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3 pravila za začetek; Kvaliteta, komunikativnost in stil!

Prvi zapis seveda mora biti namenjen najbolj osnovnim Instagram ‘pravilom’. Zdi se, da so ta vsem poznana, a po nekaj letih upravljanja in spremljanja različnih profilov lahko mirno zatrdim, da temu ni tako. Slabe fotografije, preveč ali premalo njih in nič ali pa napačna komunikacija, to so spodrsljaji, ki si jih najpogosteje privoščijo tako posamezniki kot podjetja. Zapis je tako namenjen – obojim.

Pojdimo po vrsti;

Kvaliteta pred kvantiteto!

Super je, če veliko fotografiraš, malo manj super je, če prav vse fotografije objaviš na Instagramu. Po možnosti takoj. Pravilo naj bo; Manj kot 10% fotografij, ki se znajdejo na tvojem telefonu ali fotoaparatu, naj konča na Instagramu. Fotografije skrbno preglej, preveri motiv, ostrino, kompozicijo, simetrijo, premisli, kako se bo fotografija obnesla v tvojem profilu (glede na prejšnje objave) in šele nato – objavi.

#minihint1; Lepo te prosim, če ne gre ravno za kak hudo artistični pristop, fotografijo poravnaj!

Objavljaj vsaj enkrat dnevno, da sledilci ostanejo aktivni, objavljaj največ dvakrat dnevno, obvezno s premorom vmes. Največ všečkov fotografija prejme v prvih dveh urah, zato ji pusti, da ‘zadiha’ in šele nato objavi novo. Večina večjih profilov na Instagramu si za premor med objavo dveh fotografij pusti vsaj 6 ur.

Instagram je družabno omrežje, namenjeno izmenjavi fotografij. Dobrih fotografij. Naj ne postane odlagališče tvojih vsakodnevnih banalnih opravil (slabe fotografije hrane in pravkar nalakiranih nohtov ne zanimajo – skoraj – nikogar) in naj tvoj profil ne bo sam sebi namen.

Ko brskam med fotkami za objavo na @igslovenia, sem včasih presunjena, kaj vse najdem. Zrnato, neostro, spackano, postrani, odrezano … Če je tebi vseeno, kako fotografija zgleda in kaj sporoča, bo vsem ostalim tudi.

Kvaliteta za družabnostjo!

Lahko si še tako dober fotograf z najboljšo opremo, to na Instagramu enostavno ne bo dovolj. Instagram je v prvi vrsti družabno omrežje in tako se moraš tudi obnašati. Če kdo misli, da je zgolj objava (super) fotografij dovolj, se moti. Vsi uspešni Instagramerji so povedali, da so se za svoj profil nagarali; Vsi, ki so prešli mejo 100.000 sledilcev, pojasnjujejo, da so najprej komentirali in všečkali druge fotografije, da so se pogovarjali in predvsem – vedno zahvalili. Še danes znajo reči hvala, ne glede na to, kdo jih pohvali ali objavi njihovo fotografijo. Zanimivo spoznanje, povezano z urejanjem profila @igslovenia, zagotovo je; Slovenci se redko zahvalijo. Ne gre nujno za zahvalo nam, ekipi @igslovenia (a tudi ta se marsikdaj prileže:), ampak vsem tistim, ki komentirajo in hvalijo objavljene fotografije.

Tudi vprašanja pogosto ostajajo neodgovorjena. Kot da jih ni. Instagram ni enosmerna komunikacija, kjer nekaj objaviš in to je to. Če ga dojemaš na ta način, lahko pričakuješ, da bodo sledilci … enosmerno odtavali stran.

#minihint2; Ko kaj komentiraš, sprašuješ ali odgovarjaš (tudi na tvojem lastnem profilu), nikoli ne pozabi uporabiti oznake @ in uporabniškega imena. Samo z aktivnim linkom bo nagovorjeni opazil zapisan komentar.

Uči se od dobrih in imej svoj stil!

Čeprav se zgornje ‘pravilo’ na prvi pogled bere precej shizofreno, dejansko drži. Vsak od nas si izbira Instagramerje, ki jim sledi, z razlogom. Zakaj se od njih ne bi tudi učili? Vprašaj se, zakaj ti je neka fotografija všeč, zakaj nekomu slediš, kaj je tisto, kar nek profil dela res dober. Ne škodi, če kdaj poskušaš ponoviti kako dobro fotografijo, ne z namenom kopiranja, ampak z namenom – učenja. Da ugotoviš, kaj gre in kaj ne.

