The Lounge at laoffice.com - Help

About Us

The Lounge at laoffice.com was created by the team at The L.A. Office to meet the needs we heard again and again from brands, agencies and entertainment marketers to make their lives (yes, we know your jobs are your lives) and jobs easier by having everything they need to create meaningful promotional programs in one place. We all know that networking is the hardest (yet most rewarding) part of our jobs due to time out of the office, expenses, travelling, scheduling and more. Now you can network all year long through The Lounge and then meet for “face” time at our events like RoadShow Hollywood, The Industry Insights Summit and Breakfast Series, and more.

The L.A. Office: Since 1994, brand marketers, agencies and entertainment companies alike have relied on The L.A. Office for the resources critical to creating and executing successful entertainment promotions. With entertainment marketing more competitive and diverse than ever before, our mission at The L.A. Office is to continue to grow and develop additional services to facilitate relationships between brands and entertainment and to provide the insights that they need to create unique and successful promotional programs.

Is this site free?

The basic Lounge membership is free. This includes a Professional Profile with limited access to the site that can be used to connect and communicate as an individual marketer. These individual profiles should not be set up to promote a company’s services.

For additional access and features, such as a Company Profile Page and the ability to view Marketing Opportunities, you must upgrade your membership to a Platinum (All Access) or Gold level. These levels do require an annual fee.

For information on each level and how to upgrade, click here. Please note that once payment has been received, it can take your membership status up to 24 hours to be upgraded.

How do I create an account?

If you are new to The L.A. Office, you will need to create your profile from scratch. When visiting The Lounge, a "Join Today!" link can be found in the upper left corner of the screen in the Login box. If you have trouble finding this link, click here.

If you have previously attended events by The L.A. Office or receive our weekly newsletter, you have probably already been imported into The Lounge. If this is the case, you will simply need to activate your profile. See instructions below.

Activating your profile is a quick, 4-step process:

Step 1: Click on the "Forget password" link located in the box at the top left corner of www.laofficelounge.com.

Step 2: Type in the e-mail address you use to receive L.A. Office e-mails and click the red "Recover Password" button.

Step 3: Once your log-in information has been sent to you, log-in to The Lounge by entering the information into the appropriate fields in the top left box. (If you do not receive your log-in information, you were not previously imported and will need to create a profile from scratch.)

Step 4: Complete the "Create Your Profile" and "Upload a Photo" sections of the Setup Wizard. Once these have been completed, you will be able to start workin' The Lounge!

Note: Only first names should be used as your "Display Name". Last name, company or title should not be included, and profiles that do are subject to removal.

To create a profile, starting an account is a quick, 3-step process:

Step 1: You will be asked to choose a personal URL where your profile will be located within The Lounge as well as basic contact and profile information.

Step 2: Complete the form and press “Submit” for your account to be activated and verified.

Step 3: Complete the "Create Your Profile" and "Upload a Photo" sections of the Setup Wizard. Once these have been completed, you will be able to start workin' The Lounge!

Note: Only first names should be used as your "Display Name". Last name, company or title should not be included, and profiles that do are subject to removal.

Having problems creating an account?

Please send us an email describing how far into the account creation you got, as well as the error you received to Customer Support at lounge@laoffice.com.

Having problems remembering your password?

Click the “Forget password?” link within the gray login box in the upper left corner of www.laofficelounge.com, or you may go directly to the password retrieval page. Once there, enter your email address associated to your account and click “Recover Password”. Your password will be emailed to you shortly.

Need to change your contact information?

Once you have successfully logged into your account, select the Profile tab within the left navigation. From here you have several choices. Edit Profile is what you will need to select to change your contact information. Please note that your e-mail address, direct line and mobile phone will be kept private and do not appear on your profile page

Membership renewal

Your membership will not automatically renew at the end of your membership period. The L.A. Office will prompt you to renew your membership one (1) month prior. Once this period passes, you will membership status will revert back to Basic and your Marketing Opportunities will no longer be viewable to others.

Need a copy of your receipt?

Please email lounge@laoffice.com with your request and we will be able to provide you with an email copy of your payment.

I am a current member of The L.A. Office. Do I have to sign up to be a member of The Lounge?

If you are a current member in good standing, your login email and password used on www.laoffice.com will be exactly the same. Your information has been pre-populated in The Lounge for your ease of use.

Need to delete your account?

Once logged in, you may delete your personal profile by selecting the Profile tab and then “account” in the left navigation bar. You must click the red “Delete Profile” button below the account information and follow the prompts. If you are part of a paid membership and wish to cancel your account, you must send a cancellation email to lounge@laoffice.com, please note that no refunds are provided.

