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Wealthy Affiliate Success Postswealthy affiliate success posts page2
Theses wealthy affiliate success posts are taken from the Success forums, and represents the 2 posts you can see in the graphic above. I hope you enjoy reading them this is just a few of the thousands of success posts made by wealthy affiliate members, I hope so much to see yours in the success forum soon as well. From Startup to Profit - Blow by Blow Post 1 By ((txcapven))Hello All, I am new to WA, but not internet marketing and have just joined WA about a week ago. I have been reading and studying the various posts and tutorials available, and I have to say this is the most helpful and supportive group I have ever seen. In the process of reading through a lot of Success posts as well as those by Travis and Kyle and Carson, I found that I truly enjoyed and learned from the step by step process that many members have listed here. And I thought it would be a great value to others, if I posted my learning process/journey for others to learn from as well. I will begin this tonight and if at any point you feel like it is not adding value, please let me know and I will stop. To give you a bit more about myself, I have been pursuing IM for about a year now and have a reasonably successful online store that I have been working on for about a year. I have learned a lot about Adwords, and SEO in this process. I have tried affiliate marketing before with the "Google Cash" game and have gotten sales, but never a profit. So I have kept looking for the answer. I am constantly learning IM and one site led to another which got me here. wealthy affiliate success tag! So here is where I am starting. 1. Travis' post about having $10 to my name and having to turn a profit struck a chord with me. I believe that if I can't make money starting with a little, then having a lot won't help. If I've got 1 hour to chop down a tree, I'm going to spend the first 45min sharpening my axe, as they say. This means proper research. 2.From my experience I know that IM is really DM(Direct Marketing) just on a different medium, ie the WWW instead of paper/mail. This means the same rules apply. I have to have a hungry market, I have to have a message for that market, and I have to have a method to deliver that message (PPC). 3. I'm moving forward with the mindset that this is a process, it doesn't have to happen by tomorrow, and I am not going to chase success at this. By definition, chasing means somehting is running away from me, so I am going to proceed methodically, try fail/success and adjust, rinse and repeat. And in the process will attract success to me. My plan moving forward looks like this to me. Pre Launch - Do research of 10 Niches according to Travis' post with AndiB - Check forums for Niches - Google Trend Search - Pare down niches to ones that are easy to identify, easy to reach, and have money - Back to forums of top 3 to see if I can spot consistent questions/problems - Research affiliate programs for the 3 niches and see if any solve the problem/question - Choose 1 niche to begin testing with. Save all the rest for future consideration. Launch - Keyword Research - Find specific words that are related to the product and solve the searchers problem - Develop review landing page using 3 of the affiliate products that I have found. - Create New campaign broken into specific adgroups with broad, phrase and exact matching and dynamic keyword insertion in the title. - Flip the switch to start testing. - Gather results adjust and improve
My first goal is to complete all the above thoroughly to launch. My next goal is to get my first sale. Then the goals look like this. $50/mo $100/mo $250/mo $500/mo $1000/mo Evaluate and set new goals. If any of you feel that I am off target at all or going down the wrong path, please advise. I wrote all this out just as much for my benefit as everyone else's so I am very open to suggestions. 
wealthy affiliate success tag! This is Pot-pie-Girls Story, She helps out in the forums all the time answering questions, she’s always happy to help anyone out. Post #1000 from PotPieGirl - 10 Questions - My Story Post 2 By ((PotPieGirl))wealthy affiliate success tag! In honor of my 1000th post here on the Wealthy Affiliate forum, I've been given the opportunity to answer the same 10 questions that were asked in the Vegas Confidential report. I haven't read Vegas Confidential yet because I wanted to answer my questions first. However, I can promise you that as soon as this is posted, I will be DIVING IN to read how Kyle, Carson, Marcus, Ryan, and Travis answered these questions. Them are some smart cookies in that report... LISTEN to what they say! Before I start the Q&A, I'd like to give a little background on me for those that have no clue who I am (which is probably most of you....haha!). Who Is PotPieGirl? I am a wife and a mom (we have 4 kids ranging from 4 to 20 years old - bless our hearts...lol). We are the All-American "blended" family where he and she meet, marry, and each bring two kids with them This is a second marriage for both my husband and I. While I am NOT an advocate of divorce, I know that "life happens"....and there IS life AFTER divorce. In my case, it is a darn good life. Money or no money, I consider myself extremely blessed. Professionally, I was in the golf business for about 10 years where I was an assistant Pro at one course and then the Head Managing Pro at my own course. I absolutely adored the business, but it took a LOT of time having that career. I then took a job for about a year as the Director of operations for a local entertainment company. It was during this time that I became first exposed to internet marketing by the guys who owned the company (they have quite a few online businesses too). I was drawn to internet marketing....absolutely fascinated by it.
