwide. Each survey we’ve done has yielded a wealth of information.

In each survey, North Kitsap residents tell us about their preferred information sources, what they look for when they open a newspaper or go online, what their preferred features and sections are. They tell us what they enjoy about the Herald, and what they would like to see changed. They tell us how we can better serve the community.

Each survey also helps local businesses improve how they market their goods and services. Readers tell of their preferences for local and regional shopping, their purchasing plans for goods and services, their choices for entertainment and travel, and basic demographic information.

Understanding how consumers plan to spend their money helps us know where the economy may be going this year, Herald Publisher Donna Etchey said. And the survey results help the newspaper and local businesses respond accordingly.

“The survey helps us understand where the economy is going, and what readers will be looking for from our newspaper, Web site and special sections,” Etchey said. “And it provides a lot of good marketing information for our businesses.”

The survey is a good economic development tool. We want to ensure our newspaper, Web site and special sections are necessary reads in the communities they serve. And businesses want to know how they can better meet your needs.

Here’s your opportunity to tell us — and for participating you will be entered in a drawing for a $1,000 cash drawing or a $500 gift certificate for Fred Meyer. Just visit NorthKitsapHerald.com to participate. Your information will be kept confidential and will be used for the survey’s purposes only. The survey should take about 20 minutes to complete.

Thank you for participating — and for making The Herald, NorthKitsapHerald.com and our special sections a part of your daily life.

— Richard Walker is editor of the Herald and NorthKitsapHerald.com. Contact him at 779-4464 or rwalker@northkitsapherald.com.