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Using DataPresser MadLibs To Build Unique Content That Fools Human Reviewers
Posted September 16, 2008 , By webmann
Image via Wikipedia MadLibs… Say what!?? Well, that was my response when I first heard the term MadLib, but soon found a new power I never knew about.
Once I learned what a MadLib was and how to use it to make money I then found DataPresser.com where I put what I learned to good use. My first MadLib allowed me to create enough unique articles for six months of posts on one of my travel sistes. As each day pasted and a new article was automatically posted I started getting requests for placing ads.
Here is an article that will help you understand what a MadLib better than if I tried to explain it myself.
How to Write a Madlib
By Tonia Jordan
Madlibs can be highly amusing, and a good way to spend some time if you’re looking for something fun to do.
They’re pretty easy to do, so they should also be pretty easy to create, right? Not exactly. To create a successful Madlib, you need to keep a few things in mind:
1. Know your parts of speech. This is the most important one. When you’re asking someone for a noun, verb, adjective, etc., you need to be sure you’re clear on what these are. Otherwise, the end result isn’t going to work. Here are some quick, general definitions and examples of five basic parts of speech most often used in Madlibs, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs.
Noun - a person, place, thing, or idea, (e.g. Brian, Paris, shoe, freedom) often marked by the articles, “a,” “an,” and “the.”
The boy sang a song about love.
In this example, boy, song and love are all nouns.
Pronoun - a word that takes the place of a noun (e.g. he, she, it)
She ate an apple.
In this example, she is a pronoun.
Adjective - a word that modifies a noun or pronoun. In general, an adjective tells the reader what kind, how many or which one.
Alex rode a red bicycle.
In this example, red is an adjective (describing the noun, bicycle).
Verb - a word that expresses an action (e.g. run, jump, paint, sing) or state of being (e.g. is, become, seem).
Sarah wrote a sonnet.
In this example, wrote is a verb.
Adverb - a word that modifies a verb, adjective or another adverb, and generally answers the questions, where, when, how, why, under what circumstances, and to what extent.
Ann skipped happily.
In this example, happily is the adverb (modifying the verb, skipped).
These parts of speech are very basic and cover a broad area, so our next step in creating a successful madlib is:
2. Be specific. You know what kind of word you have in mind for each blank in your Madlib, so be sure to be specific enough to your reader, so they can choose a word that fits well. Some things to keep in mind:
Singular or Plural?
When asking for nouns, indicate whether they should be singular or plural. Let’s see an example:
Singular: John threw a book across the room.
Plural: John threw a books across the room.
Singular works best here, so you should ask for a singular noun for this blank.
Being specific will clear up any confusion or inconsistencies in your Madlib.
Verb Tense
When asking for verbs, specify whether they should be present or past tense (or even future tense). An example:
Present: Yesterday, Liz dance with Roger.
Past: Yesterday, Liz danced with Roger.
Clearly, past tense works best here.
It’s a good idea to be specific with all your blanks. That way, your reader knows what kind of words to fill in instead of guessing, running the risk of the Madlib sounding awkward later.
Of course, being specific works only to a certain point.
3. Don’t be too specific. Asking for a number is fine, but asking for a number “between one and five” is a little too specific. There is an element of chance involved in Madlibs. Sometimes a reader chooses a word that fits perfectly (which may not make the Madlib as entertaining), but let that chance be up to the reader. That’s part of the fun of Madlibs.
The rest is pretty much up to you. Madlib writing isn’t an exact science. Experimenting and testing is key. Write a Madlib, and try it out yourself before you let it loose on everyone else. Try other Madlibs and find out what you think works and what you think doesn’t work.
Madlibs can be lots of fun and very entertaining for the creator and for its participants.
Tonia Jordan is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Writers.
Her portfolio can be found at http://www.Writing.Com/authors/spidergirl so stop by and read for a while.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tonia_Jordan
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Topics: tip of the day, article marketing |
September 16th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Excellent explanations and what seems like a very cool way to produce articles.
I however was so far from an English major that this might put me right over the edge. LOL
September 16th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Dennis I know what you mean. I only have a grade 9 education from 1969 so I didn’t get to many english lessons and find it tough to write sometimes.
But it’s so cool once a MadLib set comes together and group of unique articles has been created.