I started working online on February 18, 2007. It was that very day that my hubby came home from work and I announced "I am going to make money online" and then I set about making my first website (that website was HORRIBLE by the way...lol Worse yet, I accidentally deleted it when I was learning FTP!)
It has been a CRAZY ride, full of hard work and relentless dedication, but now, 2+ years later, I sit in my corner office and make 6 figures a year. Ok, it's not REALLY a "corner office" - it is a spare bedroom that has been converted into my office - BUT, it IS on the corner of the house =) I live in a very small town in Georgia - about an hour NorthEast of Atlanta. Internet Marketing is FAR from a well-known industry in my area. In fact, it feels as if I am the Internet Marketing Poster Child within my circle on influence and I battle daily to halt the "scam" mentality that average computer users have about making money online. My goals are to build a business I am proud of, to help contribute financially to my family (both NOW and long-term), and to help as many other folks as I can to empower themselves to create real change in their lives through internet marketing. At one point in my life, not very long ago, I was a 100% single mom due to bad life-choices by my ex.....and worse yet, I lost my job. I don't think there is a worse feeling in life than being responsible for 2 more mouths to feed...and you don't have a dime to your name. I thought "rock bottom" was the toxic end to my previous marriage, but that time was NOTHING compared to feeling as if I couldn't take care of my kids. However, I think for many of us, it takes adversity to kick us in the butt and FORCE us to change. There is one thing I know for sure about human nature.... "We remain the same until the pain of staying the same exceeds the pain of change"
In other words, we won't do ANYTHING different until it hurts too badly to NOT make changes.
I've been there.
I've been to the place where you get so sick and tired of the way things are going that you will do just about ANYTHING for things to change. Some people say, "I just need someone to give me a BREAK!" and others say, "I'm going to make my OWN break!"
I chose to make my own break.
Money or no money, I was going to make a change for my children and myself.
Internet marketing was KEY to the changes I made.
============ 10 Questions With PotPieGirl ======================== wealthy affiliate success tag! (1) If you were put on the street, had no money but access to an Internet, what would you do to start your business online?
Article marketing.... absolutely, positively, and without doubt I would start with article marketing. Many people under-estimate the earnings potential from this free to use internet marketing technique. When you're trying to turn 'nothing' into 'something', article marketing is the way to go.
(2) What would be your strategy to grow this business? Since I have to use all free tools and methods, this would be exactly how I would do this: 1. Go to cb-analytics.com and pick two products. Neither of these products would be in the "make money online" market - I prefer more "evergreen" topics. By "evergreen", I mean topics that survive time, that are not "trendy" or time-sensitive; things like parenting issues, gardening, hobbies, etc. I want the things I put online to be relevant for a long time....and I want the markets I am working in to be less competitive than those in the MMO market (plus, less worry of people just buying thru their own affilaite link). I would want the two products I choose to have good gravity, but not HUGE gravity. I want to know it (the sales page) converts, but I don't want to have to fight hundreds of other marketers for traffic. Products in the 'make money online' arena tend to have high gravities simply because so many folks buy thru their own affiliate link therefor boosting the gravity of that product. For products OUTSIDE the MMO market, a gravity of 30 or so is great. I tend to look for ones that have a gravity of about 10-15 - but I have been pleasantly surprised with products that have gravity of 2 or 3, too. Just a note too - while it is possible to market anything, I do tend to lean towards products that at least interest me. It may not be a product that *I* would buy, but it is not up to me to the determine value of a product for someone who DOES want it. I simply want the product topic to be interesting enough to me so that I stay motivated to work it. Cost: $0.00
2. After picking two products, I would take the sales page urls (the web address of the sales page) and plug it into the Google Keyword Tool. Google would go 'analyze' that sales page for me and return all the keywords that it (Google) thinks the page is relevant to. I would then add all those keywords that ARE relevant to a txt file (notepad file) and save it. If the place that was allowing me to use the internet would also allow me printer use, I would print that list out and keep it with me at all times. Cost: $0.00