Uploading a default profile picture

The easiest way to change your default profile picture is to click on the “Setup Wizard” link that appears in the “Welcome To The Lounge” box in the top left corner of The Lounge. Click the blue box titled “Upload Your Photo”, where you can enter the URL of a photo that already exists online or select the “Browse” button to find a photo on your computer. Click the red “Upload” button to post your selected photo.

Uploading your Professional Profile information

After successfully logging into your site, from your Dashboard, select the Profile tab found in the left navigation. Then select the Edit Profile menu item. Please note that your e-mail addresses, direct line and mobile phone remain private and do not appear on your professional profile.

What is the difference between my Professional Profile Page and My Dashboard?

Your Professional Profile Page is viewable by any Gold or Platinum All Access Member that searches The Lounge and in addition to any of your Connections. Your primary and secondary email address will not be available for viewing at any time. Basic Members are limited to viewing first name and company name only when looking at profiles unless they are a Connection.

The Dashboard is only viewable by you, and provides an all-in-one access point for your social networking. It allows you to interact with your Connections or groups you have joined, shows your connections’ recent activity, and displays Marketing Opportunities you are a contact for, your calendar and any RSS feeds you have chosen. This is also where you can access your photos, videos, blogs and forums.

Creating a Company Profile

Many company profiles have been pre-set up for convenience by The L.A. Office. If your company has not already been set up, The L.A. Office will assist you in the creation process after your membership has been upgraded to Platinum (All Access) status or you have purchased a company profile in addition to your Gold membership.

To find out more about member levels, click here.

Associating team members with your company profile

For Platinum Members and Gold members who own a company profile, each of your team members may be associated to your company profile. These team members will be listed in the “Employee Connections” module on the company profile, and allows for a click-thru to your team members’ professional profiles. While logged in to your company profile, request connections to only your team members by clicking the “Add Contact” button at the bottom of their professional profiles. Each team member will need to approve this connection before they will appear on the company profile.

Uploading photos

Once you have successfully logged into your account, select the Photos tab in the left navigation. Select the Upload Photo option. Photos you wish to upload from your computer can be selected with the "Browse" button. Once you have finished selecting your photos hit Start Upload. Once the image is uploaded, you can add a caption, then click Finished.

Please note the following about your photo uploads:
Max upload size: 2MB
Allowed photo types: jpg, gif

IMPORTANT: By clicking "Start Upload" you are affirming that the photos that you are uploading does not contain nudity, sexually explicit content, violent or offensive material, or copyrighted images.

Photos and videos can be uploaded to both your photo and video galleries or shown directly in a blog post.

Issues with images

First, make sure that the image you are attempting to upload is in one of the formats accepted - jpg or gif. Next, make sure the filename is simple and short, with no space or funny characters. "Image.jpg" is an acceptable filename. Next, make sure the file is less than 2MB. We do not allow images over 2MB in size. If none of these tips help, it's possible that the image is corrupted.

Can I edit or move a photo after uploading it to my gallery?

No, images cannot be edited or moved between gallery folders once they have been uploaded. If you need to change a photo or move it to a new folder, you will need to delete it and re-upload the photo with the appropriate changes.

How do I create a Slide Show with my photos?

From the Photos tab in the left navigation, select the “Create Slideshow” menu option. Follow the prompts to choose the photos that you would like included in the slideshow and click Continue. You may then rearrange your photos in the order you would like by clicking and dragging on the photos. You can also title the slideshow then click Build Slideshow. You will be able to preview your slideshow and copy the coding in the box to the right to post in your blog or profile.

Uploading video

Once you have successfully logged into your account, select the Videos tab within the left navigation. Select the Upload Video option. Videos you wish to upload from your computer can be selected with the "Browse" button. Once you have finished selecting your photos, hit Finished! Upload Now!

Please note the following for your video uploads:
Max upload size: 100MB Allow video types: mov, avi, mpg, mpeg, wmv, mp4, flv.

If you are trying to upload or add a video from a site such as YouTube, use the URL link that YouTube provides for “sharing in IM and email messages”.

IMPORTANT: By clicking "Upload" you are affirming that the video that you are uploading does not contain nudity, sexually explicit content, violent or offensive material, or copyrighted images.

Accessing Marketing Opportunities

To access Marketing Opportunities listed in The Lounge, click on the "Marketing Opportunities" link on the top navigation bar. All members of The Lounge can view the list of available opportunities, but Basic members cannot view the opportunities' contacts or information. Gold and Platinum members have access to all of the information available.

To upgrade your membership and have full access to Marketing Opportunities, click here.

Searching for Marketing Opportunities

To search through the database of Marketing Opportunities, first click on the "Marketing Opportunities" link on the top navigation bar. You can either do a keyword search at the top of the page, or conduct an advanced search by clicking on the "Show Advanced Search?" link on the right hand side. This option allows you to search using different criteria, including Genre, Target Market, Release Date, and Partner Categories Available.

