diff --git a/example/build.sh b/example/build.sh
index 2a1c9a8..ad13c71 100755
--- a/example/build.sh
+++ b/example/build.sh
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ dmcs concepts.cs -r:System.Data.dll -r:System.Web.dll -r:../module/AlchemyAPI.dl
 
 dmcs keywords.cs -r:System.Data.dll -r:System.Web.dll -r:../module/AlchemyAPI.dll
 
+dmcs keywords_json.cs -r:System.Data.dll -r:System.Web.dll -r:../module/AlchemyAPI.dll
+
 dmcs categories.cs -r:System.Data.dll -r:System.Web.dll -r:../module/AlchemyAPI.dll
 
 dmcs feed_links.cs -r:System.Data.dll -r:System.Web.dll -r:../module/AlchemyAPI.dll
diff --git a/example/keywords_json.cs b/example/keywords_json.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aa9fd30
--- /dev/null
+++ b/example/keywords_json.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+
+using System;
+using System.IO;
+using AlchemyAPI;
+
+
+public class TestApp
+{
+	static public void Main ()
+	{
+		// Create an AlchemyAPI object.
+		AlchemyAPI.AlchemyAPI alchemyObj = new AlchemyAPI.AlchemyAPI();
+		AlchemyAPI_KeywordParams alchemyParams = new AlchemyAPI_KeywordParams();
+		alchemyParams.setOutputMode(AlchemyAPI_BaseParams.OutputMode.JSON);
+
+
+		// Load an API key from disk.
+		alchemyObj.LoadAPIKey("api_key.txt");
+
+
+		// Extract topic keywords for a web URL.
+		string response = alchemyObj.URLGetRankedKeywords("http://www.techcrunch.com/", alchemyParams);
+		Console.WriteLine (response);
+
+
+		// Extract topic keywords for a text string.
+		response = alchemyObj.TextGetRankedKeywords("Hello there, my name is Bob Jones.  I live in the United States of America.  Where do you live, Fred?", alchemyParams);
+		Console.WriteLine (response);
+
+
+		// Load a HTML document to analyze.
+		StreamReader streamReader = new StreamReader("data/example.html");
+		string htmlDoc = streamReader.ReadToEnd();
+		streamReader.Close();
+
+
+		// Extract topic keywords for a HTML document.
+		response = alchemyObj.HTMLGetRankedKeywords(htmlDoc, "http://www.test.com/", alchemyParams);
+		Console.WriteLine (response);
+	}
+ 
+}
+
diff --git a/module/AlchemyAPI.cs b/module/AlchemyAPI.cs
index a936ec6..5ca9a37 100644
--- a/module/AlchemyAPI.cs
+++ b/module/AlchemyAPI.cs
@@ -939,13 +939,18 @@ private string DoRequest(HttpWebRequest wreq, AlchemyAPI_BaseParams.OutputMode o
             {
                 StreamReader r = new StreamReader (wres.GetResponseStream());
 
-                string xml = r.ReadToEnd();
+                string response = r.ReadToEnd();
+
+                if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(response))
+                    throw new Exception ("The API request returned back an empty response. Please verify that the url is correct.");
+
+                if (AlchemyAPI_BaseParams.OutputMode.XML != outputMode && AlchemyAPI_BaseParams.OutputMode.RDF != outputMode)
+                {
+                    return response; // don't parse response, just return as is
+                }
 
-                if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(xml))
-                    throw new XmlException ("The API request returned back an empty response. Please verify that the url is correct.");
-			
                 XmlDocument xmlDoc = new XmlDocument ();
-                xmlDoc.LoadXml(xml);
+                xmlDoc.LoadXml(response);
 
                 XmlElement root = xmlDoc.DocumentElement;
 
@@ -997,7 +1002,7 @@ private string DoRequest(HttpWebRequest wreq, AlchemyAPI_BaseParams.OutputMode o
                     }
                 }
 
-                return xml;
+                return response;
 		
             }
         }