3. I would then go make one Squidoo lens for each of the products. The main reason for this is so we have a landing page to send our article traffic to. Most article directories will not allow direct affiliate links in the author bio area so we need to direct article traffic to another page that DOES allow affiliate links. The main goal of this lens (Squidoo page) is to provide more relevant information for the product I am marketing and to have strong calls to action to help the reader click thru to the product sales page via my affiliate link. As an affiliate marketer, you job is not to sell. Your main goal is to get the user to click thru to the sales page....then it becomes the VENDORS job to do the selling. That's what sales pages are for As for content on each lens.... I would take my clues from the vendors sales page. Most sales pages are designed to hit the 'hot spots' for that market. There are usually bullet points on those sales pages and we need to pay attention to them. I would make a text module (area on my Squidoo lens) for about 4 or 5 of those bullet points and expand on those areas of interest ( or I would create 4-5 lenses - one each for each bullet point). The content in each text module would be brief and easy to read. Here is a reality about online readers... we don't READ, we SCAN. When we open a web page that has huge blocks of text, we instantly become disinterested. I would want my content broken down into easy to scan chunks of text, with each "chunk" followed by a call to action link that helps the reader find more info on that specific topic (ie, my aff link to the product). The main point of my content would be to join the conversation the reader is already having in their head. If you don't know the market or don't know want the consumers in this market want to know or are thinking, get yourself into a forum on that topic and read. Forums are priceless =)
Cost: $0.00
4. After my lenses are completed and published, I would start writing articles for article directories. Remember that list of keywords? I would write an article on every keyword in that list. Yes, every single one. If it is a crazy big keyword, then I would put that big keyword into the Google keyword tool and have Google give me all the long-tail versions of that keyword - and then write on all those keyword phrases. My articles would: a) have that specific keyword phrase in the title. I would also spend extra time making sure my article titles are interesting and "clickable". Your article could be the BEST article in the world, but if the title sucks, no one will click thru to read it. b) have the keyword phrase in the first paragraph (preferrably early, like in the first sentence) and then once more in the article content. c) be short... like 250-300 words TOPS. Remember, people don't read, they scan. We don't want them bored before they get to the author bio box (which is the goal of any article you write for a directory) d) would have a longer author bio area. Ezine Articles allows for max 300 words in the bio area. This is where you can be more 'promotional' in your content. I would have a link to my lens early in that bio area....and last thing in that bio area. (hint: If you can't think of anything "good" to put in the bio area, try using the sales page headline. Those headlines are designed to attract attention...why not try it too?) I'd submit all the articles I could to Ezine Articles first (and then wait for them to approve and publish...and hopefully upgrade my author status so I can submit more later). After exhausting Ezine Articles, I'd get over to GoArticles.com and submit articles there. GoArticles publishes instantly. All in all, I'd write til my fingers bled. When the library (or whatever place I am being allowed to use the internet) closes, I'd go in their trashcan and get discarded paper and write articles on the back until I could get to the computer again.
Cost: $0.00
5. After my articles are live, I would then 're-purpose' those articles on a Free Blogger blog. You COULD re-write them to make them unique, but here is what I like to do. Reprint the article exactly as it is found in the article directory and include a link BACK to that article. BUT - here is the kicker - make sure your blog post has a) a unique title b) a unique intro paragraph c) a call to action link AFTER your article directory article For example for one of these type posts: Unique title Unique intro paragraph talking about the article they are about to read Complete reprint of your article directory article (yes, title and all). At the end, a call to action link via your affiliate link
Doing these things (unique blog post title and unique intro paragraph) helps to get your blog posts to show up in Google too. Keeping the link to your original article can help your article directory articles alive longer. I would also take the RSS feed from my new Blogger blog and add it to the respective Squidoo lens so that my posts show on my lens.
Cost: $0.00
6. After some time goes by and I am making a little money, I would buy a domain name (probably a .info since they are uber cheap - like $2 for a year) and forward that domain name to the sales page via my affiliate link. Doing this allows me to get my affiliate link in the bio area of my articles in a way that is completley inline with the TOS of the article directory. It also means I am sending article traffic directly to the sales page now. Then, I'd write and submit more articles linking with my forwarded domain name in the bio box. I'd probably link to both the forwarded domain and my Squidoo lens. I'd use those articles on my blog too. At this point I have four sites where people can click my affiliate link - Squidoo.com, EzineArticles.com, GoArticles.com, and my blogspot blog. That means for any one keyword phrase search on Google, there are at least 4 ways my stuff can come up. What's cool is when out of 10 first page Google results, you have FOUR of them! And remember, each article and each blog post is a unique web page, you could have TWO pages form one of those sites turn up in a Google search. I would be creating a "web" or a "net" to capture this market's traffic.
Cost: $2.00/year per domain name
7. After some more time passes and I am making more money, I would get a shared hosting package from HostGator for $9.95 a month and buy a domain name for each of my products/niches. I would then build out a new niche site and write posts using each of my keywords as post titles (these posts would be unique). At that point, EVERYTHING would link TO my new site, but my new site would NOT link back to any of my other free web pages (to give power of one way linking).
Cost: $9.95/month (for as many websites as I want to make)
8. After some more time goes by and I am making some more money, I would invest $19.95 a month into an auto-responder account with Aweber. I would put an opt in form on my niche blog and start building a list in that market.
I would have a follow up series of emails that would all be designed to offer value to the subscriber and to help them get back to the sales page via my affiliate link.
Cost: $19.95/month (for as many lists as I want to build)
9. After those above 8 steps are completed and it all is getting consistent traffic, I would start all over at #1 with a new product from cb-analytics.com.
10. At some point during my "rinse and repeat" of the above 9 steps, one market might stick out to me as being "better" than the rest. At this point I would consider creating my own product to offer to this market. Remember, I would already have a list to offer it to =)
So, let's say you do steps #1 thru #9 for 2 products per month (and 2 niche sites per month)
Your cost per month to run this business? $4 for 2 .info domain names for product forwarding $20 for 2 .com domain names to build niche sites on $9.95 for monthly hosting fee $19.95 for monthly auto-responder fee
Total monthly expenses for this affiliate marketing plan steps 1 thru 9? $53.90 a month. Odds are really good that just two Clickbank affiliate sales per MONTH will cover all your business expenses, too =) Total cost to START this affiliate marketing plan? ZERO Steps 1 -5 are all FREE. You only start incurring expenses once you are generating revenue.
Someone, PLEASE tell me another business that has THIS much potential that you can run for only $53.90 a MONTH =)
Ok - Whew! That was long, but that IS exactly what I would do if I had nothing but access to an internet connection to my name. While I have never been THAT bad off, I can say the above 10 steps were super easy for me to write since it is exactly what I have already done to grow MY business online with zero start up costs. I know it works... you just have to DO IT. If you're hungry enough, you will do just about anything to eat. Suddenly, writing short articles all day sounds super great. Don't over-think it, don't imagine all the reasons why this WON'T work...just do it. 9.5 times out of 10, the only thing in your way is YOU. Ok, let's move on to the next question....
wealthy affiliate success tag! (3) Are you a recession buster? Do you think there is money "left" to be made during a recession as an Internet marketer?
I am TOTALLY a "recession buster"! All around me I see people who have taunted me not too long ago for not getting a "real job" so I'd have that same "security" that they do....only to see my "not REAL job" being more secure than what they've relied on all these years. Trust me, I do NOT say this to brag. It breaks my heart to see those I care about struggling and having to start over when their "security" is pulled right out from under their feet. For me, it all comes down to this - Who do you WANT to be in charge of your security? If you work for someone else, they decide how much you are worth...and they decide how long they will pay that to you. When you work for yourself, YOU decide those things. Do I think there is money left to be made during a recession as an internet marketer? Ohhhhhhhhhhh YES I DO! In fact, I think there are millions and millions out there just waiting to be made! Now I am far from a financial genius ....lol. In fact, I rarely watch the news because I am tired of the "misery loves company/doom and gloom/hopeless" outlook they portray. However, like most things, I do have an opinion on this that is based on FACT from my own business dealings. People seem to think that during a recession that the money just disappears or something. The news media likes to push this mentality too, that all the money and jobs are GONE. The money is not gone... it just MOVED. Go where the money is... and the money is online. Online affiliate marketing is the most cost-effective advertising and promotion a product owner can possibly use. In this economy, this fact is even MORE relevant as advertising spend is on the decline. Think about it, wouldn't you like it if you had the opportunity for thousands and thousands of sales people from all over the WORLD to market your stuff for free... AND, you only had to pay them if they made YOU a sale?!?!
(4) If so, what industries do you think will be positively impacted and negatively impacted? What many people don't know about me is that I also have a SEO business where I help small business owners expand and profit from their online presence. When talking to prospective clients, I have two questions that helps me to pre-qualify them. 1. How is your online presence? 2. Who is your competition online? I can't begin to tell you how many times I hear these answers: "We don't put much priority into our online marketing and exposure. We also have no idea who our online competition is"
Ouch.
Houston, we have a problem (grin)
In my opinion, the industries that DO put priority on their online presence and keep close tabs on their competitors will survive this economy...and probably even THRIVE in it. Those who don't - will not. These days, I think the stats show that 85% of consumers will start their search for a business, service, or product online. I know I sure do =) If consumers can not get a 3-dimensional feel for your product, service, or business via the info found in Google, you are going to have a very, very hard time staying afloat.
(5) How do you plan on growing your business in this environment? Oh honey, I'm going where the money is! The beauty of online marketing is that ANY market can be "my market". I have spent the last 2 years doing those steps I outlined in question #1 to get my foot in the door of MANY markets on the internet. When I started out online, I was completely clueless as to how to get things to convert online - or even what markets I should dip my toe in. If I had "followed my passion" and spent this past two years working on one thing that I love.... I would be back working at a "real job" now. My real passion is what I consider in the DEEP end of the internet marketing pool...and I woulda drowned...lol. I simply did not have the skill set to even begin to understand how that online market works...or how to work IT. Instead, I chose to get a LOT of projects out there in the "kiddie pool" of internet marketing. I created lots and lots of small streams of revenue that now will enable me to work on things I am passionate about if I choose to. Also, this time spent testing all these little markets has opened my eyes as to which markets I can put my OWN products into and do well. Creating my own non-MMO niche products is the path I am on to grow my current business.
(6) Research is one of the biggest undertakings for most. Obviously we now have NicheQ at Wealthy Affiliate, but what is your favorite tool for doing research?
Forums. To me, there is no better insight into a market than what you can find in a related forum. No matter what keyword research shows, what market research shows, the pulse of a market is inside a forum. Forums are full of PEOPLE asking real questions and sharing real information. People are behind any transaction online...and that's where my focus is. I have no doubt that you could go into just about ANY online forum, pick the top 10-20 questions that are asked most often, answer them all on one document, and then sell it to that market. PEOPLE are telling you what they want to know... give it to them.
(7) What is the exact strategy you use when researching a brand new industry? I think #6 pretty much answered a good chunk of my research. However, I also do a lot of keyword research and competitor analysis. Since I am in the "free marketing" world primarily, I am not afraid to do some light research (forums, keywords, and competition) and then jump in. I also tend to be a bit 'impulsive'. I can't count how many times I've seen something on TV or read in a magazine that I thought, "Cool idea" - and then went and made a quick Squidoo lens on it. Some bomb...and some do surprising well. I can't say this is the best way...just the way *I* have been doing it. However, now that I plan to go further into niche product development, I am learning how to go deeper into market study (yes, learn to be a little less impulsive...lol). As an independant online marketer, my most valuable commodity is my time. Now that I know what works and doesn't work, I am going to be spending more effort to pick markets that will be more receptive to my marketing skills. I am thrilled that Kyle and Carson are such smarties at DEEP market research. This is one of many things here at WA I am proud to have at my fingertips.
(8) Many people want instant success. What would you say to those people?
