Slashdot: "daveperry writes 'The Google Blog has a post about their use of prediction markets to forecast certain events that are relevant to their business. From the article: 'Our search engine works well because it aggregates information dispersed across the web, and our internal predictive markets are based on the same principle: Googlers from across the company contribute knowledge and opinions which are aggregated into a forecast by the market. Sometimes, just feeling lucky isn't enough, and these tools can help.' In related news, some software was recently open sourced that enables people to set up their own prediction markets.'"
Official Google Blog: Putting crowd wisdom to work: "Building on the ideas of Friedrich Hayek and the Iowa Electronic Markets, a few Googlers (Doug Banks, Patri Friedman, Ilya Kirnos, Piaw Na and me, with some help from Hal Varian), set up a predictive market system inside the company.
The markets were designed to forecast product launch dates, new office openings, and many other things of strategic importance to Google. So far, more than a thousand Googlers have bid on 146 events in 43 different subject areas (no payment is required to play)."
Friday, September 23, 2005
| Is AOL The Key to Microsoft 'Killing' Google?
Slashdot | Is AOL The Key to Microsoft 'Killing' Google?: "VK writes 'When Steve Ballmer yelled at a departing Microsoft employee that he would 'kill Google' we had no idea just how direct a method he had in mind. Buying all or part of AOL may be the first part of the master plan, as Google relies heavily on the advertising pages that come from Yahoo, since it now syndicates its search to Google.'"
Google dancing and it doesnt look good.
WebProWorld Forum...."There is a TON of movement taking place on these datacenters.
66.102.7.104
66.102.7.105
64.233.189.104
66.102.7.106
66.102.7.147
216.239.63.99
99 66.102.7.99
216.239.63.104
On one of my main keyphrases I have watched my site go to the #1 position in MSN (easy) and #2 and #5 in Yahoo. Today on these datacenters I was pushed from #16 to #70 give or take a few depending on the DC.
Not only was I pushed back, but about 25 scraper sites have moved into the top 40 results. These sites are nothing but reprinted articles and google adsense. Nothing unique. Nothing you cannot find on 100 other sites."
66.102.7.104
66.102.7.105
64.233.189.104
66.102.7.106
66.102.7.147
216.239.63.99
99 66.102.7.99
216.239.63.104
On one of my main keyphrases I have watched my site go to the #1 position in MSN (easy) and #2 and #5 in Yahoo. Today on these datacenters I was pushed from #16 to #70 give or take a few depending on the DC.
Not only was I pushed back, but about 25 scraper sites have moved into the top 40 results. These sites are nothing but reprinted articles and google adsense. Nothing unique. Nothing you cannot find on 100 other sites."
On Cutts Comments On Reinclusion Requests
Cutts Comments On Reinclusion Requests: "one drawback is probably the time factor involved in getting the relisting done. In some cases, it could take 6-8 weeks or it could take as little 2-3 weeks depending on the type of error and its severity.
Dan Thies over at SitePoint mentions in his blog, 'Unfortunately, he doesn't address the collateral damage caused by some of their more aggressive filtering practices, or the possibility that following Google's webmaster guidelines on redirects can do more harm than good.'
Thies did say his students were reporting better results for the reinclusion process as long as they followed Google's rules. This should bode well for worried businesses. As long as they play by the rules, then they are ok. "
Dan Thies over at SitePoint mentions in his blog, 'Unfortunately, he doesn't address the collateral damage caused by some of their more aggressive filtering practices, or the possibility that following Google's webmaster guidelines on redirects can do more harm than good.'
Thies did say his students were reporting better results for the reinclusion process as long as they followed Google's rules. This should bode well for worried businesses. As long as they play by the rules, then they are ok. "
The things Google makes you do
Net Sense Bambi Francisco writes : Google "has just begun testing advertisements on its image pages, a property that holds 1.1 billion images and drew 21 million unique visitors in July. Google images was also the place where 3% of all searches were conducted that month, according to comScore Networks.
The ads aren't turned on everywhere. But in some locations, like Manhattan, if a person types in 'Dell' under the images tab, they will see sponsored search listings at the top of the results page....
What does that add to revenue? A lot, I imagine. What does this say? Google's methodically following the script it laid out for Wall Street. That is: It aims to organize the information (text, pictures, clutter, and so on), attract traffic and sell that audience to marketers.
