Yahoo! is Asking America

The Yahoo! News Ask America site is dedicated to providing Americans with a place to join the conversation and share their opinions on midterm election issues.

Content from Associated Content Contributors is in the mix with news stories from a handful of great AC Contributors appearing as related stories when users click to answer numerous Ask America questions. For an example, check Sylvia Cochran's piece on the definition of a recession.

Now you can engage with Ask America offline, too!


The Ask America van will be visiting cities around the United States between now and election day, getting voters' first person perspectives on political issues around the country. Here's a rough schedule (subject to change):

9/28 – Tampa
9/30-10/2 – Miami area
10/8-10 – Santa Monica
10/12 – Sacramento / San Rafael area (for California's gubernatorial debates)
10/13 – San Francisco
10/14 – Sunnyvale
10/17-20 – Denver
10/22-23 – Boulder
10/27-10/30 – Washington, DC (for Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's Comedy Central sponsored political rallies)

The best part? If you make it to an Ask America stop and introduce yourself to Yahoo! staff as an AC Contributor, the van staff will give you some nifty Yahoo! branded gear and information on claiming a $15 assignment to create a political op-ed on a 2010 election topic you're passionate about.

If you're a Contributor in one of the areas getting a visit from the Ask America van, expect an email from us with more information on how you can make your voice heard with Ask America. You can also check the Assignment Desk for a targeted assignment containing information on exactly when and where the van will stop!

AC Meets BBC

BBC journalist Matthew Wells recently conducted an in-depth interview with veteran contributor Will Stape, discussing the Associated Content model of publishing, how it's changing the way that content is created and shared on the Web, and how we differ from traditional media outlets (for instance, the British Broadcasting Corporation).

Check out the illuminating video, posted on the BBC College of Journalism's blog, in which Will energetically declares his passion for writing and the connection he shares with the Associated Content platform and community:

Cheers to Will for doing us all proud! If you're not familiar with his work, now's a great time to take a look at his diverse library of content. We suggest starting by reading some of the artist & celebrity interviews featured on the top of his AC profile.

Rising Stars for August, 2010

Congratulations to our Rising Star Award winners for August, 2010! These newer Contributors displayed savvy, talent and the ability to become rapidly accustomed to a new publishing platform. See the full-length announcement here.

Rising Stars of August, 2010:


Joan Haines has been with us since June, accumulating 53 piece of content and 56 fans, along with a Clout 5 badge. She's a Featured Education Contributor, using her experience as a professional fifth grade teacher to inform her content on subjects ranging from age-appropriate chores to choosing parts in elementary school theater.

Laura Cone joined AC in May of this year and has already racked up over 61,000 pageviews and become a Featured Contributor for Dieting & Weight Loss, Gardening, and Food & Wine. She's reviewed everything from Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread to Skinny Cow ice cream products. Laura is always on the lookout for "diet" products that aren't as good for you as they claim.

Nicholas Ward joined us this June and is well on his way to earning an AC Millionaire badge! He's already a Clout 9 and a member of AC's Hot 100, with more than 335,000 pageviews across a library of 123 pieces of content. Nicholas is also a Featured Technology Contributor, with numerous reviews of computers and mobile phones under his belt.

Philo Gabriel has been a Contributor since May, publishing a staggering 668 pieces of content in four short months. His local content can help anyone considering a visit to Michigan, while his series on elder care and elder abuse could be invaluable to individuals looking at living options for a senior loved one.

Phyllis Wheeler became a Contributor this May and is already a Clout 5 with 71 pieces of content. She's a Featured Health & Wellness Contributor, with lots of great content about unhealthy foods dieters should avoid. But the real "diet" she'd like to put you on doesn't involve food--Phyllis is writing a series of articles on "The Negativity Diet," which calls on readers to spend 30 days without voicing a negative statement.

Congratulations to our August winners, and don't forget to nominate your favorite rising stars for a September Rising Star Award!

August 2010 Best of AC Award Winners

For August 2010, we awarded Best of AC prizes to top Contributors in Home Improvement, Food and Wine, and Real Estate. Please join us in congratulating this month's winners! You can now use our brand new category filter on Contributor profiles to check out each winner's content in her winning niche. Read Darnell's full-length announcement here!

