{"id":3842,"date":"2020-05-15T09:10:32","date_gmt":"2020-05-15T09:10:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mingle2.com\/blog\/?p=3842"},"modified":"2021-01-15T08:08:26","modified_gmt":"2021-01-15T08:08:26","slug":"how-i-built-mingle2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mingle2.com\/blog\/how-i-built-mingle2\/","title":{"rendered":"How I Built a Web 2.0 Dating Site in 66.5 Hours"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_11 counter-hierarchy counter-decimal ez-toc-grey\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\"><i class=\"ez-toc-glyphicon ez-toc-icon-toggle\"><\/i><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1\"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/mingle2.com\/blog\/how-i-built-mingle2\/#Identify_an_Opportunity\" title=\"Identify an Opportunity\">Identify an Opportunity<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/mingle2.com\/blog\/how-i-built-mingle2\/#Braindump\" title=\"Brain-dump\">Brain-dump<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/mingle2.com\/blog\/how-i-built-mingle2\/#Generate_ideas_from_your_competition\" title=\"Generate ideas from your competition\">Generate ideas from your competition<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/mingle2.com\/blog\/how-i-built-mingle2\/#Braindump_some_more\" title=\"Brain-dump some more\">Brain-dump some more<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/mingle2.com\/blog\/how-i-built-mingle2\/#Have_a_specific_goal,_don%E2%80%99t_try_to_make_the_website_do_everything\" title=\"Have a specific goal, don\u2019t try to make the website do everything\">Have a specific goal, don\u2019t try to make the website do everything<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/mingle2.com\/blog\/how-i-built-mingle2\/#Keep_It_Simple_Stupid\" title=\"Keep. It. Simple. Stupid\">Keep. It. Simple. Stupid<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/mingle2.com\/blog\/how-i-built-mingle2\/#Minimize_interference\" title=\"Minimize interference\">Minimize interference<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/mingle2.com\/blog\/how-i-built-mingle2\/#Avoid_%E2%80%9Cfeature_creep%E2%80%9D\" title=\"Avoid \u201cfeature creep\u201d\">Avoid \u201cfeature creep\u201d<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/mingle2.com\/blog\/how-i-built-mingle2\/#Web_2_0_names_are_going_to_be_very_tacky_in_a_few_years\" title=\"Web 2.0 names are going to be very tacky in a few years\">Web 2.0 names are going to be very tacky in a few years<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/mingle2.com\/blog\/how-i-built-mingle2\/#If_you_get_stuck_on_something,_put_it_on_the_backburner\" title=\"If you get stuck on something, put it on the backburner\">If you get stuck on something, put it on the backburner<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/mingle2.com\/blog\/how-i-built-mingle2\/#Prioritize_features_so_you_can_give_prominent_real_estate_to_those_that_need_it\" title=\"Prioritize features so you can give prominent real estate to those that need it\">Prioritize features so you can give prominent real estate to those that need it<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/mingle2.com\/blog\/how-i-built-mingle2\/#Put_a_lot_of_work_into_the_functional_mockups\" title=\"Put a lot of work into the functional mockups\">Put a lot of work into the functional mockups<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/mingle2.com\/blog\/how-i-built-mingle2\/#The_Design\" title=\"The Design\">The Design<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/mingle2.com\/blog\/how-i-built-mingle2\/#Utilize_rapiddevelopment_frameworks\" title=\"Utilize rapid-development frameworks\">Utilize rapid-development frameworks<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/mingle2.com\/blog\/how-i-built-mingle2\/#Expect_a_learning_curve_from_whatever_framework_you_choose\" title=\"Expect a learning curve from whatever framework you choose\">Expect a learning curve from whatever framework you choose<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/mingle2.com\/blog\/how-i-built-mingle2\/#It%E2%80%99s_out_of_the_oven\" title=\"It\u2019s out of the oven\">It\u2019s out of the oven<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>Let this be a testament to Web 2.0 and the effectiveness of rapid development frameworks: I built a full-featured dating website, from concept to launch, in 66.5 hours. In a typical 9-5 job, this would amount to about a week and a half. Deliverables included:<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Idea\u00a0<\/strong>&#8211; Cooking up a brand with a name, identity, and purpose<br \/>\n<strong>Planning\u00a0<\/strong>&#8211; Creating functional specifications, visual wireframes, and information architecture<br \/>\n<strong>Design\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>&#8211; Creating mock-ups and defining aesthetics, typography, positioning, and color<br \/>\n<strong>Development\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>&#8211;\u00a0 Writing the actual code<br \/>\n<strong>Testing<\/strong>\u00a0 \u2013 Ironing out the kinks<br \/>\n<strong>Launch\u00a0<\/strong>&#8211; Going live<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3843\" src=\"https:\/\/mingle2.