I can't say this logical prioritization of strategy and laserlike focus is being applied elsewhere."
The ads aren't turned on everywhere. But in some locations, like Manhattan, if a person types in 'Dell' under the images tab, they will see sponsored search listings at the top of the results page....
What does that add to revenue? A lot, I imagine. What does this say? Google's methodically following the script it laid out for Wall Street. That is: It aims to organize the information (text, pictures, clutter, and so on), attract traffic and sell that audience to marketers.
I can't say this logical prioritization of strategy and laserlike focus is being applied elsewhere."
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Google Secure Access: Frequently Asked Questions
bloggers are a-buzzing about a possible Google WiFi launch. The buzz was started by the following FAQ that appears at the subdomain wifi.google.com an
Google Secure Access: Frequently Asked Questions:
"What is Google Secure Access?
Google Secure Access is a downloadable client application that allows users to establish a more secure WiFi connection.
Why would I want to download and install Google Secure Access?
Google Secure Access allows you to establish a more secure connection while using Google WiFi. By using Google Secure Access, your internet traffic will be encrypted, preventing others from viewing the information you transmit. "
Google Secure Access: Frequently Asked Questions:
"What is Google Secure Access?
Google Secure Access is a downloadable client application that allows users to establish a more secure WiFi connection.
Why would I want to download and install Google Secure Access?
Google Secure Access allows you to establish a more secure connection while using Google WiFi. By using Google Secure Access, your internet traffic will be encrypted, preventing others from viewing the information you transmit. "
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Matt Cutts: Gadgets, Google, and SEO � Filing a reinclusion request
Google opens up means of communication for webmasters.....will Yahoo follow?
Matt Cutts: Gadgets, Google, and SEO � Filing a reinclusion request: "Everybody wants to hear about SEO-ish stuff instead of gadgets. I’ll still subject you to pure geekery now and then, but let’s tackle how to do a reinclusion request.
First off, what’s a reinclusion request and why would you want to do one? If you’ve been experimenting with SEO, or you employ as SEO company that might be doing things outside Google’s guidelines, and your site has taken a precipitous drop recently, you may have a spam penalty. A reinclusion request asks Google to remove any potential spam penalty.
The first step is to take a long, hard look at your website. Is there hidden text, hidden links, or cloaking on your site, especially on the front page? Are there doorway pages that do a JavaScript or some other redirect to a different page? Were you trying to use some automated program to get links or scrape Google? Whatever you find that you think may have been against Google’s guidelines, correct or remove those pages.
Now where should you send a reinclusion request? This has changed in the last few months from an email address to a web form. The best location to go is http://www.google.com/support/bin/request.py . Google: Help Center You can select “I’m a webmaster inquiring about my website” and then select “Why my site disappeared from the search results or dropped in ranking.” Click Continue, and on the page that shows up, make sure to type “Reinclusion Request” in the Subject: line of the resulting form. Upper- or lower-case doesn’t matter, but make sure you use the words “reinclusion request” in the subject line so it gets routed to the right place.
Now we come to the heart of things: what goes into a reinclusion request. Fundamentally, Google wants to know two things: 1) that any spam on the site is gone or fixed, and 2) that it’s not going to happen again. I’d recommend giving a short explanation of what happened from your perspective: what actions may have led to any penalties and any corrective action that you’ve taken to prevent any spam in the future. If you employed an SEO company, it indicates good faith if you tell us specifics about the SEO firm and what they did–it assists us in evaluating reinclusion requests. Note that SEO and mostly-affiliate sites may need to provide more evidence of good faith before a site will be reincluded; such sites should be quite familiar with Google’s quality guidelines.
Okay, so you found the hidden text that your webmaster put on your front page, you removed it, and you sent your reinclusion request off to Google. How long do you have to wait now? That depends on when Google reviews the request and on the type of spam penalty you have. In the days of monthly index updates it could take 6-8 weeks for a site to be reincluded after a site was approved, and the severest spam penalties can take that long to clear out after an approval. For less severe stuff like hidden text, it may only take 2-3 weeks, depending on when someone looks at the request and if the request is approved.
