“Don’t call it a comeback. I’ve been here for years.”

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Sean Philips

I am pleased to announce that I will be coming back to Modblog as a full time contributor in the very near future.

I was motivated to do so by the recent Stay Calm event in Philly. That weekend truly renewed my passion for this community and, apparently, I was not alone in that feeling. Since then, I have seen a huge resurgence of BME events and interest. There have been talks of a big BME Fest reunion, several smaller events have already been planned, Shawn Porter has started writing for Modblog again and overall this community of ours has really started to come back together. We are no longer purely reminiscing over the good old days, we are beginning to move forward as well.

Me and the infamous Todd Bertrang at Stay Calm.

Shannon’s death was felt by our entire community a community which he, moreso than anyone else, brought together. In honor of our fallen friend I say we do our best to keep this site of his, and the community which it spawned, going well into the future. So please submit images, stories and videos to [email protected]. Or, if you prefer, you can submit stuff directly to Modblog on the Facebook fan page I created by tagging it as the Modblog page, posting to the page’s wall, messaging me through that account or emailing me at [email protected]

Keep on keeping on, my friends.

Free Gear Update!

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Rob

The free sticker giveaway is over, but don’t let that stop you from filling in your information and checking the “Free Gear” box on your BME account information page. This was just the first in what will soon be regular giveaways, including things like t-shirts!

One thing to note: If you did manage to get your posts in before the deadline, make sure that the name you have registered is your real name. Nobody can see this information, however when we go to print out the mailing labels, sending a package to cumguzzler666, 123 Blank Street, Averagetown, NY is a little tricky. Your privacy has always been our number 1 concern, and as I mentioned before, the only time we ever access it is to print off a mailing label if you win something. That’s it. You won’t be getting junk flyers, and we will never sell your information to anybody.

If you don’t have a BME account, what are you waiting for? It’s free to sign up, and that instantly gives you more access to the image galleries, and you can win free stuff! Sign up today!

Also, 30% OFF almost everything in the BMEShop! Coupon code: movingsale
Sale ends April 11th! Check here for details!

SSL Certification Announcement

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Rob

As some of you may have noticed, the SSL certification was down over the weekend. We had some problems with the renewal taking longer than expected, but it should be back up by tomorrow at the latest. There was no hacking, nor was any of your information compromised, it was simply an administrative setback. For those that don’t know, SSL certification is done by a third party to ensure that the security systems in place are up to standards. No changes were made to the security system, however certification lasts for a specific amount of time before it needs to be renewed. If you have any questions about this, please contact [email protected].

Starting the New Year off right

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Rob

Happy New Year everyone! Sorry I’ve been away, but that drive back from Richmond can be tough in a snow storm. We’ve already got the first photos from the BME NYE Party popping up in the galleries, so expect to see a lot more as the week goes on. The party was a blast, and the suspensions on new year’s day were fantastic. A couple of first time suspendees, as well as some very emotional ones. Of course no party is complete without the traditional ginger new year’s kiss, so here’s Rome and Rich ringing in the new year. The little one in the middle is the new BME mascot, Millie.

So keep an eye on the BME Culture gallery for more photos from the party.

Counting down to 2012

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Rob

Why do I have a funny feeling REM’s “It’s End of the World” is going to be played over and over again next year? Alright, it’s just about that time, the BME New Year’s Eve party is just a few days away!

Now, the BME NYE Party, if it’s anything close to what it was like last year, will definitely be a blast. We’ll have fireworks, food and drinks, and some of the most awesome people around. Suspensions are going to be facilitated by Cere, as well as other qualified facilitators, so if you want to start the new year off by hanging from hooks, you can do it! Now food and drinks will be provided, but just the bare minimum (burgers, hot dogs, soda, snacks etc) so feel free to bring along anything else you want. There’s lots of room for tents on the property, and quite a few hotels just down the road near King’s Dominion (Just outside of Richmond, VA).

I’m off to pack up my bags. I’m looking forward to seeing all of you there!

BMEShop Year End Sale! Coupon Code: holiday20off

40% off Diablo Ogranics Jewelry!! Coupon Code: 40offdiablo

5000th Order Shipped Out Receives $100 Gift Certificate!