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/couple.jpg\" alt=\"how-i-built-mingle2\" width=\"131\" height=\"105\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I didn\u2019t do this in 66.5\u00a0<em>consecutive\u00a0<\/em>hours, mind you, these are actual hours I spent working on the website. And, I have a day job that keeps me pretty busy so I could only work on this during my evenings and weekends. I started keeping a log after the first couple of days because I realized how quickly everything was coming along and I was curious how much time it would take me to finish. This is a guide providing tips and tactics I employed to develop this website in such a short amount of time.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Identify_an_Opportunity\"><\/span><strong>Identify an Opportunity<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I\u2019m single and after trying the online dating thing I quickly ascertained two things:<br \/>\n\u2013 The paid online dating market is very saturated<br \/>\n\u2013 The free online dating market is also saturated but with sites that are clunky, difficult to use, so littered with ads they\u2019re nearly unusable and bombarded with useless features<br \/>\nI saw an opening and I took it: I knew I could build something better in a very short period of time with almost no overhead.\u00a0 The beauty of this is that if this site isn\u2019t successful there are no layoffs, burned VC funding, and I\u2019m ultimately not contributing to another dot-com crash.\u00a0 All I\u2019ve lost is 66.5 hours and a couple of bags of coffee beans, I\u2019ll just go back to my day job.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Braindump\"><\/span><strong>Brain-dump<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>First I did a brain-dump of all the features I\u2019d like to have on a dating website.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t put them in any particular order or attempt to categorize things, I just wrote them down as they came to me.\u00a0\u00a0 This is a great tactic for just getting it all out there, save making sense of it for later.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Generate_ideas_from_your_competition\"><\/span><strong>Generate ideas from your competition<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I didn\u2019t want to lock the feature list into only my ideas, so I went and signed up for nearly a dozen online dating websites and got a feel for how most of them work.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Braindump_some_more\"><\/span><strong>Brain-dump some more<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>After a couple of hours of surfing competitor\u2019s websites I did another brain-dump of features.\u00a0\u00a0 I combined the list of their features with my own.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Have_a_specific_goal,_don%E2%80%99t_try_to_make_the_website_do_everything\"><\/span><strong><img src=\"http:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20160315154852im_\/http:\/\/mingle2.com\/images\/blog\/whiteboard.jpg\" alt=\"whiteboard fun\" align=\"right\" \/>Have a specific goal, don\u2019t try to make the website do everything<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I took the feature list and narrowed them down to only those that served a single purpose: providing a means for singles to find and communicate with one another.\u00a0 I ditched all the popularity contests, \u201crate my photo\u201d clones, and other features that didn\u2019t directly contribute to this goal.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Keep_It_Simple_Stupid\"><\/span><strong>Keep. It. Simple. Stupid<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>You know those collars for dogs that issue an electrical shock every time they start barking? I wish every CEO and marketing professional in the tech industry could be equipped with a similar device that would shriek \u201cKISS\u201d into their ears every time they began making things unnecessarily complex.\u00a0 Throughout development, I would remind myself of the KISS principle.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Minimize_interference\"><\/span><strong>Minimize interference<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Only utilize other people when you absolutely have to, especially if you plan on keeping overhead low.\u00a0 I saw the project from start to finish before I wrote a single line of code and knew that I could do everything on my own.\u00a0\u00a0 There were no design meetings, Gantt charts, or conference calls \u2013 just myself, my computer, and my ability.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Avoid_%E2%80%9Cfeature_creep%E2%80%9D\"><\/span><strong>Avoid \u201cfeature creep\u201d<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Although this problem is usually more prevalent when working with a client, it can happen while going solo as well.\u00a0 Learn to avoid letting an idea grow and distort to the point where you\u2019re 6 months into a project and all you have to show for it is one of the most massively complex nav bars in the history of the internet.\u00a0 Learn to turn the idea knob down, but not completely off.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Web_2_0_names_are_going_to_be_very_tacky_in_a_few_years\"><\/span><strong>Web 2.0 names are going to be very tacky in a few years<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Prefacing your domain name with \u201ccyber\u201d was very popular in the mid-nineties, but would you do it now?