Kljub temu, da se je vedno dobro učiti, je dobro biti tudi samosvoj. Ko prebiram razlage, kako nekdo postane ‘predlagani Instagram’ uporabnik, vedno naletim na eno podrobnost; Instagramerji, ki jih Instagram izpostavlja, imajo svojstil. To je jasnona prvi pogled. Kar preveri zadnjih nekaj objav na Instagram profilu in poglej Instagramerje, ki so tam objavljeni. Drznem si trditi, da pri vsakem lahko prepoznaš nek stil, ki zaznamuje njegovo galerijo.

Intsagramerji, ki so že bili izpostavljeni, so vsi tudi povedali, da je Instagram najprej želel videti in slišati njihovo zgodbo.Vprašanje zate torej je; Kakšno zgodbo pripovedujejo tvoje fotografije?

 

@sanya_lt

mighele_

Ljubljana, 5. 12. 2015, @sanya_lt

Instagram thought me an important lesson; before I go anywhere, I search through the #hashtags connected to the place I want to visit and I ask local Instagrammers for tips – where to go & what to see. Mighele_ is the person that ‘pops up’ when you are looking for ideas where to go and what to do in Italy, especially in its northern part, around Trieste. I have also found some of his photos of Slovenia and decided that an interview with a neighbour (with an amazing gallery!) is a must!

Can you present yourself? Who are you, where do you come from and what do you do?

My name is Michele and I’m from the north-eastern part of Italy. My instagram name is @Mighele_ but I have also another profile, @mighele_daily and of course – you can find me on Twitter & Tumblr.

 I currently live in Trieste, but I was born and raised in Udine, where I worked as a graphic designer for several years. Now I’m working hard on a new project with my partner Marco called “Dezen Dezen. It’s very exciting to see the project – slowly but surely – becoming a reality! The next big step waiting for us is to move our screen printing manufacture to Trieste.

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How would you describe your photography style? I find your photos very aesthetic, symmetry is importantto you and (especially lately) there almost must be a splash of blue here and there. Am I wrong?

You already told everything. It’s not easy for me to describe my style because I have a very spontaneous approach to photography and most of the time I just shoot what I encounter during my days and on my travels. My photos are often blue because blue is the colour that surrounds me most of the time between the sea of Trieste and the sky of the Friuli’s Alps.

Are you a professional or amateur photographer? What kind of equipment do you use for taking photos?

Absolutely amateur! For the last few years I was only using my iPhone for shooting and for editing my photos. However, recently, Nikon Italy invited me to take part in a photography project and having a Nikon Reflex in my hand gave me a lot of new inspiration.

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How did you end up on Instagram?

Honestly, I don’t remember! When I initially installed Instagram 3 years ago, none of my friends was using it and I hadn’t understood the potential at the beginning. Only after a few months of using it &  with the number of followers growing it became more interesting. And, as you know, I never stopped using it! 🙂

Instagram is my favourite social media mostly because it allows you to tell stories in a very simple way! In Italy the community of Instagrammers  is very large and united. The first one that involved me was Instagramers Italia and thanks to them I discovered how cool Instagram is and met a bunch of cool people from all around Europe and the world.

Can you share some tips for Slovenian Instagramers? How to act on Instagram? What is really important for you?

Instagram is all about storytelling: Show your passions and show the most beautiful places in your country! Those are my favourite contents!

In a nutshell: Less selfies and more interaction! That was my winning combination and it allowed me to get to know so many people and some of them became very close friends of mine. It also allowed me to get in touch with some cool brands with which I developed different kind of collaborations.

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Slovenia? How/when did you decide to visit? Why?

Living so close to Slovenia also means I visit it often, but unfortunately I had only a few occasions to visit it as a tourist. In the last year we participated many times on Ljubljana’s arts and crafts markets with our Dezen Dezen handmades and each time I take more confidence with the city and fall a little bit more in love with it.

What are your favorite places here?

I have seen more Slovenian highways and gas stations than cities, LOL, but as I said I love Ljubljana and Piran! I would love visit the beautiful Lake Bled and I hope I will spend a weekend there really soon. Until then I will admire Slovenia on Instagram!

Do you think that Instagram community could do something to help you while exploring Slovenia?

Of course! Browsing Instagram galleries of my favourite Instagrammers helps me discover a lot of beautiful places that I never visited or even knew they existed but are just a few kilometres away. When I find something new and interesting it immediately becomes my next destination! The community can become a great resource to discover beautiful places. When you use hashtags and geolocation correctly Instagram is a very powerful tool.

