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.

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.

CNN visited several Historically Black Colleges and Universities recently as part of the network's Black in America series. Students were given the opportunity to speak out and let the world know what it means to be black in America. The response has been fantastic, from creative short films to candid video confessionals.

Superstar iReporter JFletch reached out to others to explore what it means to be black in America. Tiff86 describes being black in America as "an overwhelming experience." You can find all of the Black in America iReports here. Which submissions stand out to you?

iReporter Chris Banderslice was especially busy reporting the news yesterday. He witnessed a nine-alarm fire on the historic boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland. Shortly after the blaze began he sent a series of photos from his cell phone, such as this one of firefighters up against the smoke. CNN learned about the fire thanks to Banderslice, and created an interactive map with his photos over on CNN.com.

The idea behind iReport.com is to invite everyone -- from the casual reader or viewer to the avid news hound -- to share the news that's important to you. The Ocean City fire is an excellent example of a story with powerful local impact. So, no matter how big or small the story is, we want to know what's happening near you. Your story could be part of CNN's worldwide coverage.

Many of you come over to iReport.com hoping to upload a great story based on an iReport topic you saw on CNN.com. If you're not already a registered user, we understand that the current experience is not ideal, as you hit the registration page right away. We're working to fix that. Starting in early April, visitors coming over from a CNN.com story will be able to see more details on the topic we're asking for contributions on, as well as browse all of the great iReports that have already come in, right away. Then, we hope you'll take the time to register or sign in and add your own story.

In the meantime, when you hit that page, we'd really appreciate it if you take the time to register on the site and upload your photos, videos, and audio using our upload forms. Please don't use the small "Feedback" links you see next to the logo to send us your stories. Instead, click on that link to give us some feedback on the site itself. We'd love to hear your thoughts on site design, usability, feature requests, bug reports, and anything else you want to let us know.

We just rolled out a cool new box on the CNN.com homepage that features a rolling photo feed of new iReports that were used on CNN. Go take a look -- if you've uploaded a story recently, you just may see your work on a homepage that draws millions of viewers every single day.

The iReport.com beta is less than a week old, and already your stories are being used in CNN's global news coverage. I just wanted to share a few examples with you:

• iReporter Aferdita uploaded celebratory photos she took of Kosovo's declaration of independence. Those images were incorporated into a story on CNN.com.
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• iReporter jackieingles snapped images from a memorial for students slain in a tragic campus shooting at Southern Illinois University on February 16. Her photos were part of a CNN.com photo gallery.
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• iReporter and Second Life enthusiast Janey Bracken wrote a story about autism in a virtual world. Her report was published on CNN's SL iReport blog.
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• And DanMcDermott holds a special place in iReport.com's early history.
  Dan's audio slideshow from the Virginia Primary elections became the first iReport since the beta launch to be incorporated into CNN's news coverage on CNN.com Live.
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  How will you know if a story on iReport.com has been used by CNN? Look for the "On CNN" stamp. You can see them all right here.