Amazon Program FAQ - updated

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   Jason Menayanposted 12 years ago

   Thank you for your patience, everyone.
   
   Marina has updated the FAQ entry on the Amazon Program. Please note that some of the existing sub-entries were updated, and some additional sub-entries were added.
   
   http://hubpages.com/faq/#amazon-signup
   
   If you have any unresolved questions, please feel free to add them in this thread.

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      chicagoguyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Amason associates program-they don't allow in Illinois !! is that correct

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         GiftedGrandmaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         It isn't allowed in NC either, Amazon closed mine. Unless that has changed in the past year.

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            cclitgirlposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I just emailed them and they said that NC has some illegal tax legsilation and unti it is rescinded, amazon won't go to NC. :'(

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         mediawizardposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I don't know, amazon is probably correct.  But I do know that it's not allowed in N. Carolina.

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            nyfamily5posted 12 years agoin reply to this

            NC passed what they call is the Nexxus Law that requires online sales to be charged sales tax for the purchase.  There are a few other states that have passed similiar laws as well.  I live in NC and have been dropped by Amazon and quite a few others.

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               cclitgirlposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Any idea if there's a way around this?  For now, I definitely put more "Ebay" capsules in my hubs than "Amazon" capsules.  Grr

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                  nyfamily5posted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  No way around it legally unless you incorporate in another state such as Delaware.  I also use Squidoo, who have an Amazon program through them such as the one HP is setting up.

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      HikeGuyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for the update. I'd like to see an explanation for why the HP Amazon program is mandatory. Squidoo offers the option of using their Amazon program or my own Amazon account, so it's obviously possible to set it up that way.
      
      As I understand the new system, I'd lose access to fully detailed sales data, be under a system that can use any formula to determine my earnings -- a system that is no longer transparent -- and, the terms state that HP can change the terms at any time and I have no recourse. Why would I go there? I'm so curious as to the thinking behind this.
      
      People who are so confidently looking forward to 8.5 percent payouts under HP's mandatory Amazon program might want to read the new TOS and HP Amazon program details with great care.
      
      I used to think so well of HP. Why this new direction of obscuring the financial aspects?

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      Browneesorchidsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I'm not even sure what to do with the GoogleAds, eventhough I would like to learn how to set-up my accnt to make money. There is not clear instructions, explanations, examples, or confirmation of acquiring this incentive. I clicked on the icon to set-up for it but no luck inknowing if I did it correct and if it's active. I did however try and for some reason it says pending verification or something close to that.

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         capricornrisingposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I believe this is also my situation. I can't tell whether my application is still being considered - it's been a couple of weeks, and my last alert, which I got when I first applied, indicated that it would be "2-3 days," which was quite a while ago.

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      Sinea Piesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I am excited about the possibilities of higher payouts and more quickly. Where can I sign up now? I am on both programs.

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      capricornrisingposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I'm one of those who is ineligible for the Amazon program because I live in North Carolina 
      Is there any way around this?

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         SimeyCposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         You can join the HP Amazon program as you're not an affiliate of Amazon through this program - but are within the HP program...

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            capricornrisingposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Trust me, SimeyC, I tried joining through HP. I'm blocked because "residents of North Carolina are not eligible, ya da, ya da, etc."

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               wildernessposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               You misunderstand.  Once the HP earnings program includes amazon, which it does not yet, then you can earn through amazon. 
               
               Once that program goes completely into effect, none of us will be an affiliate of amazon except through other, external, sites. 
               
               Of course, current affiliates will keep their standing with Amazon, unless they eventually kill our affiliation through lack of activity.  All the activity will be through HP, not our individual affiliations.

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                  capricornrisingposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Oh I see - there's a change coming. If indeed I can participate, this would be very good news. Thanks all!

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               cclitgirlposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Capricorn - I live in NC, too.  It's maddening that we can't do the Amazon affiliate program.  I wonder if there's some petition we could sign or something.  :\

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                  cclitgirlposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  oh wait, I just saw what 'wilderness' said.  Thanks, wilderness!  That's good news.