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hulyaozkurt

Ljubljana, 25. 11. 2015, @sanya_lt

Usually an amazing gallery and 118.000 followers make a reason good enough to do an interview with an Instagramer. But, when it comes to @hulyaozkurt, we have to say at least two more things; Her photo of Lake Bled is the most liked photo ever on our Instagram account and she is one of the nicest Instagramers that we have ever met. She will always take time to comment on your photo, say thank you when you feature her work and immediately say ‘Yes’ when you ask her if she will do an interview with you. So, here we go …

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Who are you, where do you come from and what do you do? It is stated on your profile page that ‘Istanbul and Venice are in your heart’. Why? 🙂
I’m a lawyer and my greatest passion is photography. I was born in Switzerland and I’ve grown up in Istanbul, the city that will always be in my heart. I’ve moved to Italy 13 years ago and now I live in a small and very peaceful town called Treviso close to Venice. When I stand in front of the Gran Canal in Venice I feel as if I was in Istanbul facing the Bosphorus, looking at the seagulls playing with the waves.
How would you describe your photography (your photography style)?
I take pictures of my travels and life adventures, of what I like and what is harmonious. I love architecture and design. I always try to use natural light and avoid filters.

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Are you a professional or amateur photographer? What kind of equipment do you use for taking photos?
I’ve started as an amateur photographer with my dad’s Nikon camera, but as I’ve improved I bought a new camera for myself and started to take pictures also with my iPhone 5. As technology developed I’ve started to use an iPhone 6 camera and got a new Sony alpha 7s camera. I think that it’s great.

What does photography mean to you?
I think it’s a passion that I will keep for all my life. It’s a way for me to see the world.

How did you end up on Instagram?
My friends that liked my photos suggested me to use it, and I’ve decided to share my pictures on an Instagram account with my name. I’ve been chosen a suggested user by Instagram and the adventure started.

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Can you share some tips for Slovenian Instagramers? How to act on Instagram? What is really important for you?
I think that the most important points are to be patient, to practice a lot, observe every single detail and never give up. To share at least one picture a day is also important, it keeps your profile alive and your followers attached. I think that to answer to your followers is fundamental and always to be aware of the harmony and beauty of your pictures.

Slovenia? How/when did you decide to visit? Why?
I’ve been to Slovenia many times before, but I didn’t have Instagram then. I’m convinced that your country is beautiful with it’s nature, people, culture, cities, history and food. It’s a pleasure for me and my family to spend holidays in Slovenia.

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What are your favourite places here? What would you say to a first time visitor – what is ‘a must see’ place in Slovenia?
My favourite places are Ljubljana, Piran, Radovljica and Bled. Slovenia offers everything for a visitor; sea, mountain, lakes and history.
What did you miss while staying here?
Nothing sincerely, just my dog that was waiting for me at home:)

Where did you got the information that you needed to explore the country?
Before starting to a new trip I always check information on Instagram. For this reason I think that an Instagram community is essential to visit a country and to collaborate with @igslovenia on a future project would be a great pleasure for me.

 

All photos by @hulyaozkurt

 

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aob01

Who? @aob01 🙂 Beleive it or not, photography is my stress relief. Usually I take photos on my way to work or back home and over the weekends, when we go with family out of town. That’s why my Instagram stream has so many jumps from one theme to another and that’s why I hope you’ll like it. For more of my work – check out my blog.

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Why  (Instagram)? It’s simple and it works as a crossplatform for posting on different social networks. Also – it is easy to follow others & their work.

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What (can I show you)? Let’s say my specialty is street photography, some night photography and of course everything else. Parts of Slovenia? Most southern part, called Bela krajina and Ljubljana.

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dreamypixels

Who? My name is Aleš Krivec / @dreamypixels and I am a hobby landscape photographer. The majority of my photos are from Slovenia, a hidden jewel of Europe, showing high Alpine peaks, emerald rivers, vineyard countryside, medieval castles, thriving cities and the small but distinctive coast. I have a website called DreamyPixel along with my friend Ana Medja (she is more focused on urban photography).

Male hiker observing the sunset at the top of the local big mountain. The photograph was taken in Karavanke mountain range in Slovenia.

Why (Instagram)? I like Instagram because it’s a fast and fun way to share your photos and trips with people through a series of images. It’s also a very good way to discover how certain locations look in different seasons. I regularly check certain hashtags to check if the conditions are already like I would like them to be (like if the trees are already orange enough :). And it’s a great way to discover new, interesting views.

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What (are the places that you love & know the most)? I have fairly good knowledge of Julian Alps and it’s peaks & the upper Karavanke region.

