Today I was just hanging out around Jamaa, checking the Daily Explorer, and out of habit, clicked on the bulletin board for News Crew. Then I thought "Hey, why not do a tips and tricks post for my blog?" Then I thought "No, I'm not even part of the News Crew, why would I do a tips and tricks post?" So I actually took the time to skim through a whole bunch of the articles and pick out which ones work. Here's what I came up with!
This should probably be pretty easy, seeing as most word documents or notepads have a proofreading software built into them. But just in case, you should always proof-read the article before uploading it to Jammer Central. Or, better yet, get a sibling/parent/somebody else to read your article and give you feedback, this helps immensely!
I don't think that whoever chooses the News Crew articles chooses them according to how pretty the screenshot attached to them is, but it should at least make sense! If you were doing an article about, let's say, penguins, you probably shouldn't attach a screenshot like this:
It just plain doesn't work. An example of a screenshot that does work:
Remember, it doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to work.
By cliched words (please excuse the absence of the accent), I mean words like PAW-some, or ext-ROAR-dinary. Words that use puns a lot, as well as words like "Voila" (please excuse the absence of the accent), or "amazing!" Make sure your article has a lot of energy and pizazz! Here's an excerpt from an article (taken from the Daily Explorer) that uses these words PAW-somely!
"Hey Jammers! Have you ever heard of the PAW-tastic minibooks that can be
found on the first floor of the Chamber of Knowledge? These books are
full of PAW-some information about your favorite animals!" - Eternal Hikingllama
Also, I'd like to point out that Eternal capitalized those two punny words. This is a good idea, as it's easier to see.
After taking this screenshot, I realized that it looks like I'm saying " Paragraphs are important people!" As if paragraphs were people. Instead, I meant to say "Paragraphs are important, people!" But never mind, I was too lazy to correct it. Sorry!
Anyways, paragraphs are very important. Make sure you have at least two paragraphs, one for the introduction, and one for the main body. Three paragraphs would be more ideal, and four is much better. If you don't separate your work into paragraphs, chances are your work will not get chosen. Your article must be neat and well divided. Again, it's good to ask a parent/sibling/some other person for feedback on this.
I mean, this should be a no brainer, but it is definitely essential to getting chosen for News Crew. Your work will most definitely not be chosen if you write like this:
News Crew - Penguins
Hey Jammers! Have you ever heard of a bird that can't fly? Well that bird is called a penguin! By the way, there are also other birds that can't fly, like ostriches. You know, once I went to the zoo and saw an ostrich. I also saw a polar bear there too. Did you know that if you buy a membership, you get a FREE polar bear? Wow!
Yeah, that just doesn't work, not to mention a bit puke-inducing.
Keep this thing child friendly. If you don't, I will guarantee you your work will not be chosen. You should also stay away from any mild swear words, except maybe "rats!" But this is pretty self explanatory.
A really good way to get your article noticed is to make it as original as you can. Make it different, add your own personal touch! Below is a very well-written article from a while back that probably got chosen because of its originality:
Creature Speedyclaws - AJ Reporter
Hey every Jammer! Have you heard the
amazing news!?! If not.. Prepare for you mind to be BLOWN! Arctic.. Have
come to Jamaa. If your wondering, what do they mean arctic have come to
Jamaa.. Fill in the blank. THAT’S RIGHT!! Arctic FOXES! And that’s what
this News Crew report will be about!
Before I get started, get some popcorn,
and maybe dance around in Jamaa as an ARCTIC FOX!! Arctic foxes live
throughout the arctic tundra, Canada, Greenland, Alaska, Russia, Norway,
Scandinavia, and Iceland! Now you might be thinking.. ͞How do they live
in these cold places? Well, the artic fox has special ͞powers͟ we can
say to survive this way!
The arctic fox has several adaptations
that will allow them to live in C-C-COLD places we probably wouldn’t
survive in. Of course, they have deep thick fur which allows them to
stay warm and keeps in their body heat. Their ears, muzzle, and short
legs also contain heat. QUIZ TIME!! Do you know how arctic foxes are
able not to freeze their paws off? -tick tick tick tick DING DING-
CORRECT! They have fur on their paws which allows them to walk on snow
and ice!! isn’t that amazing?!?
The most common food the artic fox eats
is lemmings, but whatever they see that is food they will take. The
artic fox is mostly a scavenger, usual taking food a polar bear left
behind. Here is another awesome fact: in the spring and summer the
arctic foxes’ fur changes to a brown color, and in the winter, its
white! Isn’t it cool how these animals are able to survive? Now, don’t
worry, if you are wishing you could be this amazing creature, you can!
-mind blown- They are available in Jamaa today!! Go to the diamond shop
now to be one of these amazing creatures!! BYE JAMMERS!
News Crew reporter Creature Speedyclaws out!
Notice how she (or he, sorry) incorporated the mini quiz, and had an original opening paragraph? You could try that too, if you want. Just make sure not to get too carried away, because if it's too higgly piggly it won't get accepted :P
So those are all of the tips I could think of, thanks for reading,
-Pinpun
