It's hard not to be in love when you work at IWON. I swear, Pat and his team of Premium Prize Pickers really do us proud - especially at Valentine's Day! Have you seen all the jewelry up for grabs here? It's better than a David Yurman sample sale! Significant others, listen up! Take a hint from IWON. Check out what they are giving away this Valentine's Day. (You've definitely got some competition out there!)

First and foremost, we are talking Diamonds with a capital D for absolutely Delectable! Diamond Slots has a pair of icy cool studs up for grabs. Hit three white diamonds and you'll get to play Prize Pop for a chance to win 'em!

And don't forget the Crown of Hearts ring from Tiffany's that is waiting to sit on your finger (or on the delightful digit of someone you love). You can find it in Alphabugs! Just identify the 7-letter word, and you'll get a chance to play Prize Pop where you could win this precious prize.

Plus, Spin2Win has a rosy glow about it these days too, eh? Looks like our design team got into the Valentine's Day spirit as well! And look what's waiting there - a Coach bag, a Nano and even an iPhone!

So ladies, gentleman, show yourself some love this Valentine's Day, and start going after all these terrific treats! It will make you fall in love with IWON all over again!

I am so proud to announce January's Team Challenge Winners! Many of our top teams continue to play hard and as a result, have once again snatched some cash for their favorite charities.

Congratulations to our three National Charity Team winners!

First Place - $10,000 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Second Place - $2,000 to Best Friends Animal Society
Third Place - $1,000 to Susan G. Komen Foundation

And congrats to our Member-Created Team winners!

First Place - $10,000 to Bell Ringers - Salvation Army
Second Place - $2,000 to Wounded Warriors
Third Place - $1,000 to Heavenly Angels

You've all done a fantastic job and should be proud of playing, recruiting, and working extra hard to get your team and charities ahead!

This month, we're celebrating the stars that light up the silver screen and recognizing the great work they do outside of Hollywood! Don't miss out on your chance to play for the causes near and dear to your favorite celebrities' hearts in Team Challenge. Show us if you're a Brad or Angelina fan and help make a difference for some very worthy charities. So get out there and give it all you got, and hopefully next month you'll see your team's name up here!

Good luck!

- Marie

See what Celeb Team Challenge is all about!

Listen up all you star gazers! The Oscars are coming and the red carpet extravaganza is making its way to IWON. That's right, I can finally spill the beans on this extraordinarily cool new game that actually gives you the chance to predict who is going to take home one of those bald, beautiful statues!

It's called "And the Winner Is..." and if you know your celebs well, that winner could be YOU! All you have to do is choose who you think will take the gold on Oscar night! It's that simple! And I'm going to make it even easier...just click here to do it!

All I can say is...finally! An Oscar fantasy game! IWON, you know me so well! I mean, why should my husband have all the fun in his fantasy football league? All he does is choose which giant behemoths are most likely to hold on to a tiny ball while being chased by other big sweaty beasts. Big whoop, if you ask me. I would much rather select which lucky celeb will have the honor of forcing their competition to fake smile their way through the remainder of an international telecast! Passive aggressive game playing is so much more fun! Oh come on, you know you love that too. We are all just waiting for another Kanye West/MTV Music Awards moment!

So get those Oscar game picks in before it's too late! You have until February 22 at 8:00 p.m. EST to make your selections. So good luck everyone - oh whoops, I think you are supposed to say break a leg though, right? Well, whatever it takes to get you to win, I hope it happens!

Have fun!

So check this out...IWON is giving us even more reasons to love Team Challenge! Now you will get a chance to help support your favorite stars by playing for the charities nearest and dearest to their generous hearts. You can visit the Team Challenge page and join one of the many teams that are devoted to the same causes these celebs adore.

I mean, think about all the fabulous celebs who have focused a great deal of their time and energy toward the charities we love. Like Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Sean Penn, and the glorious Meryl Streep. (Did she not give you chills in The Devil Wears Prada? She reminded me so much of my first boss that I actually broke out into a cold sweat when I saw her give that death stare to poor Anne Hathaway!)

It's great to celebrate all the good these notable names are doing. After all, these days, we mostly hear about the wacko antics of some of the less courteous Hollywood dwellers. Ok, I have to admit, though, I love catching that news too. It's kind of sick how much I follow celebrity gossip, but honestly, it's like a drug. I mean, what could make you feel better than seeing the rich and beautiful have a slight (or rather large) public faux pas. Not that I wish bad on anyone, but somehow our minor embarrassments pale in comparison to being caught on tape shouting expletives to hard-working staffers as they try their darndest to make your mug look good on film. (It's called class, Christian - look it up.)

