I Heart Bloggies

We want to blamedrewscancer for cancer still existing

Mike — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:21:54 +0000

We decided to do the little bit we could do to help out Drew and the rest of the #blamedrewscancer team. They've got a Blame-a-thon coming up on September 9th and are raising money to give to Livestrong. If you're interested in helping out or winning something from the raffle, check out the info below (or click here):

On September 9, 2009, Blame Drew's Cancer presents its biggest event yet: the first annual Blame-a-Thon, a 24-hour event and benefit concert to unite Philadelphia and a live audience on the web in blaming cancer for everything. All proceeds and donations from the Blame-a-Thon will go directly to LiveStrong, the Lance Armstrong Foundation (blame-a-thon.com).

The Blame-a-Thon will kick off with a midnight-to-noon party at Old City co-working space Independent's Hall and continue with a noon-to-midnight benefit concert at the North Star Bar in Fairmount. The entire event will be streamed online by Live Stream (livestream.com).

Now you can be a part of the Blame-A-Thon in a brand new way, even if you’re not there in person (in Philly). While watching the livestream of our 24 hour event benefitting LIVESTRONG, you can win raffle prizes. Even if you’ll be at the event, you can win.

How?

#rafflegrabs

Every hour we’re going to give one cool prize away (for the entire 24 hours), that’s 24 potential prize winning opportunites?!?!?!?! Amazing.

Every hour, at the beginning of the hour, we will tweet and say on our stream what the prize is, who it’s from, etc. During that hour you can #blamedrewscancer for something and add the hashtag #rafflegrab for a chance win (one random blametweet will be picked each hour!). BUT you have to buy a raffle ticket.

$9 for the WHOLE day.

AND, it goes right to LIVESTRONG!

You can only win once per each #rafflegrabs ticket you buy (so buy up to 24!), but ALL of the prizes are worth it.

This ticket is not for the event, but for entry into the Raffles throughout the day. One ticket enters you in all of the raffles for the full 24-hours!

It's a great way to raise money for cancer, show your support, and win some great prizes!

Tickets for the North Star Bar portion of Blame-a-Thon are available for $15 at bit.ly/blameathon.

Here are some of the prizes so far!

* 23andMe Reaserch Revolution Kits (4) $99 value each

* Signed Extract poster from Mike Judge, Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis and Dustin Milligan (courtesy of Miramax Films)

* A genuine NHL hockey stick autographed by the Philadelphia Flyers Claude Giroux. This was donated to us by the wonderful Philadelphia Flyers organization themselves! (complete with certificate of authenticity!)

Bolt Bus Gift Basket $250 value

Autographed copy of Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith (3)

Autographed copy of Twitterville by Shel Isreal

Autographed copy of Wuffie Factor by Tara Hunt

Autographed Survivor Buff by Survivor Africa winner Ethan Zohn

iPod touch from textPlus $200 value

$75 Gift Certificate to the Continental (courtesy of Starr Restaurants)

$20 gift cards to Game Crazy (4)

$50 Gift Certificate to the South Philadelphia Taproom

Custom piece of art, involving Twitter and BlameDrewsCancer by Natasha Wescoat: http://natashasartcandy.com/

Oscars 2009 – Liveblog

Mike — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 21:57:04 +0000

The Oscars are here tonight and we're going to be covering it live. We'll be using CoverItLive and their liveblogging tool to bring you the happenings as they happen. We'll also be bringing in some guests and grabbing some good tweets from Twitter as those happen too. So, tune in here at 8PM EST and prepare for the show.

The post will autoupdate below with the liveblog as the event starts. You can also keep track of the Oscar results through the main IHM Oscars page.

Oscars 2009

IHM Adds Facebook Connect

Mike — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 10:14:35 +0000

It's pretty uncommon anymore to find someone that doens't have a Facebook account. Really, try it. Almost everyone has one. And because of that, IHM has decided to integrate with Facebook Connect.

From this point on, any new user has the option of signing up for IHM the normal way (creating an account by giving us their information) or they can signup through their Facebook account. Clicking the "Register with Facebook" button will provide you wtih a prompt that asks if it's cool with you that we connect to your account. Once you allow it, we're good to go and get your account put in the oven so it's baked fresh based on your profile ASAP.

Once you've signed up through the Facebook Connect process, you'll be able to forever log into the site through your Facebook account. To do this, go to the sign in page (like normal), but click the "Log in with Facebook" option. It's that easy.

So, if you're new and have been thinking about joining, we've made it a whole lot easier for you. Now to find out just how amazing IHM is, all you have to do is press a button. Just press the button.

While we're in a testing period with these new features, you may find some bugs. If you do, please don't hesitate to let us know. We'll get all your problems fixed right up right away.

IHM Goes Mobile

Mike — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:00:41 +0000

Have you ever been stuck at the theater trying to pick out the right movie for you without any info? Or have you debated with friends over who was in what movie or if a sequel was made of it? Have you ever watched a movie only to want to update your rating on it as soon as you leave the theater? We've got an answer for you now.