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   SimeyCposted 12 years ago

   Just want to point out the line "Mandatory transition is not required at this time." - superb - while I am switching this is going to really benefit some people - thanks for listening to the community.
   
   I think you've basically covered most of the concerns I've seen - excellent FAQ!

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   K9keystrokesposted 12 years ago

   I look forward to the switch personally. Great FAQ section on the topic. I don't recall seeing a start date, how soon will it be before we can actually make the change to the combo-program Jason?
   Cheers~
   K9

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      Jason Menayanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      We're still working with Amazon on that. Believe me, we want to get interested participants access as soon as possible! All I can say now is "soon"

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         K9keystrokesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Good enough my friend, thanks!

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         Pcunixposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         And all we can say is "Not soon enough!"
         
         In a nice,patient, understanding way, of course.

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         lobobrandonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I'm surely going to join and am interested. But, I've got 0 Amazon sales
         Will be writing lots more in Jan so hopefully then will get some

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         Sinea Piesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Soon is good. Will their be something in the "earnings" section to tell us that we can start?

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            Pcunixposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Soon would be good..
            
            Sheesh - premature announciation sure has caused plenty of storm and drang..

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            Jason Menayanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            We will announce it via the blog, the newsletter, the forum, and likely an announcement in your My Account page.
            
            Sorry for the delay - when you're working with another partner, things can work quite a bit slower than if you're doing them all by yourself.

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   Peggy Wposted 12 years ago

   This sounds like another good reason to be writing on HubPages!  Thanks guys! 

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      Sinea Piesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I agree!

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      K9keystrokesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      +1

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   Rising Carenposted 12 years ago

   This sounds great. Sure, it'll be sad to not be able to use my HP-driven sales toward my personal amazon's referral count (thus making it harder to move up commission rates), however getting the 8% commission rate will well compensate for it.
   
   It gives me an incentive to make more amazon hubs - quality ones, of course.
   
   Now if only there was a way for me to close down my 2 other accounts and have their hubs transferred to this one so I wouldn't have to worry about reaching 3 payouts (hey, I wanted to separate by research style, but that was before HP had its own revenue program. Now I'd rather have one big account...)

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   Rosie2010posted 12 years ago

   I'm really looking forward to the Amazon Program.  I was so close to hitting 7.5% referral fee in November, but this month, back to 4%... Waaah! not fair!
   
   Thanks for the good news, Jason.

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   Will Apseposted 12 years ago

   I'm more interested in how things work out in practice but this is a clearer FAQ and there were no real surprises.
   
   Perhaps you should have mentioned that it is possible to enter the Hubpages earning program and the amazon program without having an adsense account. It was a source of confusion before.

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      Jason Menayanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, that's true. The Earnings Program and the Amazon Program do not require an active AdSense account; the Ad Program and eBay Program do.

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   Randy Godwinposted 12 years ago

   How long does the cookie last on the HP Amazon program?  Or is everything the same as the Amazon Affiliate rules and conditions we have now?

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      Jason Menayanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The same, no changes.

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         Glenn Stokposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         That's good news. HP has done a great job negotiating with Amazon to provide the best possible solution. I know it's not easy as there are so many different situations people have that needed to be considered. You're efforts are appreciated.

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         Randy Godwinposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks Jason, that's good to know!

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   mel22posted 12 years ago

   Good question !

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    ThoughtsWriterposted 12 years ago

    It looks promising but what benefit is there for hubbers whom paypal is nt accepted in there countries.

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    RedElfposted 12 years ago

    Yay - no forced migration at a specific will allow for making payout before we join!

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    Pcunixposted 12 years ago

    What, it's not ready yet?
    
    Don't make me fly out there!  Neither of us wants that scene or the inevitable lawsuits.

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    Pou Povposted 12 years ago

    I am now a new in this Hubpages and hope every one tells me how to do with amazon. Thank you!