Adding a Marketing Opportunity

To post your Marketing Opportunities, you must be a Platinum Member of The Lounge. For instructions on how to post a Marketing Opportunity, click here. To upgrade your membership and post unlimited Marketing Opportunities, click here.

Retrieving messages from the Message Center

You can access your message center three different ways:

• You can click the “My Inbox” link within the top “Welcome to The Lounge” module in the upper left corner. This box will be consistent while you are searching through The Lounge.

• From your Dashboard, click the Message tab in the left navigation and choose the Check Mail option

• From the module on your Dashboard in the top right column, which shows you what types of messages are waiting for you and how many. Simply click the appropriate link that has messages waiting to view.
                                     

How do I send a message to one of my Connections?

If you are a Platinum (All Access) or Gold member, you can send a message by going directly to the person’s profile and scrolling to the bottom of their personal information in the center column where it says “Send Message”. Basic members are only able to send messages to their connections.

You may also choose the Messages tab in the left navigation and click the Create New Message option. This will allow you to choose multiple people from your Connections list that you would like to send a message to.
                                     

How do I reply to messages that are in my Message Center?

While viewing a message that has been sent to you, simply click the Reply button to send a message back.
                                     

How many messages can I keep in my Message Center?

The Lounge members have the ability to keep 10,000 messages within their personal Message Center.
                                     

Are my Connections invitations in my Message Center?

Connection requests will be stored in your Message Center. You will be notified on your Dashboard from the module in the top right column. You can click the link that states “New Connection Requests” to view.

If you are already in your message center, the summary box in the upper left column provides you a link to “Connection Requests”.

If I delete my membership, will I lose my saved Lounge Messages?

If you delete your profile, nothing will be available for you to view. If you are simply changing your membership status, all messages will be kept. Your ability to access different types of information will be blocked.

What is the Broadcast link for?

The Broadcast link will allow you to send a message to all of your Connections at one time. Please note that Broadcast messages will not appear in a user’s inbox; they are delivered to the Broadcast folder within a user’s message center.
                                     

If I send out a Broadcast message, who does it send out to?

Each of your Connections will receive the message.
                                     

Can I choose who gets a Broadcast message?

Broadcast messages are sent to all of your Connections. If you are sending a Broadcast message from a Group page and you are the moderator, it will go to your group members only.

How do I create an event and invite my connections?

Under the Calendar tab in the left navigation you must choose the Create Event menu option. You will be provided various fields to complete about the event you are creating. In order to invite your Connections, you must choose the “Gathering” option before clicking the Create button.

How do I accept, decline and/or add an event that I have been invited to?

You will be notified through the Message Center module in the right column of your Dashboard that an event invite is available. Click the Gathering Invitations link to view and respond.

Is my calendar public to all of my connections?

Any events that are set to “Public” when created will be available for anyone to view. Events that have been marked “Private” will only be viewable by you. Events marked “Friends” will be viewable only by your Connections.

How do I create a blog post in The Lounge?

Select the Blog tab in the left navigation. Select the Add Blog Post menu option.

You will be prompted to supply a title to your post, a category the post belongs to, and whether you want it to be viewable to anyone, your friends, or kept private.

Photos and videos can be included in a blog post by hitting the Insert Photo, or Insert Video buttons at the bottom of the posting window.

How do I start a Forum Topic on The Lounge?

Only The L.A. Office Lounge Manager can start a forum topic. As a Member, you CAN create a Forum thread or comment on a current thread that has been started. To access the Forum, click Forum in the top navigation bar under the Lounge tab, select the Forum you wish to start a thread on. Then click on the button to add a thread. If you have a topic you would like to suggestion for the Forums, please e-mail them to lounge@laoffice.com.

How do I post a question in a Forum on The Lounge?

You can post a question by starting a thread in the Forum you choose. As a Member, you CAN create a Forum thread or comment on a current thread that has been started. To access the Forum, click Forum in the top navigation bar under the Lounge tab, select the Forum you wish to start a thread on. Then click on the button to add a thread.

How do I post a response to a question in a Forum?

From the Forum thread, click on the “reply to thread” button and post your response.

Are there moderators of these Forums?

The Lounge Manager is an overall moderator of the Lounge Forums.

What is an RSS feed?

RSS or Really Simple Syndication, is a group of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated digital content, such as blogs, news feeds or podcasts. Many popular websites offer these feeds to their users which can be displayed right on your own Dashboard.

From this screen you can manage all of the RSS feeds that you have added to your Dashboard. You may add, edit or delete feeds.

Simply type in the URL of the RSS feed you wish to add to your Dashboard page in the box provided. Next, select how many items from that Feed you wish to be displayed. Hit the green + to add your Feed and you're done! All Feeds added will be displayed on your Dashboard at the bottom of the center column.

