diff --git a/R/append_values.r b/R/append_values.r
index a974113..9bfd493 100644
--- a/R/append_values.r
+++ b/R/append_values.r
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 #' @param force parameter that determines if the variable type should be computed or not
 #'        if force is FALSE, then the function may take more memory
 #' @examples
-#' library(dplyr)
+#' library(magrittr)  # for %>%
 #' '{"first": "bob", "last": "jones"}' %>% 
 #'   gather_keys() %>%
 #'   append_values_string()
diff --git a/R/enter_object.r b/R/enter_object.r
index 08033a5..2d2be9e 100644
--- a/R/enter_object.r
+++ b/R/enter_object.r
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 #' @param ... path to filter
 #' @export
 #' @examples
-#' library(dplyr)
+#' library(magrittr)  # for %>%
 #' c('{"name": "bob", "children": ["sally", "george"]}', '{"name": "anne"}') %>%
 #'   spread_values(parent.name = jstring("name")) %>%
 #'   enter_object("children") %>% 
diff --git a/R/gather_array.r b/R/gather_array.r
index 835e090..780fd22 100644
--- a/R/gather_array.r
+++ b/R/gather_array.r
@@ -23,7 +23,8 @@
 #' @return a tbl_json with a new column (column.name) that captures the array
 #'   index and JSON attribute extracted from the array
 #' @export
-#' @examples 
+#' @examples
+#' library(magrittr)  # for %>%  
 #' '[1, "a", {"k": "v"}]' %>% gather_array %>% json_types
 gather_array <- function(x, column.name = "array.index") {
   
diff --git a/R/gather_keys.r b/R/gather_keys.r
index d41b123..c397003 100644
--- a/R/gather_keys.r
+++ b/R/gather_keys.r
@@ -1,10 +1,22 @@
-#' Gathers every key from the top level of the json and stacks them 
-#' 
+#' Stack a JSON {"key": value} object
+#'
+#' Given a JSON key value structure, like {"key1": 1, "key2": 2}, the 
+#' gather_keys() function duplicates the rows of the tbl_json data.frame for
+#' every key, adds a new column (default name "key") to capture the key names,
+#' and then dives into the JSON values to enable further manipulation with
+#' downstream tidyjson functions.
+#'
+#' This allows you to *enter into* the keys of the objects just like `gather_array`
+#' let you enter elements of the array.
+#'
 #' @param x a tbl_json whose JSON attribute should always be an object
 #' @param column.name the name to give to the column of key names created
 #' @return a tbl_json with a new column (column.name) that captures the keys
 #'   and JSON attribute of the associated value data
 #' @export
+#' @examples
+#' library(magrittr)  # for %>% 
+#' '{"name": "bob", "age": 32}' %>% gather_keys %>% json_types
 gather_keys <- function(x, column.name = "key") {
 
   if (!is.tbl_json(x)) x <- as.tbl_json(x)
diff --git a/R/json_lengths.r b/R/json_lengths.r
index f2fe042..5761735 100644
--- a/R/json_lengths.r
+++ b/R/json_lengths.r
@@ -1,9 +1,19 @@
-#' Add a column that tells the 'length' of the data in the root of the JSON
+#' Add a column that contains the length of the JSON data
+#' 
+#' When investigating JSON data it can be helpful to identify the lengths of the
+#' JSON objects or arrays, especialy when they are 'ragged' across documents. The
+#' json_lengths() function adds a column (default name "length") that contains
+#' the 'length' of the JSON associated with each row. For objects, this will
+#' be equal to the number of keys. For arrays, this will be equal to the length
+#' of the array. All scalar values will be of length 1.
 #' 
 #' @param x a tbl_json object
 #' @param column.name the name to specify for the length column
 #' @return a tbl_json object with column.name column that tells the length
 #' @export
+#' @examples 
+#' library(magrittr)  # for %>% 
+#' c('[1, 2, 3]', '{"k1": 1, "k2": 2}', '1', {}) %>% json_lengths
 json_lengths <- function(x, column.name = "length") {
   