Best of AC: Food & Wine - Angie Mohr
Angie Mohr has been an AC Contributor since 2007, racking up a Clout 10 badge, a 2008 PMA, and now her second Best of AC award. Angie joins a small, exclusive group of two-time Best of AC winners with this award, which recognizes her expertise in everything from brewing fine ale at home to hosting the perfect dinner party.


Best of AC: Home Improvement - Tal Boldo
Want to know how to update your home and give it a tidy, soothing look without breaking the bank? Looking for a way to give your bathrooms or living room a little extra sparkle? Tal Boldo has your back with 163 total pieces of content in the Home Improvement category.


Best of AC: Real Estate - Shauna Zamarripa
Whether you're buying or selling a home, Shauna's insightful writing and professional experience can help you navigate the process with ease. She's a Real Estate agent in San Antonio, Texas, specializing in what everyone wants to buy right now—short sale and foreclosed properties. Her expertise is just right for buyers and sellers uncertain about how to proceed in shifting market conditions and a down economy.

Congratulations to all three winners!

Looking ahead...

September's award categories will be Pets, Shopping & Fashion and Television. Don't forget to nominate your favorites here! See you next month.

The Shared Stories of 9/11

"Wake up. The World Trade Center is gone."

That's how Sept. 11, 2001, started for Gwen Navarrete. And maybe for you, too.

The shared nature of the tragedy both broke and, paradoxically, strengthened the heart of a nation.

In a collaboration between Yahoo! News and Associated Content, we asked people like you to share again, nine years later, what they went through and what they learned (or didn't) from that terrible time. "Our day of infamy," Melissa Danysh calls it. She's one of many voices we heard from.

Read "First Person: The shared stories of 9/11" on Yahoo! News, and share your own memories and reflections by leaving a comment or publishing a your own article on Associated Content.

Associated Content Contributors Stand Out on Yahoo! Sites

Whether it's sports, news, music, parenting, health, finance or even celebrity gossip, Associated Content Contributors know all about it and are showing what they know on the Yahoo! family of websites. Here are some of our favorite recent Yahoo! features. Congratulations to our Contributors who've appeared on one or more Yahoo! sites!

Delicious cake by Sabah Karimi.

Go Back to School with Lyn Lomasi

Featured Parenting and Education Contributor Lyn Lomasi knows a thing or two about back to school time. She's currently homeschooling her own children, making her both a mom and a teacher every morning. Read all about easing your kids' morning back to school routine on Yahoo! Shine. Oh, and check out this pic--Lyn and her kids stopped by our Denver offices for a visit recently, wearing Yahoo! purple!

Lyn visits AC Denver with four cute kids decked out in purple!

Meet Great Quarterbacks Who Never Won a Super Bowl with George N. Root III

There's something about winning football's biggest game that guarantees a QB will get his place in sporting history. But what about the great quarterbacks who never quite reached that pinnacle? Did you know that the longest Super Bowl touchdown pass of all time was thrown by a QB whose team ultimately lost the game? George N. Root III rounds up the best forgotten quarterbacks in NFL history on Yahoo! Sports.

Bizarre Medical Mysteries Showcased on TV's "Royal Pains," by Pamela Gifford

Can't get enough of medical shows, but you also enjoy a good sitcom with plenty of laughs and drama? Then you might like "Royal Pains," one of Pamela Gifford's TV favorites. She rounds up the quirky show's strangest medical cases on Yahoo! TV. You'll have to read the full article to find out exactly where a tiny plastic sword ended up, causing health problems for a patient for years before its discovery.

Relationship Doomed by Doom Addiction, from Contel Bradford

Missing a concert date with your first love because you're too busy playing the classic FPS (First Person Shooter) game Doom? That's a low blow. For Justin Copeland's girlfriend, it was the last straw. She's now his ex, citing infrequent bathing and missed work as symptoms of a video game addiction that led her to break things off. Contel Bradford boldly interviews Copeland on Yahoo! Games's blog, Plugged In. If you've got a teenage gamer in the house, you might want to leave this cautionary tale open on his or her computer screen.

Five Most Devastating Hurricanes in United States History, by Pam Gaulin

Did you know that Hurricane Katrina wasn't the deadliest hurricane ever to strike the United States? Though the cost of rebuilding after Katrina was immense, when it comes to the human cost of these natural disasters, Katrina's barely in the top five. As we remember, five years later, the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina, spare a thought for the victims of each of the most destructive hurricanes in US history, presented on Yahoo! News by Pam Gaulin.

Please join us in congratulating these Contributors on their skills and success!