How do I add a Lounge Connection?

Once you have identified a user you want to add as a Lounge Connection, you can invite them to be a part of your Connections list. Visit their profile page and below their name you'll see a link that reads, Add Connection. A mail message will be sent to that user asking them to accept or decline your invitation. You are not able to connect with Company Profiles, although you can request connections to the company’s team members.

Where will I find my Connection invitations?

Your Connection invitations will be found under the Connections link, or can be accessed in your Message Center from the module in the upper left column.

How do I categorize my Connections?

The easiest way to categorize your Connections is by creating category names for each group of Connections. These categories are not publicly displayed.

Select “Create Category” in the Connections section of the left navigation bar and click the “Add Category” button. Type your preferred category name and click the “Add” button.

Next, click the “View Connections” button in the Connections section of the left navigation bar and click the “+” button next to the connection you’d like to categorize. A user will be placed in the category you select from the drop down list. You can add a connection to multiple categories.

How do I create a Lounge group?

Select the Group tab in the left navigation. Select the Create Group menu option. You will be prompted to supply a URL extension for the group’s location within The Lounge, group name, descriptions, whether you want it to be viewable to anyone, your Connections, or kept private as well as how someone can join. Once created you will be the Group Owner.

Can I create groups based on my brands or properties?

Yes.

Will my Lounge groups be public to any member of the Lounge?

When creating a group, you are asked what type of privacy level you would like. You are able to choose from “anyone can visit group” (public), “only network members can visit the group” (Connections only), or “only group members can visit” (private).

Will the members of my Lounge groups be public?

Only if the group has been created as “anyone can visit group”. Groups that are created with “only network members can visit the group” will be viewable by all group members’ Connections only.

How do I cancel or remove a Lounge group I've created?

Once you have successfully logged into your account, select the Groups tab in the left navigation and choose the Manage Groups menu option. Select the appropriate group, and then select "Edit Information". At the bottom of the screen it will ask you if you'd like to permanently delete this group. Hit Delete.

How do I change the group moderator?

Once you have successfully logged into your account, select the Groups tab along the top of your site. Select the appropriate group, and then select "Step Down as Moderator."

How do I remove or block a Connection from a group that I’ve created after they have been invited and accepted into a group?

As a group moderator, you have the ability to remove a member from your group. Once inside the group’s profile page, select the “Manage Members” option in the left navigation box. This will direct you to a listing of your members. You can remove individual members by selecting the “Remove” button next to their information.

How do I upload photos to a Group I’m in?

Once you have successfully logged into your account, select the Groups tab in the left navigation and choose the View Groups menu option. Select the appropriate group. Once you are viewing the group homepage, you can choose the Photos tab in the left navigation. A link to “upload photos” will be available to click in the upper right side of the page. Follow the prompts to browse and upload your photo into the group.

How do I leave a Group I no longer want to be part of?

Once you have successfully logged into your account, select the Groups tab in the left navigation and choose the Manage Groups menu option. Look for the appropriate group you would like to leave. Above that group’s description on the right, click the button that says “Leave Group”.

How do I block a user?

You can block a user by visiting their profile and click "Block User," which will prevent them from contacting you. A link will be provided to confirm blocking the user.

Once a user is blocked you can manage your blocked users by clicking the Profile tab in the left navigation and selecting the menu item Manage Blocks.

Someone in The Lounge is bugging/harassing/threatening me - what can I do about it?

The best thing to do in such a situation is to ignore and block the user. If you do not respond or acknowledge them, it is likely they will leave you alone. Blocking them will also prevent them from contacting you.

If you have been threatened, contact law enforcement immediately.

I think my account has been compromised and I can't log in.

First, try to retrieve the password for your account through the Password Recovery Tool. Once you receive your password, you can log into your account and change the password to your account. You can do this by clicking the Profile tab in the left navigation and selecting the menu option Account. There is a button at the bottom of the page to “Change Password”.

Make sure the password for your account is never shared. Also, it's a good idea to not use the same password you use for your email account.

If you continue to be unable to log into your account, and you aren't receiving the password for your account from our Recovery Tool, please contact our Customer Support Team at lounge@laoffice.com.

How do I report a copyright violation?

Please see our Notice and Procedure for making claims of Copyright Infringement, or contact us by e-mailing to lounge@laoffice.com.

Can I turn off my ads?

Ad content on The Lounge at laoffice.com can not be removed or turned off at this time.

How can I run ads on The Lounge?

Please contact The L.A. Office through lounge@laoffice.com for ad buying inquiries.

There is a Site Error – How do I report this?

Site errors may occur due to circumstances out of our control. Please report any errors to our customer support team at lounge@laoffice.com. When possible, we will alert you in advance if any site maintenance is pre-schedule that may disrupt your experience. Please include the text of any error message you receive when possible.