Since I spend a BIG chunk of my time helping others find balance in this internet marketing world, I have to tell you that this "instant" mentality is quite frustrating for me. Success is not a single event... it is an on-going process. "Money. NOW!" seems to be the majority attitude I come across. And the biggest question seems to be, "How LONG until I make money?" This may sound harsh, but if you need money by next Friday, then PLEASE go get a job from someone who says you will be paid on Fridays. If you are working online and you need money ASAP, get into the WA job board and do some work for another WA member - and get that money in ASAP. Early in my online business, I spent about 6 months being an intern for another online marketer. Not only did I learn a TON, I also brought in much needed money NOW (and worked on my own stuff the other hours of the day). If you are near losing your home, or having a hard time being able to afford to put food on the table.... please, PLEASE, don't turn to internet marketing as the "miracle instant cure". It's not a short-term miracle. This is a business you BUILD. Just like building a house, you can't start with the roofing. First you build a foundation, then you frame the walls, and so on. When you start an internet marketing business, YOU are your boss. YOU decide how much you make and WHEN you make it. NO ONE can tell you, or guarantee FOR you, what YOUR business will do. Internet Marketing IS a LONG-TERM miracle (at least for me it has been). Every web page you get online gives you the future chance of really great things changing for you financially.
Look, I've been doing this for over 2 years. I make a point to find success in EVERY day I work. In the beginning, my daily successes were things like getting my first organic traffic to a new site or lens....my first email subscriber.....figuring out how to install WordPress....learning ftp... finally figuring out how to make a web page back ground different. Heck, the first time I learned how to create an anchor text link WITHOUT looking at my cheat sheet, I was THRILLED! Yes, some of my "success" days had a $ sign attached to them. First sale, first $50 day, first $100 day, first $1,000 day, first $10,000 week, etc etc etc .. but those are more like "land mark" days for me. They are check points in my online marketing journey. In my humble opinion, if the only way you know to measure your own success is thru a dollar sign amount, you will have a really hard time. The best athletes in the world know their goals, but they focus on execution. I am a BIG golf fan. In golf, Tiger Woods is the best player in the world. Yes, he wants to win every single tournament he plays in, but that is NOT what he is thinking over every shot DURING that tournament. He focuses on making the best swing and the best shot he can at that moment and then goes to the next individual shot with that same mentality. Success is found in the process. Find success EVERY day. Take a good swing and know you did well. This is not about anyone but YOU. No one needs to validate your daily success - YOU know you did well. Also, you may find people in your life that define YOU and your "success" by the dollar signs attached to it. Be careful how many people like that you allow to effect you.
(9) What is the #1 thing you have learned over the past year about making money online? Wow, just ONE thing? Ok, I think I can narrow it all down to this... There is no ONE "right" way to do internet marketing. I get to talk to lots of great folks through-out my online travels. There seems to be this common feeling of "I want to know everything before I DO anything" or "I want to be sure I am doing this right" or "I want it to be perfect before I submit the article, publish the lens, build the blog, etc etc etc" Internet marketing is not science.... it is mostly theory. Every market is different... there is no "one size fits all". You will learn the MOST by DOING. NOT by reading. NOT by thinking. NOT by asking others opinions. By DOING.
There is ONE thing I can absolutely guarantee you about your affiliate marketing earnings. If you do not have any affiliate marketing campaigns on the internet, you will NOT make money in affiliate marketing... period. However, on the other hand, even ugly web pages make money.... even "wrong" web pages make money. Stop hesitating. If you're afraid of screwing up or of failure, get over it... Now. The only real failure is not DOING anything.
(10) What is the #1 marketing strategy you are going to work on to increase your overall business profit potential in the coming year and why?
Actually, two things for me - 1. PPC Spending all this time as a "free marketer", PPC kinda annoys me. As first, it just plain scared me because I was not accustomed to PAYING for traffic. Now, it annoys me because I know the potential, but I am not quite "there"....yet. I have already started working harder on developing profitable PPC campaigns to the online projects I have that I KNOW convert to amp up my earnings from those campaigns. This will be an on-going process for me in 2009. 2. Niche Product Development This excites me to finally be at the place to begin this. I will be focusing much of my time and energy into getting these products set up in the online marketplace. I know that high-quality and well-converting products attract affiliates. Affiliates are a free sales force that only cost money when they MAKE money. Affiliate marketing is awesome! But, being that you are a Wealthy Affiliate member, you probably are well aware of that already =)
"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go" -T.S. Eliot
So, how far can YOU go?
This was fun! Thanks to Kyle and Carson for sharing these questions with me. Sure got my little pea-brain on over-drive! And thanks to each of you for taking the time to read this =)
All the best to each of you... and... KEEP MOVING FORWARD!
Jennifer
~PotPieGirl
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