There’s an interesting thread started by stuntdubl here. I’d add the following things to that thread:
Don’t bother mentioning that you spend money on AdWords or you’re an AdSense publisher. The person who will look at your reinclusion request doesn’t care if you have a business relationship with Google.
Remember, we need to know
1) that the spam has been corrected or removed
2) that it isn’t going to happen again.
I would request reinclusion for one domain at a time. It looks bad if you had 20+ sites all thrown out at once, and you send a reinclusion request for 20 domains in one email. "
Matt Cutts: Gadgets, Google, and SEO � Filing a reinclusion request: "Everybody wants to hear about SEO-ish stuff instead of gadgets. I’ll still subject you to pure geekery now and then, but let’s tackle how to do a reinclusion request.
First off, what’s a reinclusion request and why would you want to do one? If you’ve been experimenting with SEO, or you employ as SEO company that might be doing things outside Google’s guidelines, and your site has taken a precipitous drop recently, you may have a spam penalty. A reinclusion request asks Google to remove any potential spam penalty.
The first step is to take a long, hard look at your website. Is there hidden text, hidden links, or cloaking on your site, especially on the front page? Are there doorway pages that do a JavaScript or some other redirect to a different page? Were you trying to use some automated program to get links or scrape Google? Whatever you find that you think may have been against Google’s guidelines, correct or remove those pages.
Now where should you send a reinclusion request? This has changed in the last few months from an email address to a web form. The best location to go is http://www.google.com/support/bin/request.py . Google: Help Center You can select “I’m a webmaster inquiring about my website” and then select “Why my site disappeared from the search results or dropped in ranking.” Click Continue, and on the page that shows up, make sure to type “Reinclusion Request” in the Subject: line of the resulting form. Upper- or lower-case doesn’t matter, but make sure you use the words “reinclusion request” in the subject line so it gets routed to the right place.
Now we come to the heart of things: what goes into a reinclusion request. Fundamentally, Google wants to know two things: 1) that any spam on the site is gone or fixed, and 2) that it’s not going to happen again. I’d recommend giving a short explanation of what happened from your perspective: what actions may have led to any penalties and any corrective action that you’ve taken to prevent any spam in the future. If you employed an SEO company, it indicates good faith if you tell us specifics about the SEO firm and what they did–it assists us in evaluating reinclusion requests. Note that SEO and mostly-affiliate sites may need to provide more evidence of good faith before a site will be reincluded; such sites should be quite familiar with Google’s quality guidelines.
Okay, so you found the hidden text that your webmaster put on your front page, you removed it, and you sent your reinclusion request off to Google. How long do you have to wait now? That depends on when Google reviews the request and on the type of spam penalty you have. In the days of monthly index updates it could take 6-8 weeks for a site to be reincluded after a site was approved, and the severest spam penalties can take that long to clear out after an approval. For less severe stuff like hidden text, it may only take 2-3 weeks, depending on when someone looks at the request and if the request is approved.
There’s an interesting thread started by stuntdubl here. I’d add the following things to that thread:
Don’t bother mentioning that you spend money on AdWords or you’re an AdSense publisher. The person who will look at your reinclusion request doesn’t care if you have a business relationship with Google.
Remember, we need to know
1) that the spam has been corrected or removed
2) that it isn’t going to happen again.
I would request reinclusion for one domain at a time. It looks bad if you had 20+ sites all thrown out at once, and you send a reinclusion request for 20 domains in one email. "
Monday, September 19, 2005
America Online May Switch to MSN For Web Search, Abandoning Google
America Online May Switch to MSN For Web Search, Abandoning Google - September 16, 2005 - The New York Sun - NY Newspaper: "Microsoft is in talks with Time Warner about taking a stake in America Online, as part of a broader discussion about the two companies working together, according to people familiar with the matter.
The conversations have centered on whether AOL would switch to using Microsoft's search engine, these people say. AOL currently uses Google's search technology and was Google's single largest source of revenue last year."
The conversations have centered on whether AOL would switch to using Microsoft's search engine, these people say. AOL currently uses Google's search technology and was Google's single largest source of revenue last year."
Friday, September 16, 2005
Google Pilot New Webmaster Communications Initiative
Google Pilot New Webmaster Communications Initiative | Threadwatch.org: "This is real.