Anyway, IWON is planning to give you even more ways to celebrate the famous faces you love. I can't spill the beans just yet, but the raging rumor around here is that you might be able to take home your own prize on Oscar night. (Wow, look at me fueling the gossip! I'm one step away from scoring a dream gig at US Weekly! Uh, I mean...I love working here at IWON, boss!)

See you all around!

Hey everyone! I was able to catch up with Talia the other day to get some new nuggets of wisdom. Let's check in with her for the first installment of Talia's Tidbits!

The topic today...Team Challenge! Talia's got some great advice for you regarding recruiting, sportsmanship and increasing your team's odds of winning. Here is what our problem-solving smarty had to say:

Question: Talia, I keep receiving messages from certain users that are trying to recruit me for their teams. Some are very persistent and dare I say, pushy. I'm quite happy with the team I'm on right now and have no desire to switch. What should I do?

Talia: I've actually been hearing this quite a bit. Recruiting for a team isn't illegal. In fact, that is what Team Challenge is built upon - rallying up a huge amount of support for your cause. And after all, being popular isn't so bad right? But we can certainly understand that you may not want such attention, so if you don't want to join a team that's pursuing you, you can simply ignore the request. If you are in chat and would rather not talk to someone who is pushing you to join their team, simply click on their name in the chat window and check the "Mute Player" box.

Question: Talia, I've noticed some unsportsmanlike behavior among some users lately. People have been leaving irate messages on the boards of their former teammates who have chosen to play for a different cause and have come across some bad-mouthing in chat rooms. Is there any way to combat this?

Talia: Well that is really unfortunate because Team Challenge is such a positive initiative that is geared toward making a difference. Unfortunately, some people are so passionate about their teams that they resort to speaking ill of others in order to build support for themselves. In a case like this, your best bet is to simply ignore the bad feelings and rise above it. However, there are some steps you can take to try to make the situation better. If a user is saying things that bother you in chat, you can mute their messages, as I described above.

Now, if you notice that someone's behavior is truly abusive, you can click on Report Abuse, and let us know. But just a message to you all out there...we at IWON encourage you to focus your energy on those we are helping through Team Challenge, because there are certainly a lot of causes that could use your support!

Question: Talia, how can I increase my team's chances of winning?

Talia: The best way to do that is to build up your numbers! The more people you have on your team, the more coins you can earn! How do you do this? Well, try recruiting friends and family, and reach out to people who may want to help support your team's cause. Get the word out as much as you can to improve your odds!

Ok, well thanks again, Talia, for giving us the answers we need! Remember, you can send Talia a note if you'd like her to help you with any concern. Until next time, kids!

BREAKING NEWS! Ok, so maybe it's not "breaking news" per se since it does appear on our homepage, but allow me to feel important for just a moment. After all, you rely on me to update you with all the hot happenings here and well, I just couldn't sleep at night if I didn't give you the full scoop. Alright, well maybe I could sleep, but I would toss and turn a lot and wake up with lines all over my face - not a pretty picture.

However, you, my friends, may be up all night after you hear this...Prize Pop has come to Alphabugs! That's right! Now in addition to winning a ridiculous amount of coins in this brain-busting game, you can also score a chance to snag an exciting extra prize - a Crown of Hearts ring from Tiffany's! Yeah, you totally heard me right. Ok, I have to say it again because it's getting me all hyped up - Tiffany's - the store I make a sacred pilgrimage to at least twice a year just to stare in awe at all the jewelry that is waiting to be adorned by me. (You reading this, husband of mine? 16 days and counting until V-day...just a reminder.)

Anyway, here's the deal. All you have to do is take all the letters you are given, create the seven-letter word, and you get a chance to play! Now you don't have to be a member of Mensa or anything like that. Just get creative and before you know it, you'll be staring down three balloons ready to pop a winner!

Ok, well I want to know if you win. So drop me a line and tell me first! Ok, you can tell your spouse or your kids first, I guess. But I want to know so I can shower you with praise like you deserve (and of course, drool over your prize!) Good luck everyone!

So I don't have to tell you how incredible you all are for putting such heart and soul into Team Challenge. Actually, of course I do! You have made Team Challenge what it is - an exceptional and inspiring program that provides a great deal of support for some very worthy causes. And here at IWON, we are all about rewarding you for your efforts, your loyalty and your time.