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    stephhicks68posted 12 years ago

    I'm having problems figuring out how/where to make a switch. I have both HubPages Ads and an active Amazon affiliate code.  When I go to settings, I get a page that asks me if I have an active affiliate tracking ID and asks me to enter it.
    
    What switch do I make, and where?
    
    thanks

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       wordscribe43posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I don't think it's live and ready to go yet, someone correct me if I'm wrong...

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          theherbivorehippiposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          You're right. It is not yet available.

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       Sinea Piesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I don't even get anything asking for me to enter an ID yet.

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          Pcunixposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          As we keep saying, it's not ready yet.
          
          The rest of us are anxious too :-)

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       Kangaroo_Jaseposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       G'Day Steph,
       
       HubPages is going to advise when we do the 'roll-over' and cease using our own Amazon affiliates and start using the HP provided ones on the site.

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    frogdroppingposted 12 years ago

    Still no possibility of allowing us to tie our separate HP accounts together. Why would that be - when Amazon already offers that to its affiliates?

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    nanospeckposted 12 years ago

    Does HP use the 40-60 commision sharing rule in this amazon capsules also? Will our total revenue be split between us and hp?

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       wildernessposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Yes and no.  You will share impressions 60/40 with HP.  All income from your 60% of the impressions is yours - you don't split the actual commission.

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    rocheljposted 12 years ago

    It sounds wonderful that we will get a higher commission.
    
    Will they announce when the option is available?

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       Glenn Stokposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Just make sure you are following this forum thread.  Or you could also check your "Account -> Earnings -> Settings" tab every day. You'll know it's available when Amazon appears under the "HubPages Earnings Program Settings."

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    rocheljposted 12 years ago

    Thanks!
    
    I would recommend that they should announce when the option is available, so that all hubbers will know.

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       Glenn Stokposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       rochelj, That is what the "Official HubPages Announcements" forum is for.  It's up to you to keep an eye on that.
       
       If you specified in your email settings to allow HP to contact you, then you should also get the newsletter.

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          rocheljposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Glenn Stok, thanks for replying.
          yes, I am recommending that when the option is available,
          they should announce it in the "Official HubPages Announcements" forum
          so that all will know.
          It's a good idea to put it in the newsletter as well.
          Just a friendly reminder.

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    AEvansposted 12 years ago

    Read, reviewed, understood. Thanks for the information.

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    prairieprincessposted 12 years ago

    Jason, I do have a question. Has there been any talk of getting other Amazon's in on this deal, as well? By that, I mean Amazon.ca and the U.K. Amazon. I know other sites have this capability, so that the buyer is directed to the domain in the country where they live. This would increase Amazon sales considerably for both HP and the writers.

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       prairieprincessposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I just wanted to ask again about the ability to use Amazon from other countries. Has this been considered, at all?

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          Jason Menayanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          We are still working out details with Amazon; unfortunately, we don't have anything else to share yet.

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             prairieprincessposted 12 years agoin reply to this

             Thank you for the reply!

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    alphagirlposted 12 years ago

    I use the amazon capsules. But I do not get how we can use the amazon associates program. I don't have a web business. It the amazon associates program more for that type of hubber.?

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    rocheljposted 12 years ago

    What's happening with the Amazon transition? Anything new?

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       Sinea Piesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Mine appears to be the same. I'd love an update, as well, if anyone knows something more.

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    HikeGuyposted 12 years ago

    Jason -- I still have the same questions I posted four weeks ago.
    
    I've stopped publishing on HP, and am checking back to see if making the HP Amazon program mandatory is being reconsidered. Because of the new  HP TOS and the loss of financial transparency, I don't expect HP to be part of my plans for 2012.
    
    It was an adventure.
    
    
    Happy New Year, all.

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    Tricia1000posted 12 years ago

    I already have an Amazon Affiliated Program and want to switch to the Amazon Programm under HubPages.  In my earnings settings there is no option to set up the new configuration.  I am not sure if one can already set up the new configuration.  I read the announcements and all the posts carefully, but cannot figure out how to switch.