Google is trying out a pilot program to alert site owners when we're removing their site for violating our guidelines. JavaScript redirects are the first trial, but we've also sent a few emails about hidden text, I believe. This is not targeted to sites like buy-my-cheap-viagra-here.com, but more for sites that have good content, but may not be as savvy about what their SEO was doing or what that 'Make thousands of doorway pages for $39.95' software was doing. Personally, I think opening up a line of communication to let webmasters know when we're taking action is a really good thing--a site owner doesn't have to guess about what happened. But again, we're starting with a trial program.
I'll blog about it more soon.
Matt
By MattCutts"
Google is trying out a pilot program to alert site owners when we're removing their site for violating our guidelines. JavaScript redirects are the first trial, but we've also sent a few emails about hidden text, I believe. This is not targeted to sites like buy-my-cheap-viagra-here.com, but more for sites that have good content, but may not be as savvy about what their SEO was doing or what that 'Make thousands of doorway pages for $39.95' software was doing. Personally, I think opening up a line of communication to let webmasters know when we're taking action is a really good thing--a site owner doesn't have to guess about what happened. But again, we're starting with a trial program.
I'll blog about it more soon.
Matt
By MattCutts"
Vint Cerf talks Google
Vint Cerf talks Google: A lot has been made over the past week or so about Google's hiring of Vint Cerf, the man given much of the credit for making the Internet possible. Two recent interviews with Cerf shed some light on where he sees the Web going...
"Last week Google hired a net-god, Vinton Cerf, as its “chief Internet evangelist”. Google’s hiring of Cerf has set off a wide range of speculation among Internet watchers. Vint Cerf is not what many would consider a “normal” person and is no where near a “normal” employee. Cerf has been called the Father of the Internet and the most important person alive....In hiring Vint Cert, Google has acquired one of the most nimble IT minds on the planet. Even though he invented the basic routing protocols that allowed the commercial expansion of the Internet, he is still striving to understand exactly what it is he created. An evangelical urgency around the Internet’s development has always been associated with Cert whose career accomplishments include work with MCI and NASA. What makes him, quite literally, one in a billion, is the depth of knowledge and experience underpinning an articulate and reputably highly-personable scientist. Cert is an engineer, a lobbyist, and an industry pioneer. He is as significant as Thomas Edison, Frank Lloyd Wright, Tim Berners-Lee, and Bill Gates. His hiring is bound to spur Google and its competitors on to bigger and much more interesting things."
"Last week Google hired a net-god, Vinton Cerf, as its “chief Internet evangelist”. Google’s hiring of Cerf has set off a wide range of speculation among Internet watchers. Vint Cerf is not what many would consider a “normal” person and is no where near a “normal” employee. Cerf has been called the Father of the Internet and the most important person alive....In hiring Vint Cert, Google has acquired one of the most nimble IT minds on the planet. Even though he invented the basic routing protocols that allowed the commercial expansion of the Internet, he is still striving to understand exactly what it is he created. An evangelical urgency around the Internet’s development has always been associated with Cert whose career accomplishments include work with MCI and NASA. What makes him, quite literally, one in a billion, is the depth of knowledge and experience underpinning an articulate and reputably highly-personable scientist. Cert is an engineer, a lobbyist, and an industry pioneer. He is as significant as Thomas Edison, Frank Lloyd Wright, Tim Berners-Lee, and Bill Gates. His hiring is bound to spur Google and its competitors on to bigger and much more interesting things."
Secondary Google offering good for investors
Secondary Google offering good for investors | CNET News.com: "Buyers of the 14.18 million shares that Google sold in its secondary stock offering made money on their investment in the first day of trade after the sale.
Google priced the shares at $295 each on Wednesday night, and the company's shares closed Thursday at $303 a share, after reaching a high of $306.75 earlier in the session. "
Google priced the shares at $295 each on Wednesday night, and the company's shares closed Thursday at $303 a share, after reaching a high of $306.75 earlier in the session. "
Thursday, September 15, 2005
A-Z adsense tips for increasing revenue
Digital Inspiration: A-Z adsense tips for increasing revenue : "Amit Agarwal from Digital Inspiration has compiled a list of his favorite and most productive AdSense tips. A total of 26 tips are included. Besides warning that publishers should adhere strictly to AdSense policies, there are many others that you might have never considered but make a lot of sense."
