--- {"title": "How watch party organizers collect picks from a group", "description": "Gather movie and show picks from everyone in your watch party group, then build one shared list. Steps, a tool option and common mistakes.", "url": "https://vlcleanplayer.com/how-to-collect-picks-from-a-group-for-watch-party-organizers/", "date": "2026-11-07"} --- Gather movie and show picks from everyone in your watch party group, then build one shared list. Steps, a tool option and common mistakes. Ask everyone to send picks to one place by a set day, then combine them into one list before the vote. If the picks sit on one public IMDb list, pasting that list into Watcharr gives you two links: one for movies and one for shows. [^1] | Option | What it does for picks | Setup | |---|---|---| | Watcharr | Gives one Radarr link for movies and one Sonarr link for shows from a public IMDb list. [^1] Signed-in users can combine several lists into one set of links. [^1] | Nothing to install and no account for the hosted version. [^1] | | Other tools | not published | not published | ## What you need before you start Watch party organizers need the night set before picks start: the date, the kinds of titles the group can choose (movies, shows, or both), and the day picks are due. Write those down in one short note that everyone receives. Pick one place where picks will go, such as a shared note, a message thread or a list tool, and make sure every person in the group can reach it. Decide who makes the final call if two people choose different titles, and say so in the note so no one is surprised. If picks will come from existing lists, check that each list is public and have its web address ready. Watcharr accepts public IMDb lists, so check that each one is public before you share its address. [^1] ## Step by step 1. Send the note with the night, the kinds of titles allowed, and the day picks are due. 2. Ask everyone to send their picks to the one place you chose, and tell people to use only that place. 3. Ask each person to add a few titles that fit the rules, and invite them to say briefly why they chose each one. 4. Remove duplicates and any title that breaks the rules, and keep a note of who sent each one. 5. Post the combined list where everyone can see it, and give the group a short time to respond. 6. Let the group vote, or let the organizer choose, and confirm the final title with everyone. 7. After the night, ask what worked and change the rules in the note before the next round. ## Tools that can do it Watcharr is made by the team that publishes VLClean. It reads public IMDb lists and gives back two links: one for movies, to use in Radarr, and one for shows, to use in Sonarr. [^1] Each link is built from the IMDb list's id, so the same list always gives the same two links. [^1] Signed-in users can combine several IMDb lists into one Radarr link and one Sonarr link for the whole household, and a title that is on two lists is added only once. [^1] The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. [^1] Before choosing another tool, compare how each one gathers picks, what it asks each person to do, and what it costs. ## Common mistakes to avoid Avoid starting picks in several places at once, because people then miss titles sent somewhere else. Pick one place and say it in the note. Avoid leaving the title rules out of the note. Everyone should know which kinds of titles fit the night before they send anything. Avoid collecting picks without a deadline. A late pick can arrive after the group has already voted. Avoid checking a list only once. Lists change, so look at the combined list again just before the vote. Avoid sending a list address without checking that it is public. A link that does not open wastes the time of everyone who tried it. ## Frequently asked questions ### How do watch party organizers collect picks from a group? Watch party organizers collect picks by setting the rules first, then asking everyone to send titles to one shared place by a set day. Each title is checked against the rules, duplicates are removed, and the combined list goes back to the group before the vote. Keeping one place and one deadline avoids most confusion, because people know where to look and when picks close. ### Can Watcharr combine picks from several people? Signed-in users can combine several IMDb lists into one Radarr link and one Sonarr link for the whole household, and a title that is on two lists is added only once. [^1] Each list's links are built from its IMDb id, so the same list always gives the same two links. [^1] Picks have to be on public IMDb lists before Watcharr can read them. [^1] ### Does Watcharr need an account to read a list? The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. [^1] If you sign in, Watcharr re-reads your list about every 15 minutes. [^1] It also warns you when a list fails three reads in a row. [^1] Signed-in users can also combine several lists for a household. [^1] ### What happens to a group list when a read fails? If a read of the list fails, the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. [^1] Radarr checks the movie link every 15 minutes and Sonarr checks the show link every 5 minutes. [^1] ### What does Watcharr do with shows it cannot match? It leaves out shows it cannot match and tells you which ones it skipped. [^1] Its code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence; older versions remain under MIT. [^1] - [Visit Watcharr](/go/start-watcharr) ## Sources [^1]: Watcharr's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) (/go/start-watcharr)