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    Anna Marie Bowmanposted 12 years ago

    I am surprised that we haven't at least gotten some sort of update about the Amazon issue.  I am curious as to when it will take effect.  December has come and gone, and still no news.  It would have been nice to have that before the end of the Christmas shopping season...

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       Glenn Stokposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Jason did leave an update in this forum.

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          Anna Marie Bowmanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Yes, but that was weeks ago.

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             Pcunixposted 12 years agoin reply to this

             Yeah, but try to imagine it from his desk.   Amazon may not be getting back to him or if they are, he may be still trying to negotiate issues that might take some of the sting out of this for those who can be negatively affected.
             
             It would be silly for him to say anything either way.  If they are actively negotiating, he might even tick Amazon off if he said "We're trying to get..".  If he's waiting for Amazon to drop a shoe, what good does it do to tell us that he is frustrated himself?
             
             We'll know what we will know when we know it.

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             Glenn Stokposted 12 years agoin reply to this

             I realize that, but just like Jason said... "when you're working with another partner, things can work quite a bit slower than if you're doing them all by yourself."
             
             I can imagine the nightmare HP must be having trying to negotiate all the fine details with Amazon, trying to appease all Hubbers with the issues brought up in this Forum.
             
             From my point of view, I see why this is so slow in getting done. Hubbers who don't use Amazon outside of HP and are not in the top tier, will be happy to have it under HP and share the larger 8.5% commission. But there is a real issue for those who use Amazon on other websites and are in the 8.5% tier for all their combined traffic. When those people lose the additional traffic from HP, because it will be separate, their other commission may drop well below 8.5%. I see that this is a problem and I would not be surprised if HP might be trying to work out a solution with Amazon to account for this.
             
             I may be stepping beyond my limits by having said this, but please note that this is only my own guess. I have no actual knowledge of what really is going on.

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                Anna Marie Bowmanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                I understand your point, but at the very least a little post saying something like, "We are still working out the details, and we have not forgotten about you.  Please be patient, and we will keep you updated."  That wouldn't be too hard.  A couple weeks is a long time to be kept in the dark without even a word.

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                   Jason Menayanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                   Believe me, we haven't forgotten, but we haven't wanted to litter the forums with "no news yet." Please understand that we continue to work on this from our end, and we will notify the community once things are ready to move forward.

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                      Anna Marie Bowmanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                      I can understand that.  Thank you for the update!!!  I guess I am just a little impatient.  Sorry!!!  :-(

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    BWD316posted 12 years ago

    i have also been looking for the new Amazon program, i know it might not be good for some people but living in a State (CT) where Amazon has pulled out due to taxes on online sales i believe Amazon as a part of Hubpages earnings program would be great, at least i would get the chance to earn under Amazon like i do with eBay now! It's suppose to come out this month right?

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    Will Apseposted 12 years ago

    Many a slip between the cup and the lip.
    
    I would be happy enough if things stayed as they are.

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    Sinea Piesposted 12 years ago

    How soon now? What will we see to know that the transition to the new format has taken place?

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    LoriSoardposted 12 years ago

    Interesting. Sounds like there are quite a few states that do this.

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    Rik Ravadoposted 12 years ago

    Thanks Jason - Appreciate that setting up a program like this is far from 'a piece of cake'!

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       Pcunixposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Is that eating a piece of cake or making a cake to get a piece from?
       
       I know that the latter is tricky, but I can do the former easily.
       
       Seriously, I'm looking forward to these changes but have all the patience in the world - for Amazon or that cake.

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    Wesman Todd Shawposted 12 years ago

    Despite the difficulty in getting amazon sales for some, I think the amazon program here is under rated.
    
    At one point I'd become so frustrated that I removed all of my amazon capsules - stupid move on my part.
    
    Since the time that I became convinced that amazon was well worth my efforts - my personal amazon revenues have done nothing but increase.
    
    Today, my Mom placed yet more orders for stuffs due to me giving her amazon gift cards.
    
    Amazon is well worth your time, and even if you are NOT a sales type of writer.

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    habeeposted 12 years ago

    Thanks for the update, Jason.

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