\u00a0 I think Web 2.0 names like \u201cSquaBlar\u201d, \u201cFastr\u201d, or \u201cthisdomain.is.friggin.ridiculo.us\u201d are going to quickly become passe.\u00a0 I wanted a name that was clever, indicative of the site\u2019s purpose and was easy to say and type. Plus I get to use the superscript tag.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"If_you_get_stuck_on_something,_put_it_on_the_backburner\"><\/span><strong>If you get stuck on something, put it on the backburner<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I actually had a pretty hard time coming up with a name. And I knew that naming the site was not crucial to completion, so I put it off and worked on other things. I actually referred to the site as \u201cbarnacle\u201d for the majority of development because I needed a temporary name and it was the first thing that came to mind.<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"http:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20160315154852im_\/http:\/\/mingle2.com\/images\/blog\/failed_header.jpg\" alt=\"A failed header idea\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>A failed header idea<\/em><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Prioritize_features_so_you_can_give_prominent_real_estate_to_those_that_need_it\"><\/span><strong>Prioritize features so you can give prominent real estate to those that need it<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I took the list of features I\u2019d made from my brain-dump earlier and ranked them according to priority.\u00a0 I made it so the primary features would be accessible in the most visible sections of the website, in <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/mingle2-online-dating-chat-app\/id1265035248\">Mingle<sup>2<\/sup><\/a>\u2018s case this would be promoting that the site was free, the login\/signup, and the \u201csearch singles feature.\u201d It\u2019s absolutely critical that you have a sense of priority before you begin designing a website.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Put_a_lot_of_work_into_the_functional_mockups\"><\/span><img src=\"http:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20160315154852im_\/http:\/\/mingle2.com\/images\/blog\/outlines.jpg\" alt=\"there was a lot of this.\" align=\"left\" \/><strong>Put a lot of work into the functional mockups<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A functional mockup is basically a design with no pretty stuff. There are several tools and methods for creating a functional mockup: prototyping software, scribbling on a whiteboard, drawing it in photoshop. Some people prefer starting out with a taxonomy, others like to draw the pages. I prefer pen and paper with the occasional whiteboard.\u00a0 I usually start out by drawing how all the pages relate to one another, like a road-map.\u00a0 From there I draw what\u2019s actually inside those pages and try to get an idea of how it all relates.\u00a0 This usually involves a lot of writing, crumpling of paper, and writing again.\u00a0 Don\u2019t expect to get it right the first time, I\u2019ve had pages where I\u2019ll lay it out dozens of different ways before I\u2019m happy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>I didn\u2019t outline every single page on <a href=\"http:\/\/mingle2.com\">Mingle<sup>2<\/sup><\/a> in one go, I stopped and switched to working on the visual parts of the site often throughout the planning phase. I interspersed designing the logo and visuals in between to keep me motivated.\u00a0 It\u2019s important not to dive headfirst into writing code or playing around in photoshop, but don\u2019t feel obligated to map out every piece of your site before you start playing around. Switch up tasks frequently, it\u2019ll make you enjoy it more.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Design\"><\/span><strong>The Design<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Next came the fun part: creating the design that I intended to eventually turn into HTML.\u00a0 There\u2019s an endless amount of knowledge one could give another about creating a great design, but instead, I\u2019m just going to focus on what I wanted to achieve visually with Mingle<sup>2<\/sup>:<br \/>\n<strong>1. Balance\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 I placed special emphasis on this on the home page, I wanted the elements to be in a state of equilibrium.\u00a0 One of the most balanced sites I\u2019ve ever seen is\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/grow.com\">Grow.com<\/a>, I wanted to achieve something similar.<br \/>\n<strong>2. Holy crap<\/strong>\u2013 I wanted to create something that would incite a \u201choly crap that\u2019s pretty\u201d reaction from a newcomer to the website.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know how close I came to achieving this goal, but I\u2019m happy with how it turned out.<br \/>\n<strong>3. The Year is 2007<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 The majority of competing websites look like they were designed by dinosaurs, I wanted to outshine them in this regard.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Set little itty bitty goals and watch how much you\u2019ll get done<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I work a 9-5 job and I normally spend over an hour exercising every night, so when I arrived home around 7 pm my work ethic was usually in the gutter.