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Blog Friday, May 16, 2008
Hard-working iReporter on the chase »



Imagine if you were putting out full Webcasts every day in addition to working part-time at Macy's and carving out a little time to be a piano constructor. That's everyday life for WCNreporter, one of the hardest-working people in the business. At the time of writing, he has already submitted 66 iReports. We expect that number to be outdated pretty soon.

The Virginia Beach, Virginia, resident sent in questions for Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. The Clinton question was used in a "Situation Room" interview. He's also commented on rebate checks, the rising cost of food and severe weather in his area. Roller coasters and amusement parks round out the diverse topics he covers. Do you have a story to tell? Scour our assignment desk and send us your own photos and video.

Posted by nsaidi // 17 hours ago
 1 comments // Add a Comment
Posted in: creative, video, shoutouts, politics
Next up in the hot seat: Sen. Hillary Clinton »

The huge response from iReporters with questions for Sen. Barack Obama was matched with another very strong turnout for Sen. Hillary Clinton. More than 60 video and photo questions were submitted. Hundreds of comments and additional questions were posted on iReport.com. Discussion touched her candidacy, fuel prices and the economy.

Clinton responded directly to questions from sutton85 and WCNreporter, which were chosen to air on "The Situation Room." The discussion also became a major part of stories on CNN.com, where we also had a chance to feature other outstanding some submissions that weren't aired. Did you get a chance to watch the interview? What answers and comments affected you the most? Any questions you'd like to ask? Share your response as a video commentary.

Posted by nsaidi // 1 day ago
 0 comments // Add a Comment
Posted in: election, politics, video, assignmentdesk
Can those numbers be right? »

A few weeks ago we noticed that the printed page view numbers on iReport.com stories seemed awfully low. So we did a little digging and learned that the number of views that appears on every iReport.com story page wasn't being calculated the right way. That meant that stories like kbc9393's amazing video of this week's China earthquake was marked as having about 5,400 views when in reality it's more like 237,000. That's a big difference, and it reveals one more accurate measure of the impact iReport.com stories can have. So today we're happy to announce that the bug is fixed. From now on, new stories should get the right view count (and we're working hard on adjusting all the old stories, too).

That fix was part of a few site updates that rolled out this morning. Also included: a new "last updated" date on stories so you can know when they were edited and support for thumbnail images in our RSS feeds. Hooray! Hope you like the updates as much as we do.

Posted by lila // 1 day ago
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Posted in: site
Site maintenance at 8 a.m. ET »

iReport.com will be down for maintenance for about 15 minutes starting at 8 a.m. ET on Wednesday. If you've got news that can't wait while we're down, please send it to ireport@cnn.com. Thanks!

Posted by lila // 2 days ago
 2 comments // Add a Comment
Posted in: site
As it happened »

During a developing news situation Monday night, iReporters took the initiative to keep each other informed about what was happening. Repeat iReporter adicembre alerted the iReport.com community of what he said was a police stand-off in Buffalo, New York, involving a man with a gun to his head. iReport.com users responded with updates in the comments. Others chimed in as well, pointing users to adicembre's discussion.

iReporters throughout the Buffalo area continued to follow the story as it developed, and it concluded peacefully with the man taken into custody, according to local affiliate WIVB. Just another great example of how iReport's community of users stretch the site in new ways to show its full potential.

Posted by hhanks // 2 days ago
 1 comments // Add a Comment
Posted in: shoutouts, community
Ask Clinton »

We asked iReporters to send in questions for Sen. Barack Obama last week. Now it's time to put Sen. Hillary Clinton in the hot seat.

The Democratic presidential candidate will be in CNN's "The Situation Room" tomorrow. She'll talk about her campaign and what's next for her bid for the White House.

What would you like to ask Clinton? Submit your questions as comments below or, better yet, send in a question on video. You could appear on CNN!

Posted by katie // 2 days ago
 23 comments // Add a Comment
Posted in: assignmentdesk, video
New faces to keep an eye on »

From the devastating cyclone in Myanmar to the heated Democratic presidential race in the U.S., major news events have brought visitors from around the world to iReport.com. We'd like to recognize a few outstanding newcomers.



iReporters avotius and bmgeisler both witnessed Monday's 7.9-magnitude earthquake in central China. Check out their powerful photos of people in the streets in Chongqing and students camping outside Sichuan University. Storm chaser MDouglas sent in amazing video and photos of a tornado in Neosho, Missouri.

Ohio iReporter theperish sent in video of people waiting in line for 23-cent pizzas at Papa John's in Cleveland. And rocker OTEP took the time from her touring schedule to send in a video question for Sen. Barack Obama.

Posted by katie // 2 days ago
 1 comments // Add a Comment
Posted in: shoutouts
Want to be 'On CNN'? »

At iReport.com, your stories can be a part of CNN's global news reporting.

