An overview of Cooler Hotter

 

Questions on Subscriptions (subscribing / unsubscribing)

 

Updating my profile (videos / pics / About Me)

 

Meeting people (finding & being found)

 

Matches (now that you've found each other)

 

Ratings (how Cooler Hotter scores work)

 

Best Of (all about winning)

 

Widgets (what they are & how to use them)

 

E-gifts / Gifts (because we all love presents)

 

Account Settings (communication & privacy preferences)

 

 

The Big Picture

 

So what is Cooler Hotter all about?

 

At Cooler Hotter you can watch videos that people made about themselves. You can rate the people on their personality (coolness) and their looks (hotness). And then, if you like them, you can meet them. You can also see the best of the best and get rated yourself. For more details on the company and our philosophy, check out About Us.

 

Do I need to register to use Cooler Hotter?

 

Nope. You can watch videos and rate people to your heart’s content without registering. To do some of the cooler things, like meeting people or getting rated yourself, all you need to do is set up an account – it’s free and takes less than 5 minutes!

 
 
 
Subscriptions
 

Do I need to subscribe to use Cooler Hotter?

 

No way. You can watch videos, rate people, meet subscribed members, and even be rated yourself all without subscribing. But there are perks to subscribing!  With a subscription you can put up more videos, more pictures and you can meet non-subscribed members. For the price of a cup of coffee once a month, that’s pretty hard to beat!

 

What is the difference between “Subscribed” and “Non-Subscribed” members?

 

Subscribed members get some rocking perks. They can upload more videos and more pictures, giving other people a better understanding of what they are all about (and helping their chances of getting a higher score!) They can also send notes to anyone else on the site. Non-subscribed members can only upload one video and three pictures and they can’t send notes to Non-subscribed members.

 

How much does it cost to subscribe?

 
Not much…
 
Is there any contract or set duration with a subscription?

Nope. You can do it month by month with no time limit or cancellation fee. You can also sign up in 3, 6, or 12 month increments to get a discount.

 
Great, so how do I subscribe?
 
Make sure that you are logged in, then click here. Or, anytime you are logged in, click on the "Subscribe" link at the bottom of the page.
 
How do I unsubscribe?
 
Make sure that you are logged in, then click here.  Or whenever you are logged in, click on the "Unsubscribe" link at the bottom of the page.
 
 
 

My Profile

 
How do I edit my profile?
 

Go to the My Profile page and click the “Edit Profile” link along the top to manage your profile, your About Me description, your tags (how people find you in the search engine), your location, and other nifty stuff.

 
How do I change my primary photo?
 

Go to the My Profile page and click the “My Pics” link. Click the star under the photo you want to have set as your primary pic. Done.

 

How do I change my primary video?

 

Go to the My Profile page and click the “My Videos” link. Click the star under the video you want to set as your primary one. Done.

 

How do I control whether or not other users can check out my favorite videos?

 

On the My Profile page, click on the My Account link. Check or un-check the box for “Show my highest rated videos in ‘my favorites’ section.” After making your changes, click the Update Account button.

 
 
 

Meeting People

 
So how do I meet people?
 

Easy. First, upload a video and picture of yourself to your profile. Now people will be checking you out and contacting you. Now, go out and rate videos. When you find someone you like, click on Meet Me below the video and drop them a note!

 
What are notes and Nudges?
 

Notes are messages users send to each other. Nudges are expressions of interest sent between users. Think of it like Almond Joy™ and Mounds™: Notes got words; Nudges don’t.

 
How do I send notes?
 

When you are viewing someone’s profile, click on the Meet Me tab. Put in a note and hit send. If you are seeing “Subscribe Now” instead of a send button, that means that neither you nor the user you are viewing are subscribers. In that case, click on Subscribe Now to subscribe and then you will be able to send notes to ALL users on the site.

 
How do I receive notes?
 

Go to My Profile and click the Inbox link along the top. Then click on the subject of that message to view the message.

 
How do I get more notes & Nudges?
 
First, go rate people (which may put you in their potential matches). While you are rating them, CLICK TO MEET THEM. Surprisingly enough, this is by far the best way to meet people! Finally, publicize your video. Tell your friends. Put a link up on your blog, chat it up in your YouTube vlog, or use our widgets to put your video on Facebook, MySpace, Digg or any of the other sites we work with. Then just wait for your matches to come rolling in.
 
How do I block another user from contacting me?
 
Open a message from that user. Below the user’s picture click the Block User link.
 
What happens if someone has blocked me?
 
It is just like sending an email to someone and having it caught in their spam filter.  You will still be able to send nudges, notes, and gifts, but the person you are sending them to will never see them. 
 
I've had a change of heart -- how do I UN-block a user to allow them to contact me again?
 

On the My Profile page, click on the My Account link. Under the Blocked User's section, click the red icon next to the user that you want to unblock. 

 
 
 
Matches
 
What is a “match”?
 