Beautiful autumn landscape in Julian Alps. Larches are glowing in the early morning.

Mokrice castle at night with a starry night above. Dark and peaceful atmosphere under milky way.

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saratodo

Who & why (Instagram)? 

I am Sara Todorović and I am a young photographer. Instagram is a great platform for us photographers to show our work to a wider audience. It also helped me take my career to the next level. I love photographing nature, animals and events such as concerts and fashion week.

You can find my personal profile on Instagram under the name @saratodo & me and my friends also take care of the @simm_photography account.

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What (can I show you & give you some info about)? My favorite places in Slovenia are Ljubljana, Tolmin Gorges, Velika Planina, Bled, Soča Valley, Piran, Lipica and Zelenci. These are just some of the places I would highly recommend you to visit when you come to our beautiful country.

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shadro21

Who? @shadro21;) My name is Denys, I’m 18 years old and I was born in Ukraine. I have been living in Slovenia for 9 years now and I really like it here. I’m a high school student at School for design and photography and I make my living as a designer.

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Why Instagram? I felt in love with nature in Slovenia soon after coming here. It is unbeliveble! There are Julian Alps on one side and Adriatic sea on the other. And there is less than 100 kilometres in beetwen!  Instagram is a great place to share my work and it makes me really happy to see that people like it.

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What can you show us? Well, I really do love nature & my home town, Škofja Loka and the entire Gorenjska Region. So – if you are planning a visit near me – let me know!

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igposocje

Who? @igposocje is an account on Instagram presenting the beautiful Soča Valley. We are a group of 7 students from Slovenia and we started this profile to show you just how beautiful our valley is.

@brigitaperdih – medical student who loves to travel. The more world I see the more I realize how truly beautiful my hometown is and I would recommend it to any traveler.

@lucijacernilogar – from Idrsko, master student of special education on Faculty of education. Nature and animal lover, who likes to run, cycle and hike. One of my favourites are all those breathtaking moments spent in our beautiful mother nature.

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@mancacujec – from Poljubinj, studying on Faculty of Education. I have many interests and i can never sit still. I like to take photos of everything, but the most special to me are photos of my family and nature.

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@marjacujec – administration student who loves baking and all food related stuff. Nature admirer, especially in love with my home town and the Soča Valley.

@monikamanfreda – master student of chemistry on University of Ljubljana, bookworm and nature lover, that appreciates and adores her home- the Soča valley even more, since studying in Ljubljana.

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@natalijahauptman – from Kobarid, student of kinesiology. I believe that nature in connection with movement can heal all of your problems. I am also good food lover and like to explore new cultures.

@tejaistenic – master student of education on University of Ljubljana. Sports addict who also likes drawing. I like being in nature and admiring its beauty, especially in my hometown, which is also home of one of the most beautiful rivers – Soča River.

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Why Instagram? We have decided to use Instagram, because we believe it provides a great way to reach people and to pass on photos and information. We use it for our own contentment, to share pictures from our everyday life on our personal profiles. In addition to that, we also have a joint account called @igposocje. The purpose of this account is to make the users of Instagram aware that in the northwest of Slovenia there is a gorgeous part of our beautiful country and the home of one of the most stunning rivers in the world – the Soča River. The Soča Valley or Posočje is often overlooked by many tourists and travelers. Our eyes can only appreciate nature briefly, but luckily there are people who capture images of nature and transform them into everlasting photography.

What can we show you in Slovenia?  We know the Upper Soča Valley very well, including many hidden places, walking paths and sights. Tolmin, Kobarid, Bovec and their surroundings; these are also our favourite parts of Slovenia.

Oh, and we almost forgot! You can also follow us (and ask us anything) on Facebook! 🙂

gasper.ahacic

Who? My name is Gašper and @gasper.ahacic is my personal profile, where I post my everyday adventures. I come from Bled, town surrounded by mountains and this is where my passion for hiking and trail-running comes from. Since I love mountains so much I created a second profile on Instagram, dedicated to mountains; @themountainfreak.

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But this are not the only two sports I love; As a former professional swimmer I still like to make kilometer or two in the pool:) I’m not professional photographer … heck … I don’t even own professional camera, so all my photos are taken by my mobile Sony Xperia Z3 Compact and SJ4000HD action camera. Even though I don’t have any special equipment (compared to others) you can be surprised what you can do simply – using a mobile phone:)

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Why Instagram? Instagram is my favourite application for mobile. It’s not hard fall in love with Instagram, mostly because it has awesome community, where people encourage each other and they motivate you to be better.

