inside-ireport

Beautiful day in your neighborhood

nsaidi — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:19:37 GMT

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.

Putting Obama in the hot seat

katie — Thu, 08 May 2008 22:27:33 GMT

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.

Submit a question for Obama

katie — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:45:41 GMT

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.

Covered in volcanic ash

tyson — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:23:21 GMT

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?

Community guidelines guidance

lila — Tue, 06 May 2008 21:05:30 GMT

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.

Put yourself on camera

nsaidi — Mon, 05 May 2008 18:32:25 GMT

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.

Don't pass Gas, take a look

katie — Sun, 04 May 2008 10:19:41 GMT

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.

From iReport to Web gourmand

kate9 — Fri, 02 May 2008 20:03:21 GMT

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!

Fun on Friday: Note to self

nsaidi — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:44:04 GMT

Making little reminders to yourself on paper is a common organizational activity, and you've probably made plenty of to-do lists and impromptu sketches. We want to see your notes and hear your stories about them.

If you keep a notebook with you, show us your favorite page. Make a video about your scribblings, or take a picture of your favorite note and tell us the story behind it.

Share your notes on iReport.com.

Typos, be gone!

lila — Fri, 02 May 2008 12:42:19 GMT

We're really excited about an update that just went live to iReport.com. Starting today, you'll be able to edit your stories after they've posted. Here's how:

Make sure you're logged in
Look for the "Edit Your Story" button on the story pages (it's blue and right under the video or photo). You can find a complete list of your iReports on your "My Stuff" page, and "Edit Your Story" buttons there, too.
Click "Edit Your Story" to go to a page where you can adjust your headline, description, tags, location and date.
Hit "Save" and you're finished. Your changes should show up almost immediately.

Please go give it a try and let us know what you think.