Server Outage Alert

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Rob

Hey folks, as you’ve no doubt noticed, the main BME.com site has been down since last night. It turns out we had an outage sometime in the middle of the night and we’re currently working to get it back online as soon as possible. The team has been at it non-stop since 8am this morning, and the ETA right now is a couple more hours simply due to the sheer volume of data.

We apologize for the down time, and we hope to have it back up ASAP.

2 weeks to go!

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Rob

The BME New Year’s Eve party is only TWO WEEKS AWAY! If you haven’t been to a BME event yet, this is the perfect time to come. BME events are a great place to meet new friends, and catch up with older ones. We’ll have food and drinks for everyone, but just the basics (hot dogs, burgers, soda, etc), so if you want to bring food go right ahead. As usual there will be a big bonfire and fireworks, plus the usual BME shenanigans. There’s plenty of room to set up a tent, and a bunch of hotels just down the street (click here for a map of the area) if you don’t feel like camping.

During the day there will be people on hand to facilitate suspensions. Over the past year of BME events quite a few people have suspended, many for their first time, and all of them have talked about how great the experience is. And even if you aren’t planning on suspending, you’re going to have a lot of fun. BME parties at BMEHQ have had a pretty big impact on people, I can’t remember who said it, but someone described coming home from the party was like coming home from summer camp.

The fun begins during the day on New Year’s Eve, so come on down. The event page has been set up and will have all the details as it gets closer to the party. Plus if you need a ride, or can offer one, that’s the perfect place to set something up.

We’re doing it again!! BME NYE 2012!!

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Rob

Back by popular demand is the BME New Year’s Eve Party!!! As the weeks progress I’ll be able to share more and more information, but for now, here’s the stuff you need to know..

When: New Year’s Eve

Where: BME HQ – Located close to King’s Dominion in Virginia (Outside Richmond)

Now, for those of you making the drive down here’s some things to know. Camping is allowed on the property, however keep in mind it’ll be December 31st so bring a warm sleeping bag. For those not interested in camping, simply look up any of the hotels near King’s Dominion and make a reservation. Like other BME Events at BME HQ some food will be provided, although it will just be the basics, burgers, dogs, and soda. If you want/need anything specific, feel free to bring it with you, and if you want, bring extra to share.

I’ll have more to share as the planning goes into full effect, but for now here’s a short video from last year’s party.

Please note: Jumping into, through, or around the fire is strictly prohibited. Which means I will NOT be doing a repeat of last year’s incident.

We’re looking forward to seeing some familiar faces, as well as any new ones, so mark off your calendar and make your reservations today!

The BMEShop is having a sale right now!

30% EVERYTHING!!

Just use the code 30offbme when you check out!

Three years in the works

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Rob

By the time you’re reading this, IAM will have probably been taken down for the upgrade. As many of you know, this upgrade has been a long time coming, three years in fact. So to celebrate, the BME Shop is having a SALE! We’re giving you 10% off for every year the new IAM has been in development, that means you’re going to get 30% OFF EVERYTHING (except DVDs). To get the discount, all you have to do is put in the code: 3years when you check out. The discount will be automatically applied. The sale is going to last until Friday the 19th.

We’ve also had some requests, so first class shipping has been added to the US shipping options. However, priority shipping is only 5-15 dollars and it gets there in 3 days or less and it can be tracked. First class shipping can’t be tracked, nor can any insurance be placed on it, so if you need something quick, priority is probably your best bet, but first class is available. Express mail is also now available to US customers. Here’s the current rundown of shipping options:

Domestic (USA):

First Class, Priority Mail, and Express Mail.

International:

Priority Mail and Express Mail.

I’ve also been testing out the new IAM, so over the week I’ll be updating you with what you can expect when IAM comes back online.

So remember, this week only you get 30% off at the BMEshop by using the code: 3years

Sale ends Friday August 19th, 2011. Sale applies to all items except DVDs.

It’s finally here!!