It’s someone you connected with on the site through mutual messaging. One of you sent a message and the other one replied – voila, you now know each other!

 
What is a “potential match”?
 

It is someone definitely worth checking out. They may have rated you highly or they may have similar interests – we’re not giving away any secrets about our matching fairy. But there is some compatibility there and we highly suggest you check them out.

 
How do I get more matches?
 

First of all, reply to your messages. That automatically moves the other person into your matches. Then, go out and rate people – that may put you in their potential matches. AND CLICK TO MEET PEOPLE. Surprisingly enough, this is by far the best way to meet people and make matches! Finally, publicize your video. Tell your friends about it. Put a link up on your blog, chat it up in your YouTube vlog, or use our widgets to put your video on Facebook, MySpace, Digg or any of the other sites we work with. Then just watch as your matches to come rolling in.

 

How do I control whether other users can see me as a potential match?

 

On the My Profile page, click on the My Account link. Check or un-check the box for “Allow other users to see me as a potential match.” After making your changes, click the Update Account button.

 
 
 
Ratings
 
How are ratings determined?
 
Just like you would expect. Other people view your video. They rate it. Then we average the votes.
 
How can I get a higher rating?
 

Add some pictures of yourself and make sure you have a sweet sounding “About Me” section on your profile.   And don’t forget to promote your video – this makes a huge difference! Tell your friends about it. Or put a link up on your blog, chat it up in your YouTube vlog, or use our widgets to put your video on Facebook, MySpace, Digg or any of the other sites we work with. Then just wait for your score to take off.

 
 
 

Best of

 

How can I be selected for the “Best of”?

 

Simple, upload a video! It will be automatically put in the running for best of. Past that, there are two things you can do to increase your chances: (1) Put up more videos (subscribers can have up to three videos and each is another shot at winning. (2) Promote your video. This really increases the chances of people viewing your video and rating it highly. Tell your friends about it. Put a link up on your blog, chat it up in your YouTube vlog, or use our widgets to put your video on Facebook, MySpace, Digg or any of the other sites we work with.

 

How are the “Best of” chosen for each day?

 

Our Best Of genie comes out of the bottle at midnight EST each day. She looks at all the videos that have been rated that day and selects the highest scoring guy and girl for each category (cumulative Coolest & Hottest, absolute Coolest, then absolute Hottest). She makes sure that those users haven’t won that category in the past month and that they haven’t won Best of three times already. When she is satisfied all is in order, she closes her eyes, nods, and the new Best Of winners are magically displayed online.

 

How often can one person be listed in the “Best of”?

 

Once per month in each category, and a total of three times. If you max out those three times your profile receives a permanent big ultimate champion medal.

 

What’s the deal with “Best of” medals?

 

They are permanently displayed on the profiles of winners in any category (Coolest, Hottest, or Coolest & Hottest). If someone wins three times (truly proving themselves) then a big ultimate champion medal is permanently placed on your profile.

 
 
 
Widgets
 
What’s a widget?
 

A small creature that lives in pine trees. Actually, no. A widget is a way to share information online.

 

What types of widgets does Cooler Hotter offer?

 

We’ve got two widgets for ya. The first one lets you put your Cooler Hotter score and a link to your video on your Facebook page, your MySpace page, or more than 30 other websites. That widget is found via the “Get a Widget” link on My Profile page. The second type of widget allows you to share other users’ videos on these same websites (Facebook, MySpace, Digg, Delicious, and so on). This widget is found through the “Share” link on the Tell a Friend tab of the Rate page.

 
How do I get a widget?
 

Super easy. If you want to show your Cooler Hotter score and a link to your video, you go to the “Get a Widget” link on the My Profile page. If you want to share someone else’s video, you go to the “Share” link on the Tell a Friend tab of the Rate page. In either case, you then select the site you want to place content on, put in your login info for that site, and there you go!

 
 
 

E-gifts / Gifts

 
What is an e-gift?
 

It is a gift sent to you by another user that is displayed on your profile.

 
Why give e-gifts?
 

They are a great way to get someone’s attention! They make your message stand out from the rest and increase the chance that you will receive a reply. People also give e-gifts to friends on special occasions (a piece of cake on their birthday) or holidays (hard to beat a happy reindeer or a scary ghost at the right time of year).

 
How do I receive e-gifts?
 

The same way that you meet other people – upload a fun video and pictures to your profile, and then go rate videos and click to meet people. Giving an e-gift first often helps, as does promoting your video through telling friends and using the Cooler Hotter widgets.

 
 
 

Account Settings

 

How do I control which emails I receive from Cooler Hotter?

 

On the My Profile page, go to the My Account link. Here you can select whether or not you would like to receive Cooler Hotter newsletters (with our weekly winning videos!), a daily email summary of your messages, or emails each time you receive a new message or Nudge. After making your selection, click the Update Account button.

 

How can I change my Username, Password, or email address?

 

On the My Profile page, click on the My Account link. After making your changes, click the Update Account button.