New Study Shows SEO More Lucrative Than PPC
New Study Shows SEO More Lucrative Than PPC: "The study, published this morning by Search Engine Marketing Firm iProspect looks at the return on investment and tracking information provided by companies that outsource both their pay-per-click management and their organic search engine marketing.
'For those new to the search engine marketing space, it would seem logical to conclude that based upon the vast number of marketers participating in pay per click advertising that it would be a more lucrative channel than natural search engine optimization -- which is known to involve a lot more work. But, the numbers speak for themselves' said iProspect President, Robert Murray.
Findings from the study include:
35% of organizations that outsource their natural search engine optimization and also participate in pay per click advertising -- and can measure the ROI of each -- recognize a higher return from SEO
42% of search marketers who outsource BOTH the management of their SEO and the PPC campaigns, find that search engine optimization produces a higher ROI.
Unfortunately, the study also showed that 45% of marketers who participate in both natural search engine optimization and pay per click advertising cannot determine whether SEO or PPC provides a higher ROI. This tells me that while it's good news that search engine marketing is being embraced by the business world, we've still got a long ways to go when it comes to educating business owners on how to track the return on their search marketing investment. After all, how can you spend your money where it has the most impact if you don't know where it has the most impact? "
'For those new to the search engine marketing space, it would seem logical to conclude that based upon the vast number of marketers participating in pay per click advertising that it would be a more lucrative channel than natural search engine optimization -- which is known to involve a lot more work. But, the numbers speak for themselves' said iProspect President, Robert Murray.
Findings from the study include:
35% of organizations that outsource their natural search engine optimization and also participate in pay per click advertising -- and can measure the ROI of each -- recognize a higher return from SEO
42% of search marketers who outsource BOTH the management of their SEO and the PPC campaigns, find that search engine optimization produces a higher ROI.
Unfortunately, the study also showed that 45% of marketers who participate in both natural search engine optimization and pay per click advertising cannot determine whether SEO or PPC provides a higher ROI. This tells me that while it's good news that search engine marketing is being embraced by the business world, we've still got a long ways to go when it comes to educating business owners on how to track the return on their search marketing investment. After all, how can you spend your money where it has the most impact if you don't know where it has the most impact? "
Google 'click fraud' Suit Sent Back to State Court
Update 1: Google Suit Sent Back to State Court - Forbes.com: "A federal appeals court says a class-action lawsuit alleging 'click fraud' by Google Inc. and other Internet companies should be heard in state court rather than in a federal courtroom. "
Why You Should Care About Google's Blog Search Launch
Why You Should Care About Google's Blog Search Launch: "Blogs aren't just about keeping tabs on breaking news or what your old college buddies are up to. They are fast becoming the content management system of choice for many small businesses. The ability to quickly and easily get content online in a manner that can be picked up by potential customers via aggregators isn't something to be scoffed at. Creative use of blogs has been driving traffic and sales to web sites for quite some time.
The thing that Google's new offering changes is that it will force the other major search engines to also pay attention to blog specific search. As each of the engines works to improve blog search, they'll force each other to up the ante. Existing blog search engines like Technorati and DayPop will also need to rise to the challenge. At the same time, the increased availability of quality blog search will give readers more access to new sites and feeds."
Google Blog Search Debuts in Beta: "In addition to standard search operators like 'link:' and 'site:' Google Blog Search will support new operators like 'inblogtitle:' 'blogurl:' and 'inposttitle:.' Blog search will be available in 35 different languages, though by default, the index will search all content. Safe search is also an available option.
The niftiest feature of Google's new blog search is the ability to create a custom RSS or Atom feed based on search results. Users can opt to subscribe to either the top ten or top one hundred listings for a particular search query. Google will then provide a feed that can be added to a user's favorite aggregator...
if you are already running a blog, you may be looking at some nice new traffic. After all, in the blog search engine, your posts won't have to compete with all of the other sites indexed by Google. If you're not already blogging, you need to give some consideration to whether or not you should start one up.
Now, as with search engine optimization, you shouldn't do it just to do it, you need to make sure that you have a reason to do it. Think about your target audience and ask yourself if there's anything that you can write for them that will make sense to your business. If you're a home improvement company, consider starting a blog that aims to answer common questions that your customers ask you. If you're a car dealership, consider starting a blog that features test drive information and car reviews. As with anything else online, it just takes a little bit of creativity."
The thing that Google's new offering changes is that it will force the other major search engines to also pay attention to blog specific search. As each of the engines works to improve blog search, they'll force each other to up the ante. Existing blog search engines like Technorati and DayPop will also need to rise to the challenge. At the same time, the increased availability of quality blog search will give readers more access to new sites and feeds."
Google Blog Search Debuts in Beta: "In addition to standard search operators like 'link:' and 'site:' Google Blog Search will support new operators like 'inblogtitle:' 'blogurl:' and 'inposttitle:.' Blog search will be available in 35 different languages, though by default, the index will search all content. Safe search is also an available option.
The niftiest feature of Google's new blog search is the ability to create a custom RSS or Atom feed based on search results. Users can opt to subscribe to either the top ten or top one hundred listings for a particular search query. Google will then provide a feed that can be added to a user's favorite aggregator...
if you are already running a blog, you may be looking at some nice new traffic. After all, in the blog search engine, your posts won't have to compete with all of the other sites indexed by Google. If you're not already blogging, you need to give some consideration to whether or not you should start one up.
Now, as with search engine optimization, you shouldn't do it just to do it, you need to make sure that you have a reason to do it. Think about your target audience and ask yourself if there's anything that you can write for them that will make sense to your business. If you're a home improvement company, consider starting a blog that aims to answer common questions that your customers ask you. If you're a car dealership, consider starting a blog that features test drive information and car reviews. As with anything else online, it just takes a little bit of creativity."
Google round up
At Google, new tools and new hires | CNET News.com: "It's never a dull day at Google, as the young company furthers its ambitions in search and other endeavors. "
Google Offers Stock at $295 Per Share - Forbes.com
Update 1: Google Offers Stock at $295 Per Share - Forbes.com: "Google Inc. priced a follow-up stock offering of 14.16 million shares at $295 late Wednesday, offering investors a slight discount from the online search engine leader's recent market value...As it is, Google's market value stands at $89 billion, based on the 292.8 million shares expected to be outstanding after its latest offering. That makes it more valuable than older Internet companies such as Yahoo and eBay Inc., but still behind heavyweights such as Microsoft and Intel Corp."
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Google launches blog search |
Google launches blog search | CNET News.com: "Google has launched a blog search feature, as it seeks to go head-to-head with archrival Yahoo in the booming blog market.
Google's tool is designed to find listings beyond those published through its own Blogger service by searching blogs that publish feeds via RSS or Atom. The feeds are checked frequently for new content, Google said on its Web site."
Google's tool is designed to find listings beyond those published through its own Blogger service by searching blogs that publish feeds via RSS or Atom. The feeds are checked frequently for new content, Google said on its Web site."
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Google offers advice to sites on penalty.
Google offers advice to sites on penalty.: "I have just received an email from Google about one of my test sites telling me that it is being blacklisted for 30 days. "
Discussion to follow re authenticity of email
Discussion to follow re authenticity of email
Monday, September 12, 2005
Is Google Going Pay-Per-Call Route?
DMNews.com | News | Article: "With the recent introduction of Google Talk - the search engine's newest voice and instant messaging product - and talk of a plan to purchase large quantities of dark fiber,
some suspect that Google may be readying itself for an all-out venture into the newest online advertising trend, pay per call, writes 10e20's Chris Winfield.
When Google Talk debuted a few weeks ago minus a search box but with added, quality voice capabilities, some advertisers no doubt experienced a tinge of disappointment at not having the ability to push their products on this new platform. But things are looking up for advertisers who subscribe to the notion that while Google Talk is a slight disappointment, it is just a stepping stone in Google’s ultimate plan of using VoIP technology to enter and dominate the pay-per-call industry."
some suspect that Google may be readying itself for an all-out venture into the newest online advertising trend, pay per call, writes 10e20's Chris Winfield.
When Google Talk debuted a few weeks ago minus a search box but with added, quality voice capabilities, some advertisers no doubt experienced a tinge of disappointment at not having the ability to push their products on this new platform. But things are looking up for advertisers who subscribe to the notion that while Google Talk is a slight disappointment, it is just a stepping stone in Google’s ultimate plan of using VoIP technology to enter and dominate the pay-per-call industry."
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