   if (!is.tbl_json(x)) x <- as.tbl_json(x)
diff --git a/R/json_types.r b/R/json_types.r
index 9040441..7edd0e7 100644
--- a/R/json_types.r
+++ b/R/json_types.r
@@ -1,9 +1,21 @@
 #' Add a column that tells the 'type' of the data in the root of the JSON
-#' 
+#'
+#' The function json_types() inspects the JSON associated with 
+#' each row of the tbl_json data.frame, and adds a new column ("type" by 
+#' default) that identifies the type according to the 
+#' JSON standard at http://json.org/.
+#'
+#' This is particularly useful for inspecting your JSON data types, and can added
+#' after gather_array() (or gather_keys()) to inspect the types of the elements
+#' (or values) in arrays (or objects).
+#'
 #' @param x a tbl_json object
 #' @param column.name the name to specify for the type column
 #' @return a tbl_json object with column.name column that tells the type
 #' @export
+#' @examples 
+#' library(magrittr)  # for %>%
+#' c('{"a": 1}', '[1, 2]', '"a"', '1', 'true', 'null') %>% json_types
 json_types <- function(x, column.name = "type") {
   
   if (!is.tbl_json(x)) x <- as.tbl_json(x)
diff --git a/R/spread_values.r b/R/spread_values.r
index 22720fd..7bb099b 100644
--- a/R/spread_values.r
+++ b/R/spread_values.r
@@ -1,9 +1,23 @@
-#' Extracts values from JSON refereced by a sequence of keys
+#' Create new columns with JSON values
+#' 
+#' The spread_values() function lets you dive into (potentially nested) JSON 
+#' objects and extract specific values. spread_values() takes jstring(),
+#' jnumber() or jlogical() named function calls as arguments in order to specify
+#' the type of the data that should be captured at each desired key location.
+#' These values can be of varying types at varying depths.
+#' 
 #' @param x tbl_json object
 #' @param ... column=value list where 'column' will be the column name created
 #'   and 'value' must be a call to jstring(), jnumber() or jlogical() specifying
 #'   the path to get the value (and the type implicit in the function name) 
 #' @export
+#' @examples 
+#' library(magrittr)  # for %>%
+#' '{"name": {"first": "bob", "last": "jones"}, "age": 32}' %>%
+#'   spread_values(
+#'     first.name = jstring("name", "first"), 
+#'     age = jnumber("age")
+#'   )
 spread_values <- function(x, ...) {
   
   if (!is.tbl_json(x)) x <- as.tbl_json(x)
diff --git a/man/append_values.Rd b/man/append_values.Rd
index 6f8e8ab..30d556b 100644
--- a/man/append_values.Rd
+++ b/man/append_values.Rd
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ using append_values_string) and *also* any rows where the JSON is still an
 object or an array.
 }
 \examples{
-library(dplyr)
+library(magrittr)  # for \%>\%
 '{"first": "bob", "last": "jones"}' \%>\%
   gather_keys() \%>\%
   append_values_string()
diff --git a/man/enter_object.Rd b/man/enter_object.Rd
index 6947125..04f3fdc 100644
--- a/man/enter_object.Rd
+++ b/man/enter_object.Rd
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ enter into. Keep in mind that any rows with JSON that do not contain the key
 will be discarded by this function.
 }
 \examples{
-library(dplyr)
+library(magrittr)  # for \%>\%
 c('{"name": "bob", "children": ["sally", "george"]}', '{"name": "anne"}') \%>\%
   spread_values(parent.name = jstring("name")) \%>\%
   enter_object("children") \%>\%
diff --git a/man/gather_array.Rd b/man/gather_array.Rd
index 0be8e46..09c06ab 100644
--- a/man/gather_array.Rd
+++ b/man/gather_array.Rd
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ values are themselves objects or arrays), continue using other tidyjson
 functions to structure the data as needed.
 }
 \examples{
+library(magrittr)  # for \%>\%
 '[1, "a", {"k": "v"}]' \%>\% gather_array \%>\% json_types
 }
 
diff --git a/man/gather_keys.Rd b/man/gather_keys.Rd
index a66fcf1..b413f6d 100644
--- a/man/gather_keys.Rd
+++ b/man/gather_keys.Rd
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 % Please edit documentation in R/gather_keys.r
 \name{gather_keys}
 \alias{gather_keys}
-\title{Gathers every key from the top level of the json and stacks them}
+\title{Stack a JSON {"key": value} object}
 \usage{
 gather_keys(x, column.name = "key")
 }
@@ -16,6 +16,18 @@ a tbl_json with a new column (column.name) that captures the keys
   and JSON attribute of the associated value data
 }
 \description{
-Gathers every key from the top level of the json and stacks them
+Given a JSON key value structure, like {"key1": 1, "key2": 2}, the
+gather_keys() function duplicates the rows of the tbl_json data.frame for
+every key, adds a new column (default name "key") to capture the key names,
+and then dives into the JSON values to enable further manipulation with
+downstream tidyjson functions.
+}
+\details{
+This allows you to *enter into* the keys of the objects just like `gather_array`
+let you enter elements of the array.
+}
+\examples{
+library(magrittr)  # for \%>\%
+'{"name": "bob", "age": 32}' \%>\% gather_keys \%>\% json_types
 }
 