Today, we're releasing the first version of IHM Mobile. The site will turn into a complete mobile version of IHM that allows you to access all the benefits of IHM in a much more mobile friendly way. We've stripped back a lot of regular IHM to make this version that flies when cruising it on your mobile phone.

We decided to not only give the benefits of our site to our great IHM members, but to add some features for non-IHMers (or not-logged-in users).

As an nonIHM member/not-logged-in user, you can:
- Search for movies/tv shows and get their info
- See the IHM user's average rating on films/tv shows
- Browse the photo galleries for films/tv shows
- Browse the top/bottom 50 films on IHM
- Browse films and tv shows we've just added into our database
- Register to become an IHM member

As an IHM member, you can do all of the above and:
- Add movies to your collection
- Rate and categorize movies
- Leave public comments on films that display to the world on the film's page

If you have data access on your mobile phone, point it to http://m.iheartmovies.org to check it out.

As we measure the usage of the mobile site, we're looking to get lots of feedback from you all. We're hoping to add more and more possibilities to it to allow you to connect to IHM as easy as possible. And beyond just positive feedback, let us know if it looks ugly as can be on your phone or you run into any problems.

IHM Data For the Stats Nerds

Mike — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 23:58:33 +0000

While we apparently don't post on this blog as often as we should, we always have a lot of things going on around IHM. We've got users always logging in, rating, categorizing and generally sharing what they think of the films around them. All this hustle and bustle creates quite a lot of data for us to see. So, I figured maybe a few people would be interested in some of the things we've found when looking at that data.

I'll break down some basic data points in groups to show trends that we've noticed in the database. While I'll avoid specifics (it's none of your beeswax man), you'll still get a good general feel for what's being presented. If you've got questions, please hold them until the end of the demonstration and then we'll be more than happy to be of assistance. Also, ask away on any other stats you'd like to see and maybe we'll throw some more bones your way.

The Top 5 Most MY MOVIES

The Top 5 Most ADDED TO COLLECTION

The Top 5 Most FAVORITED

The Top 5 Most WISHLISTED

On the high end...

60% of the films have a 7/10 or higher.
36% of the films have an 8/10 or higher.
17% of the films have a 9/10 or higher.

On the low end...

10% of the films have a 4/10 or lower.
5% of the flims have a 3/10 or lower.
2% of the films have a 2/10 or lower.

The average rating for a film is: 6.8/10

Well, that's all we've came up with for you guys so far. If you're interested in getting more, let me know and we'll see about posting some more stats. Enjoy.

State of the IHM Address

Mike — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 06:06:38 +0000

Hello fellow IHMers,

We're writing you today to let you know about the release of some new features including one of our best features so far.

Organize your life with our New Collection
The first feature is, of course, the new collection management tool that you have gotten to preview over the last week. If you haven't figured out by now, with this tool you'll be able to easily manage your entire electronic collection (all the films and tv shows you have rated). We added searching, sorting, formatting and mass editing to the collection utility. The new collection tool should also be much faster for those (after loading) with a slower connection as we will be processing updates in the background. If you haven't check it out, all you need to do is login and visit the collection page.

Show off your collection with the Flare Page
We have also created some nice "flare" for your personal pages that you can use to link back to your collection or profile. If you check out the flare page, you will be taken to the page offering all the different banner and image options along with code to place them on your blog, website or Myspace page. Feel free to put these on your pages to let people know how much you love movies.

Catch your movie news on the Movieblog
While we have not done much as far as publication for this next addition, it has been around for a few months. We have been writing about movies and movie news everyday (along with some great contributors) over on the IHM Movieblog. This blog allows you to get some sneak peeks at trailers, on set pictures or movie news in general. If you are a fan of movies and like to read or talk about them, you should check out the Movieblog.

Let your voice be heard, Write for Us!
We're looking to get even more people's opinions and thoughts on movies heard. If you think you can write about movies or are that person in your group of friends always spreading movie news, you're perfect for our blog. If you think you are up to it, let us know.

Get your changes made when you Contact us!
We spend a lot of time behind the scenes making updates and changing things for the better. If you are confused or have questions about how something works, feel free to contact us. We also are always open to hearing ideas or suggestions you have about our site (so much so that we have even created a special ideas email address for you to pass them to us). And of course, you can always reach us via IHM messages. See the about page to find the admin's pages.

Thanks for all your support,
The IHM Staff

IHM Meetup: The Dark Knight

Mike — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 04:36:47 +0000

If you didn't know, The Dark Knight releases next Thursday in the U.S. It's supposed to be the movie event of the year and we're sure as hell not missing out on it. Realizing how big of a deal this movie is and how stoked we are to check it out, we're assuming you're just as ready to see it too.

So, we're doing a bit of a meetup type thing for the opening. While we're not going to the official first showing for the film due to some scheduling conflicts, we'll be hitting up a showing on Friday, July 18th at 9:55pm at NCG Trillium in Grand Blanc, MI. We're doing the IMAX showing, so it's definitely going to be an experience.

For those who have been wanting to check this out, this will definitely be a great time to do so. You'll get to see a great movie and hang out and talk about movies with us in person.