What can I show you in Slovenia? Well – as I told you – I come from Bled and I can show you around, but my favourite spot for taking photos are the mountains, where I can enjoy the views, relax from everyday problems and meet some nice people too. So – if you are interested in mountains – let me know!

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morinichiara

Ljubljana, 15. 11. 2015, @sanya_lt

Chiara was one of the first foreign Instagramers that I came across while searching through photos tagged #igslovenia. I was totally surprised by her love for Slovenia, her wish to learn Slovenian and her knowledge about Slovenia. So it only seemed right that I do my first Instagram interview with her. So … here we go:)

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Can you present yourself? Who are you, where do you come from and what do you do?

I am Chiara Morini, 39 years old, and I come from Porto San Giorgio, a city in the central Italy, in the Marche region. I am a local web journalist and I update the social media channels of my municipality with photos and information about the events  in my city. This is my work & I love it!

Are you a professional or amateur photographer? What equipment do you use?

 I am an amateur photographer, but sometimes I have to be a photographer  for my work, so – you can call me ‘half-professional’:) I started working in the field of communication as web journalist and then slowly photography came into the picture, to illustrate my articles.

 After that I started working with social media and I got engaged with the world of photography. I bought a Canon EOS digital 1100D with a standard lens systems (18-55 mm). Then I bought a 55-250 mm  and a 10-18 mm. I also use my Iphone to take photos  and a Samsung Galaxy EK GC-100 camera.

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What does photography mean to you? Can you describe us your photography style?

Well, if you ask me this two questions are connected.  Photography is … quite everything! I love taking  photos. I decided to become a journalists because I love to tell stories, to narrate what I see in the world. If I can tell something to someone with my keyboard, I can also make that with my camera.

No words, but images, like reportage. I try to make this when I take a photo: I narrate the reality, the life, I try to let the people live what I lived, to see what I saw, to make them feel what I felt while observing what I captured on my photo.  If am tired but I have to take photos in the theatre or at the concert for my work, I obviously go. And I come back relaxed! I love taking photos as well as I love writing. Personally I prefer some photography genres like macro photography, food & wine photography, animals, flowers & plants and monuments.

Let’s talk about Instagram … How did you end up on Instagram?

At first I checked it  just out of curiosity. I quickly realised it is good for me, it is what i like and also – I started to think that I can use Instagram for my work. Beside that, Instagram is really great for meeting people from all over the world.

I post on Instagram when there is something beautiful to show. I love to interact with other people, with you in Slovenia (I can keep in touch with your beautiful country and I see places I do not know yet!), but also here in Italy. Let me give the people my personal advice: Use hashtags on Instagram – to find best accounts that you will enjoy following and to show your photos to the Instagram world.

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Do you also use Instagram in other (not only personal) projects? What about other social media?

I try to promote the use of Instagram also in my municipality. I created two profiles for my city; @psgculturaeculture (cultural events) & @portosangiorgiomeet (for tourism). 

I also use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, G+, tumit (that is an Italian social network for events). Occasionally I post on Flickr and Pinterest too. I am going to have my own web site and I’m just starting a new blog project.

It is not a social network but one photo-project I undertake for my city is “Virtour” (80% of the photos and texts are mine), a virtual tour in our city. 

Slovenia? How & when did you decide to visit? Why? What are your favourite places here? What would you say to a first time visitor – what is ‘a must see’ place in Slovenia?

The first time I came to Slovenia was 20 years ago! I had just finished my high school graduation exams (it was the first week of July) and I came to Kranjska Gora for a group tour. I was in a hotel in Gozd Martuljek and I saw many green and beautiful views.

However, the thing that really amazed me was your language: So few vowels, such beautiful sound. That is why I decided to try to learn it; I found a grammar and a dictionary and I started. It is not easy to do it on your own and it is not enough to spend just 10, 15 days a year in Slovenia. But, it was a start. During last year and thanks to Instagram,  – I made some progresses!

 I always come to the mountain region of Gorenjska: it is beautiful and there, I feel like being at home. From there I go to Ljubljana. It is so lovely, so beautiful, so… “Mine”! Your capital is one of my favourite places to take photos and to visit, but Kranjska Gora (and lake Jasna), Mojstrana, (I do not remember if I ever visited Dovje), Triglav, Bled, Brezje, Radovljca, Škofja Loka, Jesenice and the other  places are amazing too!

While staying in Slovenia I feel like home. And I do return every year! I will be back but until then;  Un saluto dall’Italia / Pozdrave iz Italije! / Greetings from Italy!

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