\u00a0 The best tactic I found for motivating myself was to set a very small goal, such as changing some columns in the database or adjusting margins on a certain page. Typically, once this small goal was achieved it would lead to other things, and pretty soon I\u2019d gotten three hours worth of solid work done.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Utilize_rapiddevelopment_frameworks\"><\/span><strong>Utilize rapid-development frameworks<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I built this site using\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/cakephp.org\">CakePHP<\/a>, a rapid-development framework that is best described as rails for PHP, using design patterns such as MVC and ActiveRecord.\u00a0 Frameworks typically take all the repetitive tasks out of web development such as CRUD (create\/read\/update\/delete), forms validation, and data sanitization and instead lets you focus on making a killer website.\u00a0\u00a0 Other popular frameworks include <a href=\"https:\/\/www.djangoproject.com\/\">Django\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/rubyonrails.org\">Ruby on Rails<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Expect_a_learning_curve_from_whatever_framework_you_choose\"><\/span><strong>Expect a learning curve from whatever framework you choose<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This is the fifth site I\u2019ve built using CakePHP so I know my way around.\u00a0 Don\u2019t expect that by switching to a rapid-development framework you\u2019ll instantly save a bunch of time, there\u2019s a bit of a learning curve.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"It%E2%80%99s_out_of_the_oven\"><\/span><strong>It\u2019s out of the oven<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I\u2019m very happy with how <a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/search?q=mingle2.com&amp;c=apps\">Mingle<sup>2<\/sup><\/a> has turned out. The design looks good, the code is clean, and it just plain works well. The best part is: If Mingle<sup>2<\/sup>\u00a0fails and goes quietly into the night, it was only 66.5 hours out of my life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-footer\">\n<div class=\"categories\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Table of Contents Identify an OpportunityBrain-dumpGenerate ideas from your competitionBrain-dump some moreHave a specific goal, don\u2019t try to make the website do everythingKeep. It. Simple. StupidMinimize interferenceAvoid \u201cfeature creep\u201dWeb 2.0 names are going to be very tacky in a few yearsIf you get stuck on something, put it on the backburnerPrioritize features so you can give prominent real estate to those that need itPut a lot of work into the functional mockupsThe DesignUtilize rapid-development frameworksExpect a learning curve from whatever framework you chooseIt\u2019s out of the oven Let this be a testament to Web 2.0 and the effectiveness of rapid development frameworks: I built a full-featured dating website, from concept to launch, in 66.5 hours. In a typical 9-5 job, this would amount to about a week and a half. Deliverables included: The Idea\u00a0&#8211; Cooking up a brand with a name, identity, and purpose Planning\u00a0&#8211; Creating functional specifications, visual wireframes, and information architecture Design\u00a0\u00a0&#8211; Creating mock-ups and defining aesthetics, typography, positioning, and color Development\u00a0\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0 Writing the actual code Testing\u00a0 \u2013 Ironing out the kinks Launch\u00a0&#8211; Going live I didn\u2019t do this in 66.5\u00a0consecutive\u00a0hours, mind you, these are actual hours I spent working on the website. And, I have a day<a href=\"https:\/\/mingle2.com\/blog\/how-i-built-mingle2\/\" class=\"more_link more_link_dots\"> &hellip; <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":3844,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[291,33],"metadata":{"_edit_lock":["1610698106:7"],"_edit_last":["7"],"_format_audio_embed":[""],"_format_video_embed":[""],"_thumbnail_id":["3844"],"asalah_show_meta":["yes"],"asalah_show_share":["yes"],"asalah_show_title":["yes"],"show_author_box":["yes"],"asalah_custom_description":[""],"asalah_sidebar_position":["0"],"asalah_enable_sliding_sidebar":["0"],"asalah_sticky_menu":["0"],"_format_gallery_shortcode":[""],"_format_gallery_type":["shortcode"],"_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":["I built a full-featured dating website, from concept to launch, in 66.5 hours.\u00a0In a typical 9-5 job, this would amount to about a week and a half."],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["30"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":["1"],"hits":["2146"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":["built"],"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":["75"]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v15.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How I Built a Web 2.0 Dating Site in 66.5 Hours | Mingle2&#039;s Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I built a full-featured dating website, from concept to launch, in 66.5 hours.\u00a0In a typical 9-5 job, this would amount to about a week and a half.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mingle2.com\/blog\/how-i-built-mingle2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How I Built a Web 2.0 Dating Site in 66.5 Hours | Mingle2&#039;s Blog\" 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