That's why we continue to bring you new ways to win cash and prizes. And trust me...we have some pretty exciting stuff in store for you over the course of the next year. New games, new prizes, and most importantly, new opportunities to win!

So what does this mean? Well, we want to make sure we are able to keep giving you more reasons to love IWON while also continuing to show our Team Challenge charities some much needed love. So you'll notice that starting in February, our new first place prize will be $5,000. Second and Third place will still take home $2,000 and $1,000 respectively. Yes, it's a bit smaller of a grand prize, but this will allow us to keep awarding cash to these incredible organizations, while giving you fresh ways to take home the hottest swag from our prize closet! After all, that's what IWON is all about!

Again, we truly appreciate all the effort you have put forth and are looking forward to seeing more great accomplishments on the Team Challenge front as we move ahead!

Good luck in February everyone, and let's chat again soon!

Marie

Hey kids! What a week it's been. A new President was sworn in, Heath Ledger got nominated for an Oscar, and I got 80% off a Theory cashmere sweater I've been eying for the past three months. America is a great country, no?

Well, I have something else exciting to share. We have a new team member here at IWON, and frankly she is extraordinarily cool. Please, like we would ever hire anyone who isn't? Her name is Talia and her official title is Supervising Problem Solver. Pretty cool position, huh? And let me tell you, you gotta have brains for that because we run into some pretty big quandaries here. Like for instance, if a prize falls in the IWON closet and no one is around to hear it, can I take it home and keep it for myself?

While you stew on that, get this. I had a chance to talk with Talia earlier today. She was in the midst of trying to solve her Rubik's cube, but was kind enough to take some time to chat with me.

Hey Talia! So psyched you are here at IWON! How do you like it here?

Talia: Randi, this job is terrific! I used to work on solving problems for the Department of Agriculture, like which came first, the chicken or the egg. But this is much more fun, and providing answers is a bit easier! Plus it gives me time to keep working on this darn cube. I've been addicted to it for the past 15 years - I am determined to find the solution!

Ah, a true problem solver at heart! So tell us a little about your job.

Talia: Well, I'm here to help all our loyal users solve any problems they may have. I can tackle everything...well, almost everything. I am still working on programming my DVR, so you may not want to trust me with that one. But I will be helping you out with your inquiries about Team Challenge, prizes, coins, and much more. If you have any confusion about anything on the site, I'm the girl to ask!

Talia, this sounds fabulous. In fact, I think you should do this each month for our users. You can have your own column! We can call it "Talia's Tidbits!" Clever, huh?

Talia: Sounds good, Randi. I'm looking forward to it! I actually have to run though - duty calls. I have a meeting with Drew. He's stuck on a Crossword Plus brain buster and needs my help!

Ok, well thanks so much Talia. And everyone, if you would like Talia to tackle one of your most pressing questions, simply leave a message on her profile page. Look for the first installment of her column very soon!

Alright, I'm off to continue shopping. I feel it's my patriotic duty to help bolster the economy (and my wardrobe!) See ya!

Wow, so today we saw history in the making. Did you all watch the Inauguration? I mean, we were all waiting with bated breath to see what Barack Obama had to say and what dear Michelle would wear. Interesting choice, don't you think? Personally I think her sense of style is fab, which is more than I can say for Miss Aretha. The lady's got pipes, but who chose that hat? Not the fashion statement I personally would have made!

So did you all stay home and watch or take time from your job and check it out online? I did the latter, of course. What's a job without a little procrastination, no? In all fairness, I was conducting research for this next post and simply had to devote a significant amount of time to analyzing the fashion choices of some highly prominent women, and what those selections signify as we examine the future of our political landscape. Yeah, I'm still kinda working on that one.

So while I stew over how fashion lends itself to foreign policy (yeah, that shouldn't take too long), I would love to know what you thought of today's events. Were you glued to the screen? Or maybe you didn't watch at all cause you aren't a fan of the incoming Prez or just don't care too much for the pomp and circumstance of it all. Either way, I'm interested to hear from you! - frankly because I'm nosy, and more importantly, I just love chatting it up with you!

While I wait to hear back, I'm going to take a break seeing as though I work so hard and need to reward myself for the solid effort I put in each and every day. Well, that and I need to improve my Skeeball score or else I won't be able to show my face around these parts anymore.

Don't forget to let me know how you spent the day!