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Rachel

Dear IAM family,

The time has finally come. After 3 very long years, several false starts, thousands of man hours, dozens of people (most of whom aren’t the same people from the start), 3,714 emails between the developers, Mike, Jen and myself, hundreds of pages of designs, hundreds of thousands of lines of code, thousands of revisions and unfortunately my entire life savings! 🙂

We’ve been tweaking things left and right on the private beta to clean up as much as we can and have it 100% perfect with every feature ready to go but that’s the entire reason it’s called a beta! We need to have our community actively using it so that we can move forward with fresh eyes. As the community uses the beta, more and more features will be added, we had to draw the line some where and get everyone using it so that we could make all the other adjustments that we need to make with the system under heavy load.

I’m sending out this broadcast to all of IAM in order to let everyone know that we’re about to release the new version of IAM.BME.com. In order to make sure that we have the most up to date copy of the data, we’re going to have to turn IAM off for a couple of days prior to launching the new site. IAM will be offline starting Monday the 8th. It should be back online on Thursday the 11th.

We have spent the last several years going over and over the data, the old site and the new site to make sure that we are always advancing and giving you more than IAM & BME have ever been able to offer in the past.

With the initial launch, some features that you’re used to using may not be available initially, but please don’t worry! The site will continually be upgraded to keep BME/IAM in line with the rest of the internet. As I said before, we have to draw the line at some point with a feature set and get the community running on the new software in order to keep adding all of the features that we want IAM to have.

Please keep in mind that this is the first upgrade that IAM has received in well over a decade! I look forward to it and I appreciate your patience and understanding while we work out the kinks that arise with any upgrade!

While your journal entries, forums, messages and photos will all be imported, please take a moment to use the following tools to make a back up of your data. The “Diary Download” tool will make a file that contains your diary entries, their titles and the dates they were posted, including the HTML you may have included in the post. The “Photo Download” tool will make a zip file containing every image that you have ever uploaded to IAM (including those that you have removed access to from your page). Please allow some time for the tools to process and the downloads to complete. Some members have very large photo back up files and they will take some time to download depending on the speed of your connection.

Diary Download Link: http://iam.bmezine.com/iamback.exe?

Photo Download Link: http://iampix.bmezine.com/cgi-bin/photo-backup.cgi

While the over all “look and feel” of IAM will be changing, most of the way that IAM works will remain the same. We’ve even gone to great lengths to keep the IAM related MACRO tags working. All of the functions and features of IAM will still work and function the same way. The biggest “change” is that all of the various settings that you need to select to select things and make your IAM account function a certain way will have been moved to one “settings” page so that you don’t need to dig in various settings pages in order to find/change them. Our main goal was to make IAM easier to use. That was the main focus of the redesign.

The following MACROS WILL NOT be able to be imported to the new IAM. The reason that is is because those MACROS have been replaced with other MACROS or they have been built INTO other functions that operate a different way. Please remember that these features will be available but with things like your IAM page’s custom theme, you will have to recreate it on the new system.

1.In forums, the following functions will no longer be implemented: **NOINDEX**, **BOTTOMINDEX**, **INDEX**, **RTL** **TRANSCRIPT**
2.In diary entries: **NOBME** – This will no longer be necessary as your media will all be available in the “media” section of your profile. You decide what you want to share with IAM members, with BME or keep private.
3.In diary entries: – This function is not being imported. You can set your page to either “IAM Only” (this is the default) or to allow anyone.
4.Custom themes. These will not be imported. The new IAM uses a WYSIWYG editor and you will be able to easily customize your page using the new editor. If you want to save your current settings so you can refer back to them after the move, we encourage you to view your custom edit page and take a screen shot or copy the data in some way as once the move is made you will no longer be able to access that information.

If you have any questions, please EMAIL [email protected]. Jen, Mike and I will be very busy during the upgrade process so we will not be able to answer individual messages sent via IAM during this time but you will definitely be able to get a reply from Jen if you email [email protected].

Thank you for your continued support of BME. You are what makes BME possible and the place that it has grown to be today!

Rachel

p.s. Everyone’s IAM page is active as I just made sure to add time to all the accounts on IAM so if your friends haven’t logged in because they said their accounts have been expired. So tell all your friends that their IAM account is active so they can come check out all the new features, as well as back up any of their data.