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"America Underwater, a new Tumblr blog, is creating a community of Americans living in debt due to underwater mortgages. \nThe blog, launched by economic justice group Rebuild the Dream, highlights individual stories of the housing crisis while reminding those affected they are part of a significant trend.\n\"The idea is to show how common and how big of a problem underwater mortgages are, while also putting a human face on the situation,\" says Jim Pugh, chief technical officer of Rebuild the Dream. \nTumblr was the natural choice, Pugh says, because of its emphasis on visuals and its accessibility. The popular Occupy Wall Street Tumblr We Are the 99 Percent inspired America Underwater.\nThe idea for the blog spun from the case of southern California homeowner Arturo de los Santos, who Rebuild the Dream says is being unjustly evicted. Santos, a former marine, tried to rework his mortgage with his bank to get the interest rate adjusted. His bank told him to stop paying for several months \u2014 which he did \u2014 but he was later evicted by J.P. Morgan Chase. \n\"The system they have now is not working,\" Pugh says. \"We're trying to blow this up so there's more national attention.\"\n\nSEE ALSO: HOW TO: Create a Group Tumblr Blog\nIn addition to sharing stories, America Underwater hopes to have the Obama administration replace Federal Housing Finance Authority (FHFA) director Ed DeMarco with someone who will prioritize $300 billion of principal reduction. \nAmerica Underwater also hosts a data-driven website, which serves as an educational resource about the mortgage crisis and maps underwater mortgages by state. It estimates that some 11 million homeowners are drowning in their mortgage debt \u2014 which is roughly 25% of all American mortgages. \nWhat do you think of America Underwater? Do you think Tumblr can be a powerful storytelling tool? Let us know what you think in the comments.\nImage via America-Underwater.tumblr.com\n\r\nBONUS: 5 Non-Profits Winning on Tumblr\r\n\n\n\n5 Important Content Lessons for Non-Profits on Tumblr\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n1. Draw in Outsiders\n\nTumblr's tags are a great way to appeal to people who've never heard of your non-profit.\nMeatless Monday, which campaigns for people go meat-free for one day of the week, posts tasty food photos and recipes (like this one for grilled pepper ring pizza). A search for \"pizza recipes,\" for example, can bring in new users that might not have known about the non-profit and its cause.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n2. Have Some Personality\n\nYour posts should be more than just advertising for your non-profit. Sharing interesting images and videos differentiates your Tumblr from a mailing list.\nThis memorable image stating, \"Cutting Libraries in a recession is like cutting hospitals in a plague,\" gets First Book's mission across in a creative, shareable way.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n3. Use Cool Visuals\n\nA great image reflecting your cause shows your creative side and will attract lots of like-minded shares.\nFor example, the Harm Reduction Coalition posted this image of two crossed arms forming a support ribbon that we think does the trick.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n4. Show Off Your Success\n\nTumblr is not the place for your annual report, but that doesn't mean you can't show off your great work.\nPhotos like this one, posted by Good Neighbors USA, are the types of updates your subscribers want to see. An image of your latest project will go farther on the social blogging platform than a detailed update.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n5. Tell Video Stories\n\nWhile we don't encourage lengthy company updates, videos can be a fresh way to tell your story on Tumblr.\nTumblr is ideal for video messages, as in this Doctors Without Borders post, which is narrated by a field worker in their Djibouti clinic.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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