diff --git a/man/json_lengths.Rd b/man/json_lengths.Rd
index 31c53bc..018c9a3 100644
--- a/man/json_lengths.Rd
+++ b/man/json_lengths.Rd
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 % Please edit documentation in R/json_lengths.r
 \name{json_lengths}
 \alias{json_lengths}
-\title{Add a column that tells the 'length' of the data in the root of the JSON}
+\title{Add a column that contains the length of the JSON data}
 \usage{
 json_lengths(x, column.name = "length")
 }
@@ -15,6 +15,15 @@ json_lengths(x, column.name = "length")
 a tbl_json object with column.name column that tells the length
 }
 \description{
-Add a column that tells the 'length' of the data in the root of the JSON
+When investigating JSON data it can be helpful to identify the lengths of the
+JSON objects or arrays, especialy when they are 'ragged' across documents. The
+json_lengths() function adds a column (default name "length") that contains
+the 'length' of the JSON associated with each row. For objects, this will
+be equal to the number of keys. For arrays, this will be equal to the length
+of the array. All scalar values will be of length 1.
+}
+\examples{
+library(magrittr)  # for \%>\%
+c('[1, 2, 3]', '{"k1": 1, "k2": 2}', '1', {}) \%>\% json_lengths
 }
 
diff --git a/man/json_types.Rd b/man/json_types.Rd
index 85d93be..d66b89f 100644
--- a/man/json_types.Rd
+++ b/man/json_types.Rd
@@ -15,6 +15,18 @@ json_types(x, column.name = "type")
 a tbl_json object with column.name column that tells the type
 }
 \description{
-Add a column that tells the 'type' of the data in the root of the JSON
+The function json_types() inspects the JSON associated with
+each row of the tbl_json data.frame, and adds a new column ("type" by
+default) that identifies the type according to the
+JSON standard at http://json.org/.
+}
+\details{
+This is particularly useful for inspecting your JSON data types, and can added
+after gather_array() (or gather_keys()) to inspect the types of the elements
+(or values) in arrays (or objects).
+}
+\examples{
+library(magrittr)  # for \%>\%
+c('{"a": 1}', '[1, 2]', '"a"', '1', 'true', 'null') \%>\% json_types
 }
 
diff --git a/man/spread_values.Rd b/man/spread_values.Rd
index 97f0d87..c65383c 100644
--- a/man/spread_values.Rd
+++ b/man/spread_values.Rd
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 % Please edit documentation in R/spread_values.r
 \name{spread_values}
 \alias{spread_values}
-\title{Extracts values from JSON refereced by a sequence of keys}
+\title{Create new columns with JSON values}
 \usage{
 spread_values(x, ...)
 }
@@ -14,6 +14,18 @@ and 'value' must be a call to jstring(), jnumber() or jlogical() specifying
 the path to get the value (and the type implicit in the function name)}
 }
 \description{
-Extracts values from JSON refereced by a sequence of keys
+The spread_values() function lets you dive into (potentially nested) JSON
+objects and extract specific values. spread_values() takes jstring(),
+jnumber() or jlogical() named function calls as arguments in order to specify
+the type of the data that should be captured at each desired key location.
+These values can be of varying types at varying depths.
+}
+\examples{
+library(magrittr)  # for \%>\%
+'{"name": {"first": "bob", "last": "jones"}, "age": 32}' \%>\%
+  spread_values(
+    first.name = jstring("name", "first"),
+    age = jnumber("age")
+  )
 }
 
diff --git a/vignettes/introduction-to-tidyjson.Rmd b/vignettes/introduction-to-tidyjson.Rmd
index cb6dc52..07d8efc 100644
--- a/vignettes/introduction-to-tidyjson.Rmd
+++ b/vignettes/introduction-to-tidyjson.Rmd
@@ -415,7 +415,7 @@ When investigating JSON data it can be helpful to identify the lengths of the
 JSON objects or arrays, especialy when they are 'ragged' across documents:
 
 ```{r}
-c('[1, 2, 3]', '{"k1": 1, "k2": 2}', '1') %>% json_lengths
+c('[1, 2, 3]', '{"k1": 1, "k2": 2}', '1', {}) %>% json_lengths
 ```
 
 ## Strategies