What's going on in Iceland today? Just ask ander, who's always letting us know about the major news in his country. He got his start with a video showing a group of truck drivers protesting government actions they believe are responsible for surging gas prices about twice as high as in the United States. Later, he told us about the effects of an earthquake and showed us geothermal energy sending whitish plumes into the air. When Björk and Sigur Rós gave a free benefit concert in Iceland, he was there.

But he also tells softer stories about art festivals and mud soccer. He has also covered a baby fashion show, Viking festival, air shows, sea ships, natural phenomena such as the aurora borealis and days without darkness.

ander has gotten a good reaction from the community, including story comments from Sri Lankan iReporter Smokey. The two became friends, leading ander to send Icelandic souvenirs across the water. Smokey has added these to a "friendship wall" she is starting. Feeling inspired? Take a minute and look around at what's happening where you are. We'd like to know what's going on in your hometown.

Posted by nsaidi // 2 days ago
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Posted in: iceland, shoutouts, community

iReporters shared deeply personal and touching stories Tuesday as gay and lesbian couples married across California. Two of those iReporters shared similar tales.

wadeinexile, who used to live in California, moved to Argentina to be with his partner in 2000. Since they could not marry, neither could gain citizenship in the other's home country. Eight years later, they are still together, now both legally living and working in Germany.

BillSargent also left the U.S. to live with his partner in Sweden. "Even though gay marriage isn't permitted here, the people here are much more accepting," he said. "Until things change in the U.S., I have no intentions of moving back or visiting."

How is California's ruling affecting you? Share your story, and see what others have to say.

Posted by katie // 2 weeks ago
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Posted in: community, personal_story

iReporter SameDew has lived in Quincy, Illinois, all her life, so she knows that community very well.

She says she feels that officials there are more prepared for the flooding than they were in 1993, but still worries that the levees there could possibly break sometime in the next 24 hours. In the meantime, she is following their progress, telling their stories and letting those in the Quincy area know how they can help. "We need everybody with a pulse and respiration to help sandbag," she says.

Is your community facing this kind of challenge? Let us know how people are working together.

Posted by katie // 2 weeks ago
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Posted in: community

Our community is steadily getting bigger. Just today we topped 50,000 registered iReporters all across the globe. Welcome new members!

Posted by lila // 2 weeks ago
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Posted in: community

We've posted a couple of times already about our obsession with Twitter, a micro-blogging service that asks for updates in 140 characters or less. iReport already sends out Twitter updates every time we post a new assignment, and a few hundred subscribers get the scoop first. But we're convinced (by this and this and this, to highlight just a few examples of newsy tweets) that there's more iReport could do with Twitter.

So let's give it a try, eh? If you're on Twitter and you spot news worth announcing in 140 characters or less, ping @cnnireport. We'll feature some of those posts here, and if they catch on, try to find a cool way to present them on iReport.com.

Posted by lila // 3 weeks ago
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Posted in: twitter, community

newschaser, a videographer from Moncton, Canada, always keeps the iReport community up to date with Moncton mishaps, from a moose run amok to automobile miscalculations.

Today, though, he inspired us with some shots of newborn animals. Check out this bald eagle, she's a new mother! And, newschaser tells us, this little fawn had an interesting birth. When her mother was killed by a car, an onlooker says that someone noticed the doe was pregnant and cut the fawn from her womb. Not the happiest story, but the baby looks healthy!

Inspired? Show is what's happening in your world.

Posted by kate9 // 4 weeks ago
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Posted in: community, shoutouts, personal_story

We've been thrilled by the spirited debates that have erupted on iReport.com, but sometimes things get a little out of hand. We love that the members of the community have strong feelings about gas prices, the merits of owning an SUV, the Democratic delegate dispute and the many other topics that come up each day. But calling people names, insulting their appearance or sending rude private messages is not cool.

Our site is unedited and unfiltered, but it doesn't have to be unkind. This is a community, so let's try to be a little more neighborly.

Please take a moment to review our community guidelines, and if you come across any comments that violate those guidelines flag them.

Let us know what you think in the comments below, and share any other concerns you may have.

Posted by davidw // 1 month ago
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Posted in: community, user_experience

The number of new users on iReport.com keeps getting bigger by the day. We'd like to recognize some of the notable newcomers.

iReporter vincois was on the scene of an explosion at a Hilton hotel in San Diego, California. SupportTAPS shared a touching Memorial Day tribute to her brother, who was killed in Baghdad, Iraq, in August 2007. And when severe weather hit Kat215's neighborhood, she documented the storm damage.