You've probably noticed that red "On CNN" stamp on hundreds of iReports throughout the site. Every one of those iReports has been vetted by CNN producers for use in CNN's coverage. iReport.com images, video and stories appear often on CNN TV and CNN.com. iReporters themselves often share their personal stories or eyewitness accounts of major breaking news on CNN air.

We think that's really special and hope you do, too.

There's no guarantee that your iReport will appear "On CNN," but the ones that do share some common traits. Stories that have the "On CNN" stamp typically:

  • Are tied to the news of the day
  • Provide a perspective or angle on a story that isn't available anywhere else
  • Include the components of a good story -- the who, what, why, where and when

Two final, but important, tips: If you want your story to appear "On CNN," make sure that all the content in your iReport, including text and images, is your own. Also, please add a phone number to your private profile so CNN producers can call you with questions.

We hope to see your iReport "On CNN" soon.

Posted by tyson // 3 days ago
 8 comments // Add a Comment
Posted in: news, cnn
Beautiful day in your neighborhood »



What's the world like just outside your front door? Take a walk down the sidewalk in your suburb or show us your favorite local hangouts. Playgrounds, streets, fire escapes. Just you, friends and family in your native habitat.

You might find inspiration in some of the vignettes we've seen from LadysHoodJnl. Like her, you could document the scene inside a local market, or film a local performer. There's also the old "beasty bar," and the simple sight of people dancing. She's even submitted video from a plumbers and pipefitters union rally and given us a look at a living garden scarecrow. Use your imagination and let your photos and video do the talking.

Posted by nsaidi // 6 days ago
 6 comments // Add a Comment
Posted in: assignmentdesk, shoutouts, fun_on_friday
Putting Obama in the hot seat »

It seems there are plenty of people who'd like to ask Sen. Barack Obama a question. We received a huge response from iReporters, with more than 100 video and photo questions and dozens of comments here on the blog. Topics ranged from rising gas prices to health care to potential vice presidents.

Obama responded directly to two video questions on "The Situation Room," and we featured some other outstanding submissions on CNN.com.

Did you watch the interview? If so, we want to hear from you. What did you think of the iReport questions? What was your favorite answer? What should have been asked? Give us your take in a quick video commentary.

And if you didn't catch the interview on TV, you can watch it here.

Posted by katie // 1 week ago
 18 comments // Add a Comment
Posted in: assignmentdesk, cnn, video
Submit a question for Obama »

Would you like to ask Sen. Barack Obama a question? Well, here's your opportunity.

The Democratic presidential candidate will be in "The Situation Room" on CNN tomorrow to discuss what's next in his campaign in his first interview since his significant win in North Carolina and narrow defeat in Indiana.

So, what question would you like to ask? Submit it as a comment below or send in a question on video.

Posted by katie // 1 week ago
 63 comments // Add a Comment
Posted in: assignmentdesk, video
Covered in volcanic ash »

Chile's Chaiten volcano awoke after more than 9,000 years Tuesday -- spewing clouds of gray smoke, toxic gas and hot rocks, and forcing the evacuation of residents of the small town of Chaiten.

iReport.com user MattFuta shared this powerful video of a town completely covered in ash. We think it's a pretty compelling story. What do you think?

Posted by tyson // 1 week ago
 1 comments // Add a Comment
Posted in: video
Community guidelines guidance »

When iReport.com launched a few months ago, we started off with a set of Community Guidelines that set the ground rules for the site. What's welcome, what's not, what's news. It's pretty simple by design, just a framework for all of us to lean on as we build a brand new kind of news site. But now that we're several weeks and thousands of stories in, it might be time to look at them again. Do you see something that's missing? Let's talk about it in the comments.

Posted by lila // 1 week ago
 16 comments // Add a Comment
Posted in: feedback
Put yourself on camera »

When we first saw yosubkim, he sent a video describing his mother with one simple word: perpendicular. His response was perplexing, and certainly not expected. That was the first of several great videos illustrating his unique perceptions of current issues and events. Most recently, he's discussed global gas prices and his notebook of personal goals.

Take a look at his videos. You can do it, too. If your computer has a built-in camera, being an iReporter is as simple as clicking a button, saying a few words and making a quick upload at iReport.com. Take a second and send your video response. It's a great way to share your views.

Posted by nsaidi // 1 week ago
 5 comments // Add a Comment
Posted in: video, creative
Don't pass Gas, take a look »

iReporter PrarieGhost first caught our eye last month when she sent in a photo and story about gas prices in a rural Kansas town called Gas. The submission not only led to catchy headlines, it inspired thoughtful discussion among iReporters, with 58 comments and counting.

And as severe weather rolled through the Midwest, she was on the scene with video footage of lightning and heavy rain and a photo of dark clouds in the sky. Her latest iReport offers a closer look at Gas, a witty and engaging video that captures the spirit of the small Kansas town.

We'd love to get a closer look where you live. Capture a slice of life in your town or show us why you love the city life.

Posted by katie // 1 week ago
 3 comments // Add a Comment
Posted in: shoutouts, personal_story