If you're at all interested in attending, post a comment here or send me an email (mike@iheartmovies.org) and I'll get you some more details. If you're wanting to see how close you are to the theater, here's a google map with info. You'll probably want to grab tickets ahead of time so that you don't miss out too.

Collection Update

jason — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 04:51:32 +0000

We've been receiving a lot of feedback with Collection and we plan on doing a major update to fix several bugs on July 13th. This update will address the following issues. Please post any bugs/issues/questions or suggestions in the comments for this post.

Issues to be resolved:

Apostrophes for either saved list name or description breaking loading of collection.
Options menu/edit overlay not opening on titles with Watched Dates
Loading time for users collection will be drastically improved
Activity not being posted on title updates

Additions:

The ability to add titles right into collection, from collection, no having to leave the page or go to the browse page. Will make adding titles, hopefully much easier.

Download Squad Talks Movies

Mike — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 03:43:36 +0000

Tonight Download Squad decided to check us out and write a review about us. They've got some interesting things to say about us and want to see your most creative list.

If you're interested, head over there and comment the lists you've put together so far.

We May Have Just Released Something New…

Mike — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:45:10 +0000

If you were to say click that “Collection” link at the top of your navigation bar on IHM, you may notice a little something different. Try out what you see and let us know if you run across anything strange. We’ll provide full details shortly as well as a list of all the new things that come with this shiny new feature.

If you have any problems or want to get a hold of us, you can contact any of us via: support@iheartmovies.org You can also leave comments to this post with any problems you run into.

If I'm at the computer, I'll also be offering quick support. You can reach me through the following methods:
email - mike@iheartmovies.org
aim - mike@iheartmovies.org
gtalk - mike@iheartmovies.org

If you use something else and want to chat with me, send me an email and we can arrange a way to chat and support any of your needs.

If you have any comments, suggestions or ideas to better the collection, please let us know.

IHM Wears Some Flare

Mike — Wed, 14 May 2008 05:07:09 +0000

Always wanted to link to your collection on IHM or your IHM profile but didn't know how? Well, now we've simplified that for you. If you've got a myspace account, blog, website or you want something in your forum signature, we've created a tool that allows you to choose an image (we're calling them flare) and it gives you the code to put it wherever. You can choose your flare image, where you want to link and even the text that shows up when someone hovers over the image. If you're interested in putting some buttons around, check out our Flare page.

Also, as a small side note, we're wrapping up the last bits of collection as we speak. We're hoping to have it finished with bug testing and final features by the end of May for an early June release. If you're interested in helping test, please let us know.

IHM Collection Preview

Mike — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:35:56 +0000

For those who haven't entered into the IHM beta testing for the new collection, we've put together a bunch of pictures highlighting some of the newer features and design ideas we've created for it. It's getting closer and closer to completion everyday and so far we've received lots of good feedback about it to make sure it's the best it can be for you all.

A quick highlight of some of the big features of the new collection:

It's all done using Ajax. This means that your entire collection downloads temporarily to your browser when you visit the collection. Once downloaded you'll never have to wait for a page to load as each update or change you make happens behind the scenes.
Lists. We're going to introduce a new feature that allows users to create lists of films (or tv shows) in whatever ways they'd like. This will allow you to share those "best things to watch at 2am" or "movies for first dates" ideas you've always wanted to.
Mass rating . Tired of rating films one at a time? You'll be able to select as many titles as you want and rate them all at once.
Mass management. Tags, deletion, lists, etc. will all be able to be done in a mass mode so that you don't have to do it on an individual basis.
New rating tips. Ever confused on the difference between a 7 and an 8 when it comes to rating? We've setup a guideline to help you know that while a 7 is good, an 8 is great.

Anyway, I don't want to give away too much from it. We've got some other things up our sleeve and we hope you will all enjoy it.

Those wanting to check out the screenshots of the new collection can visit my flickr page.

New: IHM Movieblog

Mike — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:53:24 +0000

We're going to be splitting out the movie reviews and lists and whatever else that's unrelated to IHM from this blog into a new blog that we've created called the IHM Movieblog (we're so creative). So, if you're looking for a blog about movies (which coincidentally will be completely published and written by your fellow IHMers), you should check it out. We'll be posting news, articles, reviews, lists and whatever else pops into our heads.

Also, if you've bookmarked or saved a post from this blog that's non-IHM related, it will be stripped from this blog in the next few days. You can head over to the new blog to find it and rebookmark it or whatever you trendy kids do.

Also (part II: the awakening of a new beginning), if you're looking to write about movies or would like to join in on the fun, let me know and we'll see about getting you in as a writer on the new blog.

Oops, my bad

Mike — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 04:10:50 +0000

Well, we had a little downtime tonight caused by me romping too heavily in the database. Luckily, we were able to smash our heads together and find the solution without losing anything but some time. We apologize for the downtime and anyone who came to our site wishing to rate some movies.

And even though the cat said it, we didn't lose anything .

-Mike

Technical Difficulties

Mike — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:43:08 +0000

Pardon us, but we're currently experiencing some technical difficulties. We'll have everything back to order in a few moments. We apologize for any inconvenience in causing you to wait.

Thanks,

- IHM Staff

The bug for those interested: