🆕 📰 Must-read marketing news of the week in a 2-min read ☟

🆕 📰 Must-read marketing news of the week in a 2-min read ☟

Weekly Marketing News: January 30, 2016

from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
http://ift.tt/1Kjoqie

HOT OFF THE PRESS 🔥: Weekly Marketing Skinny • January 30, 2016

HOT OFF THE PRESS 🔥: Weekly Marketing Skinny • January 30, 2016

All essential marketing news of the week in a 2-minute read. That's what Weekly Marketing Skinnies at Traffic Generation Café are all about.

Read the new Weekly Marketing Skinny: http://ift.tt/20dAGbl

In the marketing spotlight this week:

♨ negative SEO;
♨ sitewide links;
♨ once indexed, stays indexed?
♨ now Facebook is just bragging…
♨ FB Reactions coming soon;
♨ LinkedIn hacks;
♨ Periscope goes GoPro;
♨ new Snapchat share option;
♨ Firefox push notifications;
♨ how to manage Twitter;
♨ …and much more.

Read it now: http://ift.tt/20dAGbl

Huge thanks to +Robin Strohmaier +Kevin Duncan +David Hartshorne +Barrie Smith for mentioning me in your posts this week; you are featured in this week's Skinny!

#ns

Weekly Marketing News: January 30, 2016 In the marketing news this week: SEO good-to-knows, Facebook's huge numbers, FB Reactions are coming, LinkedIn hacks, and more.

from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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Snapchat now has a handy URL you can use to add friends to your network easily

Snapchat now has a handy URL you can use to add friends to your network easily

If you have the newest version of Snapchat, you have an option to share their URL instead of their Snapcode to add your friends online.

The URL appears to be simple to use, providing http://ift.tt/1Uv00CS so that you can now easily add anyone, as long as you know the syntax.

To access this unique URL in the app, open Snapchat, drag the camera view, click “Add Friends,” and then click “Share Username.”

Someone accessing this URL on their phone will be able to add you immediately.

ht http://tgcafe.it/1VwetP2 MarketingLand.com
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More marketing news: http://tgcafe.it/your-marketing-news





from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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Sitewide header and footer (and sidebar!) links seem to be given less weight by Google

Sitewide header and footer (and sidebar!) links seem to be given less weight by Google

As common sense as this is, doesn't hurt hearing it again.

+John Mueller of Google answered a question about sitewide links in a Google Hangout below at the 22:00 mark.

QUESTION:

Does it matter if the main content area contains lots of links to external domains and few links to other pages on the same domain? Does it degrade the quality of that page?

ANSWER:

"So I think there are two aspects there:

On the one hand this is the area of the page where you have your primary content, the content that this page is actually about, not the menu, the sidebar, the footer, the header...

Then that is something that we do take into account and we do try to use those links.

The other thing to keep in mind is you still need to make sure that within your site you have a clear linking structure. That can happen if you have a clear set up with a sidebar, menu...

But if you don’t have a clear linking structure, then we pick up just a bunch of links to external sites, then what might happen is we can’t really crawl the rest of your site properly because we can’t discover it properly."

He talks a bit more about it, so have a listen below.

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More marketing news: http://tgcafe.it/your-marketing-news





from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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Here's what you need to know about Facebook's Reactions to be released in the next few weeks - in my...

Here's what you need to know about Facebook's Reactions to be released in the next few weeks - in my post on LinkedIn http://tgcafe.it/1SOAF9l.




from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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Facebook is to launch Reactions ‘in the next few weeks’

Facebook is to launch Reactions ‘in the next few weeks’

The Reactions are the extension to Facebook’s like button.

The future feature was initially announced by co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg last September http://tgcafe.it/1Nq8200, and now we know that will be officially launched “in the next few weeks.”

That's what Facebook's chief product officer Chris Cox told Bloomberg Businessweek http://tgcafe.it/1QLG0N3.

"We roll things out very carefully, and that comes from a lot of lessons learned," Cox said. http://tgcafe.it/1QLG0N3

According to Cox, the project began with researchers narrowing down the most frequent responses to posts into six reactions– angry, sad, wow, haha, yay and love.

A Facebook spokesperson also told Bloomberg Businessweek that “yay,” which was originally one of the options in Reactions, didn’t make the cut because “it was not universally understood.”

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More marketing news: http://tgcafe.it/your-marketing-news






from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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How to Write a Blog Post: The Definitive 10,273-word Guide (2016 Version)

THIS. IS. HUGE. And thorough. And comprehensive.

A tremendous post from +Kevin Duncan on how to write a blog post.

Honored to have been included as a reference!

---

Kevin Duncan originally shared:
How to Write a Blog Post: The Definitive 10,273-word Guide (2016 Version)

When you’re new to blogging, most resources and “how to” articles can make you feel lost and confused.

Want to learn the ins and outs of writing a blog post in a simple, easy-to-understand tutorial? This is for you.

Read it here:
http://ift.tt/1sHSrul

Wonderful bloggers mentioned or linked to include: +Brian Dean +Ramsay Taplin +Darren Rowse +Pamela Wilson +Jon Morrow +Chris Brogan +Joanna Wiebe +Blaine Wilkerson +Henneke Duistermaat +Amy Lynn Andrews +Neil Patel +Ashley Faulkes +Ana Hoffman +Jeni Elliott +Tor Refsland +Julie R. Neidlinger +ahmed safwan +Bryan Harris +Pat Flynn +Glen Long +Kristi Hines +Dominique Jackson +Pooja L +Adam Connell +Enstine Muki +Tom Hunt +Pauline Cabrera +PSDtoWP .net +Anthony Rotolo +Syed Balkhi +OptinMonster +Chris Lema +Sue Anne Dunlevie +Creative Meerkat +BrittanyBullen.com +Leanne Regalla +Rich Brooks +Brian Clark +Ryan Biddulph +Katharine Di Cerbo +Lisa Sicard +Will Blunt +Sally Miller +Scott Taft +Andrew Warner +Charlene Kingston +Kate Erickson +Jason Quey +Adrienne Smith +Ryan Hanley +Tim Soulo +Tom Southern +Jason Mathes +Mary Fernandez +Jerod Morris +Mary Jaksch +Shane Arthur +Alicia Rades +Jeff Goins +John Lee Dumas of EOFire +Chris Garrett +Joost de Valk +Amy Harrison +Gary Korisko +Will Hoekenga +Jaime Buckley +Don Purdum +uttoran sen

#tutorials #ultimateguide #blogging #blogtips #howtowriteablogpost #beabetterblogger #epic

How to Write a Blog Post: The Definitive 10,273-word Guide 'How to write a blog' is popular in searches, but most results are complicated. Let me guide you through the entire 'how to write a blog post' process.

from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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Experts Weigh In: Top Social Media Trends for 2016

What do you see as the top social media trends for 2016?

+Robin Strohmaier has put together a very interesting read with many social media experts weighing in on the topic.

---

Robin Strohmaier originally shared:
Experts Weigh In: Top Social Media Trends for 2016
After recently completing a new website for a client, I was asked one of the top questions I often hear, How can social media help my business grow? 

To discover what the key social media trends and strategies are to help businesses grow in 2016, I reached out to experienced social media marketing professionals with my question, 

*What do you see as the top social media trends for 2016?*

I am thrilled to include their insights below on what the emerging trends are and what the social media landscape may look like in 2016.

To read the full post, please see: http://ift.tt/1KfsnEJ

To save it for later: http://ift.tt/1nt05fv

A huge thank you to each and every one who contributed to this post! I am honored that you shared your insights!
+Mike Allton 
+Jenny Brennan 
+Mandy Edwards 
+Juan Felix 
+Heidi Garland 
+Ian Anderson Gray 
+Jennifer Hanford 
+Sheila Hensley 
+Jenn Herman 
+Ray Hiltz 
+Ana Hoffman 
+Dorien Morin-van Dam 
+Michelle Phillips 
+Sara Nickleberry 
+Rebekah Radice 
+Mark Schaefer 
+Brooke B. Sellas 
+martin shervington 
+Ravi Shukle 
+Michael Stelzner 
+Dawn Swick-Renshaw 

#SocialMediaMarketing   #socialmediatips   #socialmediastrategy  

Top Social Media Trends to Skyrocket Your Business in 2016 What social media trends will help to ignite the growth of your business in 2016? Learn what 21 social media professionals have to say.

from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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Medium now lets publishers schedule posts, link Twitter accounts to publications

Medium now lets publishers schedule posts, link Twitter accounts to publications

Medium is rolling out three new features over the course of this week

♨ Scheduled Publishing
With the new schedule to publish feature, you can specify a date and time in the future for your stories to be published.

♨ Connect Twitter to Publications
You can now connect your Twitter account to your Medium publication. When you do, any followers of that Twitter account who also have Medium accounts will automatically become followers of that publication.

If you go to your publication’s “About” page, you’ll now see a Connect to Twitter option.

♨ Letter Stats
Lastly, you can now view statistics for Letters sent through Medium publications, by going to the Letters page of your publication.

Details: http://tgcafe.it/23y4tL0

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More marketing news: http://tgcafe.it/your-marketing-news






from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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Facebook's staggering growth numbers

Facebook's staggering growth numbers

Facebook announced its latest usage numbers in its Q4 2015 earnings (http://tgcafe.it/1OUwy7z) and they are certainly something to marvel.

♨ 1.59 billion users
♨ 1.04 billion DAU (Daily Active Users)
♨ 827 million mobile-only users
♨ 100 million hours of video watched per day
♨ 1 billion users on Groups
♨ 80 million users on Facebook Lite
♨ 500 million users on Events
♨ 123 million events created in 2015
♨ 50 million small and medium sized business on Pages

Wow.

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More marketing news: http://tgcafe.it/your-marketing-news





from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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[negative SEO] What about your competitors throwing a bunch of spammy links at you?

[negative SEO] What about your competitors throwing a bunch of spammy links at you?
 
That's what Google +John Mueller was asked in the recent Google Hangout.
 
Question:
 
Since Penguin looks for spammy external links, and most webmasters now know it will release, what is risk of someone “building” spammy links to hurt a competitor? Is google being too transparent on what Penguin does? 
Response (31:43 into the video):
 
"From our point of view, we have a lot of practice in regards to handling kind of these spammy links that competitors build to each other’s sites. And we do know that this is a practice and we do take it into account in all of our algorithms when we, especially when we look at things like links. So that’s not something where I’d really worry too much about that with regards to future updates there.
 
I know the people that are working on these algorithms, they’re really well aware of this kind of situation and we have a lot of data to show them on specifically what things to watch out for, and what things to keep in mind when it comes to these updates."
 
+Jennifer Slegg also notes in her post on the topic http://tgcafe.it/1QJofhw:
 
"With real time Penguin coming soon, there should be less fear about it since webmasters will no longer have to wait a year or more in order to recover from bad backlinks, whether from negative SEO or their own doing."
 
Very true.
 
_______________________________________________________
 
More marketing news: http://tgcafe.it/your-marketing-news




from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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[this is HUGE] Facebook now offers Live Video streaming to all iPhone users in the U.S.

[this is HUGE] Facebook now offers Live Video streaming to all iPhone users in the U.S.

All those speculations that FB should buy Meerkat? Or another live streaming service?...

Well, not surprisingly, FB was building a live streaming service of their own, and it's now live to all iPhone users in the U.S.

Here's the Skinny on how it works:

♨ To share live video, tap on Update Status and then select the Live Video icon.

♨ You can write a quick description and choose the audience that you want to share with before going live.

♨ During your broadcast, you’ll see the number of live viewers, the names of friends who are tuning in and a real-time stream of comments.

♨ When you end your broadcast, it will be saved on your Timeline like any other video, which you can then delete or keep for your friends to watch later.

♨ While watching a live video, you can tap the Subscribe button to get notified the next time the broadcaster goes live.

The service will start rolling this out to the rest of the iPhone-using world over the coming weeks and Facebook is "we are working to bring live video to people using Android phones soon." http://tgcafe.it/1PEXSnE

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More marketing news: http://tgcafe.it/your-marketing-news





from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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[Google clarifies] You linking out to other sites doesn't help you rank better

[Google clarifies] You linking out to other sites doesn't help you rank better
 
You'll hear this from some SEOs: it helps your rankings to link out from your page to a relevant to your topic external authority page, preferably with your keywords as anchor text. 
 
The following question was asked in a Google Hangout with +John Mueller:
 
"External linking from your own pages to other sites seem to be one of the 200 ranking factors. Does Google consider external links even if they are nofollowed? Or does "nofollow" eliminate this small ranking factor for pages which only have no-follow links?"
 
John's response:
 
"Our point of view, external links to other sites, so links from your site to other people’s sites isn’t specifically a ranking factor. But it can bring value to your content and that in turn can be relevant for us in search. And whether or not they are not followed, doesn’t really matter."
 
He said that at 19 minute 53 seconds into the video.
 
So:
 
♨ linking out to other sites can bring value to your content, so you should probably do that for that reason;
♨ however, linking out in and of itself isn't a ranking factor;
♨ makes no difference if those external links are do- or nofollow.
 
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More marketing news: http://tgcafe.it/your-marketing-news




from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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In many ways, Twitter is not unlike projectile vomiting – a forceful and uncontrollable firehose that...

In many ways, Twitter is not unlike projectile vomiting – a forceful and uncontrollable firehose that it is.
 
And managing Twitter… well, it could feel like trying to take a sip from that firehose.
 
Many of you dread Twitter for this reason alone, and I don’t blame you.
 
So, whatever shall a marketer do?
 
Ditch it?
 
Out of the question, IF that’s where your target audience is.
 
Automate the life out of it?
 
No siree! Might as well ditch it… 
 
So what’s the answer to this pain-in-the-neck-that-it-is suck-you-in-n-never-spit-you-out Twitter situation?
 
Manage it. Put yourself on a Twitter time budget.
 
Allow me to introduce you to your new best Twitter friend: the Daily Twitter Routine.
 
 
http://ift.tt/1ZVybF5
 
Make sure you let me know what you think in the comments!
 
See you there: http://ift.tt/1ZVybF5




from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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HOT OFF THE PRESS 🔥 How to Manage Twitter Like a Pro [Your Daily Twitter Routine]

HOT OFF THE PRESS 🔥 How to Manage Twitter Like a Pro [Your Daily Twitter Routine]

Picture this…

In many ways, Twitter is not unlike projectile vomiting – a forceful and uncontrollable firehose that it is.

And managing Twitter… well, it could feel like trying to take a sip from that firehose.

Many of you dread Twitter for this reason alone, and I don’t blame you.

So, whatever shall a marketer do?

Ditch it? Out of the question, IF that’s where your target audience is.

Automate the life out of it? No siree! Might as well ditch it…

So what’s the answer to this pain-in-the-neck-that-it-is suck-you-in-n-never-spit-you-out Twitter situation?

Manage it. Put yourself on a Twitter time budget.

Here's how: http://tgcafe.it/my-twitter-routine

You'll also see what Daily Twitter Routines look like from these Twitter pros: +Larry Kim +Jeff Sieh +Mike Allton +Ann Handley +Lisa Irby +Ryan Hanley - if THEY can do it, what's left for the rest of us to do, right? ;)

Here's the link again: http://tgcafe.it/my-twitter-routine

Please share/+1 the post - I'd really appreciate it.

#ns

How to Manage Twitter Like a Pro [Your Daily Twitter Routine] How do Twitter pros manage Twitter so well? Now you too can do it - with the help of a Daily Twitter Routine. Read the post for more.

from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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[SEO good-to-know] Once images are indexed, it can take months for Google to crawl them again and update...

[SEO good-to-know] Once images are indexed, it can take months for Google to crawl them again and update, if needed

Google's +John Mueller said on Twitter it can take Google months to update an image in their Google Image search index.

"Images don't change often, so we don't reindex them frequently." he said. http://tgcafe.it/1nmioTo

When questioned how long that can take, John added, "depends, maybe on the order of months. Also, indexing isn't guaranteed, so you can't assume it'll always happen."

ht +Barry Schwartz http://tgcafe.it/1K9eJTm

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More marketing news: http://tgcafe.it/your-marketing-news





from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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How to stop procrastinating: If it takes less than 2 minutes, the do it NOW.

How to stop procrastinating: If it takes less than 2 minutes, the do it NOW.

~ James Clear jamesclear.com

Like it? Share it!

#ns





from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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✔ The Most Amazing Local Keyword & Content Idea Tool EVER! Need to maximize your keyword & content idea...

This is definitely a great keyword 'idea' research tool; thanks to +Linda Buquet for digging it out!

---

Linda Buquet originally shared:
✔ The Most Amazing Local Keyword & Content Idea Tool EVER! Need to maximize your keyword & content idea research? This is Google Autocomplete on Steroids - almost like Mindreading your Niche!

We all know Google loves it when you answer questions in your content, right? This tool goes beyond looking at the the root keyword in auto-suggest and adds words like how, who, what, why, etc to the query, which totally blows out all the possible questions people ask about a topic. Get hundreds of results.

Then you can wow clients and your team. It lets them VISUALIZE all the key phrase data in a cool image like the one you'll find inside.

I share lots of cool tools, but I think this one takes the prize. Check it out and thank me later. ;-)

✔ The Most Amazing Local Keyword & Content Idea Tool EVER!

from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
http://ift.tt/1QqhNtQ

🆕 Periscope integrates with GoPro

🆕 Periscope integrates with GoPro

Today, you can broadcast from your GoPro HERO 4 directly to Periscope for iPhone.

Here’s how it works:

♨ Connect to your GoPro’s WiFi, making sure it’s on video mode.
♨ Open Periscope on your iPhone & tap the broadcast button.
♨ The GoPro button will automatically be highlighted — so give your broadcast a title and go live.

Want to learn how to Periscope? About time! ;)

Find a full Periscope on Android Tutorial at Traffic Generation Café:http://tgcafe.it/periscope-android-tutorial

If you are on iOS, I've got you covered as well:http://tgcafe.it/periscope-tutorial







from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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🆕 Inbox By Gmail gets smarter search with quick answer cards

🆕 Inbox By Gmail gets smarter search with quick answer cards

The new update will make it easier to find bits information like addresses, membership numbers and package tracking numbers that are sometimes buried in your emails.

No more digging through individual emails to find what you're looking for, in other words.

Are you an Inbox user? How do you like it?

(personally, I find it a lot less distracting and more productive that Gmail itself)

Official Gmail post: http://tgcafe.it/1TlO487 #t

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More marketing news: http://tgcafe.it/your-marketing-news




from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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Firefox 44 released with push notifications that sites can send even after users close the page

Firefox 44 released with push notifications that sites can send even after users close the page

Now you'll be able to receive push notifications from websites if you give them permission - a lot like Chrome 42.

Unlike Web notifications, you can receive these notifications even when the website is not loaded in a tab.

“This is super useful for websites like email, weather, social networks and shopping, which you might check frequently for updates,” Mozilla explained.

The users have to first grant explicit permission before they receive such a push notification.

You can manage your notifications in the Control Center by clicking the “i” icon on the left side of the address bar.

Other updates include new visual editing tools and memory management tools for developers and the removal of RC4 encryption.

Read more about the updates at +VentureBeat http://tgcafe.it/1OMYVEE

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More marketing news: http://tgcafe.it/your-marketing-news #t




from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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New on Facebook: Facebook now tracks Call-to-Action clicks via ‘Actions on Page’ Insights tab

New on Facebook: Facebook now tracks Call-to-Action clicks via ‘Actions on Page’ Insights tab

If there wasn't enough reason for you to set up a Call to Action on your Facebook page (apparently, there wasn't one for me - I still haven't set up mine! 😳), Facebook has implemented a conversion tracking feature - now you can see exactly how many clicks your call to actions get.

Of course, in my case, it's flat-lined...

To see your stats, go to your page Insights, then click on Actions on Page.

ht Adweek's SocialTimes http://tgcafe.it/23qZvzP
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More marketing news: http://tgcafe.it/your-marketing-news #t





from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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Size does matter!

Size does matter!

(of course, in my case it's the smaller the better I admit - espresso is my secret love) You?

#coffeelovers #wakeupandsmellthecoffee
#ns




from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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The History of Google’s Biggest Changes over Time [INFOGRAPHIC] @senginepeople

The History of Google’s Biggest Changes over Time [INFOGRAPHIC] @senginepeople

Old vs new Google in a nutshell - fun and interesting infographic by +Jordan Kasteler at +Ruud Hein's Search Engine People: http://tgcafe.it/1KAkCEe

(ht +Duane Forrester and +Eric Enge)




from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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Analyze Your Collections!

Google+ Collections are quickly becoming the cornerstone of the platform.

If you haven't started creating them, I highly recommend you do.

A few quick tips on how to create great Collections:

♨ keep them focused on the chosen subject;
♨ add a great cover photo (don't settle for the 'suggested photos')
♨ add a tagline that tells people exactly what to expect
♨ post to it often (I recommend daily or at least several times per week)

+CircleCount has just added a great way to analyze your Collections; highly recommend you check it out!)

#ns

---

CircleCount originally shared:
Analyze Your Collections!

We are excited to announce a long anticipated feature for all the PRO users out there today.
Introducing "Your Collections Analysis"

Since Google+ vastly shifted towards collections lately, so did we.

This new feature now lets you use the power of our CircleCount dashboard for your collections. Moreover you are able to compare the average Plusone, Reshare & Comment development per post betweens your collections and your own profile.

Like you can see in the attached screenshot, our CirclesCounted Collection is performing in average much better than our Page in total.
You see, you will get some very interesting stats and will be able to optimize your collection usage.

Check it out now, either by trying it out in the Free Trial or by subscribing to CircleCount PRO:
http://ift.tt/1UmDrjI

If you are already a CircleCount PRO user or have subscribed to the Free Trial, check out your dashboard, your posts have been updated automatically over night:
http://ift.tt/1K724As


A short reminder:
As a lot of you probably know, CircleCount is developed by just a few people on a voluntary basis so far. Since the cost for running the site is steadily increasing and our ad revenue is decreasing we need another revenue stream.

We calculated that we need 100 paying customers in order to keep the service running for a long time to come. With your money we will be able to pay the server costs and be able to keep developing new CircleCount services. So please spread the word.

Thank you very much for your support and the trust in us!




from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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[quick tutorial] YouTube Tip 🎥 : Auto Loop Any YouTube Video Natively

[quick tutorial] YouTube Tip 🎥 : Auto Loop Any YouTube Video Natively

Here's how: http://buff.ly/1KAetHU

Like it? Share it!




from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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🔻 All week's Marketing News in a 2-min read! 🔻

🔻 All week's Marketing News in a 2-min read! 🔻

#ns

Weekly Marketing News January 23, 2016 In the marketing news this week: Google Panda, long-form content, FB organic reach might go up, Word of the Year (wow!), and more.

from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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Yep.

Yep.

Especially on Mondays.

Like it? Share it!

image source unknown
#ns




from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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Be on social media not for search rankings but to build up your brand and drive qualified traffic. +...

Be on social media not for search rankings but to build up your brand and drive qualified traffic. +Mark Traphagen

Like it? Share it!






from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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We know that Google definitely does not use social signals in its search ranking factors - as per both...

We know that Google definitely does not use social signals in its search ranking factors - as per both +John Mueller and +Matt Cutts of Google.

But why?

+Mark Traphagen set to find out in this post at +Stone Temple Consulting: http://tgcafe.it/1nG70SX

The Skinny:

1. Facebook and Twitter posts are treated like any other web pages for search.

2. Google needs to be selective in what to crawl and how much.

3. Google does NOT currently use signals like Facebook or Twitter followers for search ranking.

Why? Read the post. http://tgcafe.it/1nG70SX

4. Social signal correlations with higher rankings for sites do not equal causation of those rankings.

A correlating factor doesn’t have to be a causal factor!

TAKEAWAY (for me): Be on social media not for search rankings but to build up your brand and drive qualified traffic.

Great food for thought; thanks, Mark!





Does Social Media Affect SEO? Matt Cutts Answers Post updated September 1, 2015 (originally published January 23, 2014)How far along is Google from using social media signals as ranking factors? Can Google use engagement and follower metrics from Twitter and Facebook to evaluate the authority of an individual?To me, the answers to those questions were the buried headlines in a Google Webmaster Help video (embedded below) by Matt Cutts. Even though Matt is currently on an extended hiatus from hi...

from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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HOT OFF THE PRESS🔥 📰: your Weekly Marketing Skinny • January 23, 2016

HOT OFF THE PRESS🔥 📰: your Weekly Marketing Skinny • January 23, 2016

I know it's been awhile since you were able to get your hands on the latest Weekly Marketing Skinny at TrafficGenerationCafe.com... and I know how much you missed me!

(shhhh... don't tell me anything otherwise...)

Well, I am back and IT is back!

Hope you had great holidays (I know I did - nothing beats three weeks in pajamas), but now it's time to get down to business.

It's time to catch up on the most important marketing news of the week - you know, the kind that might make an impact on your business and you can't afford not to know about.

==> http://ift.tt/1QkOadl

In the marketing spotlight this week:

♨ Google Panda is in the core of ranking algo;
♨ newly redesigned Google Webmasters website;
♨ long-form content and SEO;
♨ Facebook might be increasing your page reach!
♨ new photo upload options for FB Pages;
♨ alternatives to Twitter share counts;
♨ see what’s being pinned from your site;
♨ auto loop YouTube videos natively;
♨ the new social media network - Peach;
♨ new organization features in Google Drive;
♨ surprise!... Word of the Year 2015 is...
♨ ...and much more.

So, grab your cup of coffee (I've got mine) and join me at Traffic Generation Café:

==> http://ift.tt/1QkOadl

With many thanks to those of you who honored me with a mention in their blog posts; you are featured in this week's Weekly Marketing Skinny! +Ruud Hein +Barrie Smith +Julian Sakanee +Martin Stellar +Bill Achola +Onboardly +Kevin Duncan +Sue Anne Dunlevie +Neil Sheth +Tor Refsland 

#ns

Weekly Marketing News January 23, 2016 In the marketing news this week: Google Panda, long-form content, FB organic reach might go up, Word of the Year (wow!), and more.

from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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New YouTube feature: You can now auto loop your favorite YouTube videos natively

New YouTube feature: You can now auto loop your favorite YouTube videos natively

No more third-party plugins, you can now auto loop any YouTube video to your heart's content - with just a click of a mouse.

Ahhh... the possibilities! ;)

ping +Ileane Smith





from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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[NEW] YouTube Tip: Auto Loop Any YouTube Video Natively

from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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[NEW] YouTube Tip: Auto Loop Any YouTube Video Natively

[NEW] YouTube Tip: Auto Loop Any YouTube Video Natively [YouTube Tip] Did you know you can now natively auto loop YouTube videos? Forget about third-party apps, auto loop any video with a click of a mouse. Currently available on the desktop version only. You should look me up at http://ift.tt/1QqcHzq - I've got a lot more where this one came from! ;)

How Blogging Can Increase Your Lead Generation by 67%

How Blogging Can Increase Your Lead Generation by 67%

What was true back then, I believe, is still true now - blogging (when done well!) is the single most valuable thing you can do to grow your business.

Respond to your customers' questions. Show them how to use your products. Educate them about the industry.

Going back to my previous 'when done well!' comment - that's the key. As with anything else, if blogging is worth doing, it's worth doing well.

And you've got to read the post to see the stats; I bet you'll go 'Wow, I had no idea!'

Of course, let me know what you think in comments.

#f

How Blogging Can Increase Your Lead Generation by 67% • TrafficGenerationCafe.com

from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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"Invest your time in starting conversations."

"Invest your time in starting conversations."

@MrScottEddy

Like it? Share it! 




from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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Facebook launched 'Audience Optimization' tool to help you self-moderate how visible your page content...

Facebook launched 'Audience Optimization' tool to help you self-moderate how visible your page content might be in your fans' Newsfeeds

The brand-new Audience Optimization tool is an organic targeting tool set to help pages ensure that their posts are being seen by the users who are most likely to engage with them.

Audience Optimization gives you the following three features, as described in FB blog post http://tgcafe.it/1K07ME2:

♨ Preferred audience
Allows publishers to add interest tags to content to help Facebook connect people with the topics and subtopics that are most likely to engage them.

Rather than limit the audience that sees a post in News Feed, these tags prioritize, uniquely for each person, the topics that are most likely to interest them.

♨ Audience restrictions
Gives publishers the option to limit the visibility of certain posts across Facebook by specifying which audiences would not find a post relevant, based on their location, language, age or gender.

This is an existing feature that can be used alongside preferred audience options.

♨ Audience insights
Gives publishers visibility into the performance of their content, down to the post level with breakdowns by interest tag.

This is in addition to the existing Page insights product.

Once a post is published, insights for the preferred audience can help publishers understand how different subsets of people are responding by showing reach and engagement metrics for each interest tag.

The tool and its new features are available to all English-language pages, and they will automatically be turned on for pages with more than 5,000 likes.

To turn on the Audience Optimization tool, if it's not on automatically, follow these steps:

1. Go to your Page.
2. Click 'Settings' in the top right hand corner.
3. Click 'General' in the tab column on the left side of the page.
4. Find the row labeled 'Audience Optimization for Posts' in the middle of the page and click 'Edit.'.
5. Check off the box that that allows you to begin using the feature.

To take if for a spin, simply go to Page post composer and click on the targeting icon to add tags and restrictions. (screenshot below)

For more info, read Facebook’s Get Started page for Audience Optimization: http://tgcafe.it/1SAgPyk

From the Q&A on that page:

♨ Does Preferred Audience limit your reach?

No, it does not stop posts from appearing anywhere on Facebook.

* ♨ How does this impact organic reach?*

In tests, we’ve seen that organic reach stays about the same while engagement goes up. Interest tags help Facebook better match content with audiences, prioritizing posts on particular topics for the users who are most likely to be interested in those topics. Interest tags don’t limit a post’s distribution—they just help it reach the most relevant subset of an audience.

* ♨ Can you target people that are not fans of your page?* (Can you target your post beyond people who have liked your page?) No. Posts made to your page with Preferred Audience will help improve visibility for the right segments of your page’s audience.

This could be pretty interesting... Definitely need to take it for a spin! Thoughts?

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from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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New @PhotoFeeler study breaks down “The Perfect Profile Photo”

New @PhotoFeeler study breaks down “The Perfect Profile Photo”

This is not ground-breaking, but certainly interesting - what makes the perfect profile photo... perfect.

The study was based on over 60,000 ratings of perceived Competence, Likability, and Influence for 800 profile photos in PhotoFeeler (photofeeler.com) database.

You should read the entire study here http://tgcafe.it/1RWoSpy; here's the quick Skinny.

Profile photo DOs:

♨ squinch
♨ smile
♨ dress to match the impression you want to give
♨ emphasize your jawline
♨ use editing moderation


Profile photo DON'Ts:

♨ wear sunglasses
♨ do face-only close-ups

How does your profile photo measure up?

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Your social media traffic hub: http://tgcafe.it/get-social-media-traffic







from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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New photo upload options for Facebook Page Admins

New photo upload options for Facebook Page Admins

Clicking on photo/video in page status update composers now brings up the following four options:

♨ Upload photos/video: Add photos or video to your status.
♨ Create photo album: Build an album out of multiple photos.
♨ Create a photo carousel: Build a scrolling photo carousel with a link.
♨ Create slideshow: Add three to seven photos to create a video.

ht Adweek http://tgcafe.it/1OzPwR0

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from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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This is how badly Twitter wants developers to come back: Twitter takes its #HelloWorld campaign on the...

This is how badly Twitter wants developers to come back: Twitter takes its #HelloWorld campaign on the road to win over developers

Twitter has announced it will be traveling to nine cities around the world starting in February. http://tgcafe.it/1Wy9IWs

This event is part of CEO Jack Dorsey’s #HelloWorld campaign to demonstrate that the company is listening to developers’ feedback and concerns.

Here are the dates and locations:

Los Angeles: February 1-5
Seattle: February 8-12
Denver: February 15-19
Boston: February 22-27
New York: February 29-March 4
London: April 4-9
Bangalore: April 11-15
Tokyo: April 18-22
Sao Paulo: May 9-14

ht +VentureBeat VB http://tgcafe.it/1QoiN3n

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from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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Sweet! Prepare for the next storm with a new weather experience on Android

Sweet! Prepare for the next storm with a new weather experience on Android

Now when you search for “weather” or ask Google, “will it rain today?” in the Google app on your Android phone, you’ll get a wealth of new information, including: hourly sky conditions and chance of rain, severe weather alerts, a detailed 10-day forecast, air quality, UV index, sunrise and sunset times, and more.

When you tap on the weather result, you can also save your favorite locations by searching for a new location and selecting “Add.” You’ll start seeing your chosen locations in the drop-down in search.

Google blog post: http://tgcafe.it/1nbSpOr

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from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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Facebook launched Sports Stadium, a hub for chatting about the game in real time

Facebook launched Sports Stadium, a hub for chatting about the game in real time

Facebook has introduced a new place for all our sports conversations - the Sports Stadium.

The Sports Stadium it’s a virtual area where you, your friends, and 650 million sports fans on the social network can talk about games, teams, stats, and more.

It’ll also feature live play-by-play action — just like you’d see on ESPN, but with more of a community around it.

This new sports-only area is rolling out today for American football games, just in time for Super Bowl L in Santa Clara, California.

To access the Sports Stadium, search by game in Facebook’s main app. There you’ll find a dashboard featuring commentary, news, individual plays, live scores, and more.

Official post: http://tgcafe.it/1T9eLN4
ht +VentureBeat http://tgcafe.it/1Nn51HI

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from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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Study: quality backlinks & comprehensive content are still biggest factors in Google rankings

Study: quality backlinks & comprehensive content are still biggest factors in Google rankings

+Brian Dean of @backlinko has published an SEO study of more than one million search results conducted with a goal of finding common ranking factors among the the top content.

Here is the Skinny of the key findings:

1. Backlinks remain an extremely important Google ranking factor.
The number of domains linking to a page correlated with rankings more than any other factor.

2. A site’s overall link authority strongly correlates with higher rankings.

3. Content rated as “topically relevant”, significantly outperformed content that didn’t cover a topic in-depth.
Publishing focused content that covers a single topic may help with rankings.

4. Longer content tends to rank higher in Google’s search results.
The average Google first page result contains 1,890 words.

5. HTTPS had a reasonably strong correlation with first page Google rankings.

6. Despite the buzz around Schema, study data shows that use of Schema markup doesn’t correlate with higher rankings.

7. Content with at least one image significantly outperformed content without any images.

8. Relationship between title tag keyword optimization and ranking was very small.
This may reflect Google’s move to Semantic Search.

9. Site speed matters.
Based on data from Alexa, pages on fast-loading sites rank significantly higher than pages on slow-loading sites.

10. Despite Google’s many Penguin updates, exact match anchor text appears to have a strong influence on rankings.

11. Low bounce rate was associated with higher Google rankings.

The detailed data in the original post: http://ift.tt/1PFdDva

We Analyzed 1 Million Google Search Results. Here's What We Learned About SEO We recently analyzed 1 million Google search results to answer the question: Which factors correlate with first page search engine rankings? We looked at content. We looked at backlinks. We even looked at site speed. With the help of Eric Van Buskirk and our data partners1, we uncovered some interesting findings. And today I’m going... Read more »

from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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The Periscope of Podcasting ZCast Launches on iOS

The Periscope of Podcasting ZCast Launches on iOS

Podcasters, listen up: ZCast has announced the official launch of its social podcasting platform on iOS.

ZCast allows users to broadcast live podcasts from their mobile device, and interact with their listeners in real time, just as a video host can interact with their viewers on Periscope.

Here's a quick recap on how ZCast works for casters:

♨ users sign in with their Twitter account;

♨ you can choose to start casting at any time, or schedule a ‘cast’ for later;

♨ you can cast by yourself or invite others to be guest speakers on your casts;

♨ users can also share their casts to Twitter to invite users to listen.

For listeners:

♨ users can browse live and upcoming podcasts within the app;

♨ listeners can comment on podcasts as they listen, and hosts can respond in real-time;

♨ while listening, users can invite others to listen as well, and can post likes on casts;

♨ users can also listen to podcasts on the Web.

ZCast is available to download for free on the iTunes App Store, and is coming soon to Android.

https://zcast.co/

ping +MaAnna Stephenson +Denise Wakeman +Mark Traphagen +Ryan Hanley +Ileane Smith +Jeff Sieh - if you know of any other podcasters, let them know.

ht Adweek http://tgcafe.it/1Uec4Z4
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from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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Introducing Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2015…

Introducing Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2015…

😂

Yep, you saw it right.

That’s right – for the first time ever, the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year is a pictograph: 😂, officially called the ‘Face with Tears of Joy’ emoji.

Reason behind it (from the official post http://tgcafe.it/1PDWEJA):

"😂 was chosen as the ‘word’ that best reflected the ethos, mood, and preoccupations of 2015."

Other contenders included:

♨ ad blocker
♨ Brexit
♨ Dark Web
♨ lumbersexual (yep, that's a thing!)
♨ sharing economy

😂😂😂😂😂

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from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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Writing a post on social media time management; can't get rid of an image of projectile vomiting. wink...

Writing a post on social media time management; can't get rid of an image of projectile vomiting. wink emoticon

Too nasty? Or funny comparing the two?


from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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Google announced the newly redesigned Webmasters website

Google announced the newly redesigned Webmasters website

"We took our own advice by analyzing visitor behavior and conducting user studies to organize the site into categories you’ll find most useful." http://tgcafe.it/1S2fKOo

The site contains support resources to help you fix issues with your website, SEO learning materials, and connection opportunities to stay up-to-date with Google team and webmaster community.

It also contains new features such as:

♨ Webmaster troubleshooter: Need a step-by-step guide to move your site or understand a message in Search Console? The troubleshooter can help answer these and other common problems with your site in Google Search and Google Search Console.

♨ Popular resources: Looking for popular Google Webmasters YouTube videos, blog posts and forum threads? Here’s a curated list of our top resources – these may differ across languages.

♨ Events calendar: Want to meet someone from our team online for office hours or at a live event near you? We have office hours and events in multiple languages around the world.

Take the new site for a spin http://ift.tt/HS9Ayi

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from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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Running low on printer ink? Your printer will order it for you

Running low on printer ink? Your printer will order it for you

Amazon’s first “Dash Replenishment”-powered devices went live today.

What on earth is Dash Replenishment?

From the website http://tgcafe.it/1PeuTNt:

"Amazon Dash Replenishment Service (DRS) enables connected devices to order physical goods from Amazon when supplies are running low—like a Brita Water Pitcher that orders more filters."

First devices released today include select Brother printers, GE and Whirlpool washer/dryer, CleverPet Hub, and the Gmate SMART blood glucose monitor.

What an incredible way to make itself indispensable, don't you think? Amazon folks are brilliant!

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from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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Is there difference in the quality and engagement of pop-up subscribers vs. subscribers obtained through...

Is there difference in the quality and engagement of pop-up subscribers vs. subscribers obtained through other methods?

That's what +Rae Hoffman set to find out in her latest post.

#ns

Comparing Email Subscribers Acquired from Pop-Ups vs. Other Methods In August I published a post examining a common question in email marketing – do email subscription pop-ups work? The post detailed how I went about implementing pop-ups via OptinMonster, as well as the results I attained in using them on two separate sites. Despite “most people” claiming they hate them, the results were clear:... Read More

from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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Coffee waves? Did you know we are in the 'third wave' right now?

Coffee waves? Did you know we are in the 'third wave' right now?

I certainly didn't. ;)

image sources: http://tgcafe.it/1S0urBr






from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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Google says you shouldn't trust all SEO Weather Tools

Google says you shouldn't trust all SEO Weather Tools

Google's +John Mueller said in a Google+ hangout last week that he feels the SEO weather tools are "tracking things in a different way" than how Google would.

He said this at the 4:40 minute mark into the video (below):

"And I suspect maybe the SEO weather type tools out there are tracking things in a different way than we would look at it. So that's something where maybe something that overall doesn't really have a big effect is still picked up by them."

To follow up on this, +Barry Schwartz asked Google's +Gary Illyes on Twitter (http://tgcafe.it/1RPz8zM)

"do you think some of the SEO weather tools out there pick up on the wrong things?"

Answer:

"yes."

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from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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[Twitter Traffic Hack] How to Make Your Tweets More Visible - SlideShare presentation

[Twitter Traffic Hack] How to Make Your Tweets More Visible - SlideShare presentation

Getting more traffic from Twitter would be a whole lot easier if you could figure out a way to actually been SEEN in the ever-so-overcrowded Twitter timelines, wouldn't you agree?

In comes my personal Twitter Traffic Hack: tweeting in blocks.

You'll be blown away how easy and effective this strategy is.

Check it out: http://tgcafe.it/traffic-hack-tweet-blocks and let me know what you think!

#ns

Twitter Traffic Hack: How to Make Your Tweets More Visible

from Ana Hoffman - Google+ Posts
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