On a lighter note, roku keeps us entertained with video demonstrations of the Wii Fit. He also documented how he uses Polaroid film with new technology. iReporter Oyeah shared the catchy " Ba Rock Song." And JacobKhalaf shared a special moment -- his "slam dunk" proposal at a Detroit Piston's game.

Posted by katie // 1 month ago
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Posted in: shoutouts, community

In the past, when severe storms have struck, iReporters have frequently responded by sharing photos and video that provide a window onto their experience. iReport.com user Buckholtz's photos and video of storm damage in Macon, Georgia, are unique because they explain how Asperger's Syndrome affected the way he perceived the event.

"The noises created by the wind force of a tornado, along with flying debris is confusing and disorienting," Buckholtz writes. "I knew I was supposed to move to a certain area of the house, but, my mind was being inundated with sounds of what I thought was something either about to fall on me or lift the roof up!"

Personal stories like his are what make iReport.com different than other news sources. By sending us your photos and videos and telling us about them, you're helping to write history. We want to know what stories you have to share. How do your own personal life experiences shape the way you define and interpret the news? Comment below and share your thoughts.

Posted by nsaidi // 1 month ago
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Posted in: personal_story, community, creative

We've all been moved by the responses we received when we asked iReporters to share stories and memories of troops they lost to war. The supportive community that cropped up around these stories, however, was something of a surprise.

When sinej submitted an iReport paying tribute to Lt. Peter H Burkes, her best friend of 13 years, sarahburkes logged on to iReport.com to leave the following comment on sinej's story: "peter is my hero. he was an amazing big brother and i miss him everyday. i love you peter. and we are taking good care of missy! "

And when Mail4DaveN submitted his iReport tribute to his brother, Cpl Richard J Nelson, everyone from friends, family, and people that only knew Ricky through stories shared their condolences. A truly remarkable show of support, and we hope more iReporters will share their comments and stories, too.

Posted by kate9 // 1 month ago
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Posted in: community, personal_story

Plenty of news happens within the expansive confines of the virtual society known as Second Life. Thankfully, iReporters are keeping a careful watch over this corner of the digital universe. Some of these stories have run on CNN. PhorkyadA presented a fantastic video of a rehearsal for a performance of Euripedes' "The Bacchae" at the Greek Theater on Cookie island. We presented his video during our weekly public newsgathering discussion in Second Life and brought up other topics that appeared in the week's SL iReports. Story subject matter included diverse topics such as the Furry subculture, the darkly themed simulation of Black Swan and games of "human chess" played by avatars.

If you're in Second Life, you can join in on the fun, too. See a story or issue you'd like to cover? Simply take a postcard or snapshot and upload it at iReport.com. Or, e-mail submissions to slireport@cnn.com. In-world news chasers can also meet with iReport staffers at the iReport hub on Future each Tuesday at 2 p.m. Second Life time (5 p.m. ET) for the weekly meeting. Hope to see your stories very soon!

Posted by nsaidi // 1 month ago
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Posted in: second_life, shoutouts, personal_story, features, discussion, community, assignmentdesk

When iReporter MyDogsDad heard about today's tornado in Windsor, Colorado, he had a bright idea. MyDogsDad jumped online and googled "Windsor webcam." What he found was an amazing photo of a huge tornado from someone's backyard webcam.

iReporter kmac1967 tells us that he also has a webcam. He uses his to keep an eye on his man cave! Definitely wouldn't want any activity there going unnoticed.

Do you have a webcam that you use to keep up with goings on in your backyard or elsewhere? If so, we'd love to see what kind of footage you get. Share your webcam photos and videos with the iReport.com community!

Posted by kate9 // 1 month ago
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Posted in: community, assignmentdesk

Do you Tweet? We do. iReport is on Twitter, and there are now more than 300 users keeping up with our updates.

Twitter is a social networking tool that allows users to keep each other updated in 140 characters or less. Right now, we're using it to keep folks aware of the latest assignments we're looking for. There are plenty of other ways we can use Twitter, though. Do you have any ideas?

If you use Twitter, be sure to follow iReport. Here's to the next 300 new friends!

Posted by katie // 1 month ago
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Posted in: community, user_experience

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 // 1 month ago
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Posted in: shoutouts, community

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MakeYourNut was one of our very first iReporters back in February when we launched the site. His Thursday lunch reports made our mouths water, and one member of the iReport team, David, even tried out his recipe for fried rice! (He says it was fantastic.)

In fact, MakeYourNut was so inspired by the fun he had posting recipes to iReport.com that he started his own cooking blog. Check it out and let him know what you think!

Posted by kate9 // 2 months ago
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Posted in: community, shoutouts, personal_story