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Yahoooo, you finally got your hands on an invite to Base App!! Congrats on becoming part of the most based (heh), decentralized community.
Before signing up you had the gist of what to do. But now that you’re here, you realized don’t really know where to start.
We all know it's always easier to have a guide, rather than randomly figuring things out on your own. The Base App is no different.
Luckily, though, I've got some excellent news for you:
You're already in the right place!
Whether you’re a Warpcast nomad, or are brand spanking new to decentralized social media, this is the quick start advice you need to get rocking & rolling on TBA.
So get your learning hat on because you’re about to get familiar with the dos and don’ts of this bad boy!
If you’ve used Farcaster or another Warpcast protocol, Base App will simultaneously feel similar and foreign.
Before we dive into the differences, though, let's talk about the 2 ways you can use the app:
Base mode
Wallet mode
Base mode is where you’ll find Base App and everything associated with it. Wallet mode just pares the app back to the Coinbase wallet app you know and love.
Switching between the 2 modes is super easy. Here's how:
Click the avatar/profile picture in the upper-left corner of any screen. At the bottom of the menu, there's a toggle. Flip it once to return to the original Coinbase wallet. Flip it again to return to Base mode.
Now that you're back in the social media part-of-the-app, we're covering the similarities and differences between Base App and other Warpcast protocols--with Farcaster being the most popular.
Both Farcaster and Base App have a feed on the homepage (the house icon on the bottom-left-of-the-screen). This is where you'll find posts from people you follow, as well as other users.
However, Base App functions like a mix between Zora (or Instagram for Web2) and Twitter/X, while Farcaster is far more reminiscent of Twitter/X.
Furthermore, Base App features 2 feeds:
Trade
Talk
The trade feed has info and updates about what coins people are buying and selling, along with image and video posts. The talk feed is where you'll find all of the text and link posts.
While they both provide the same types-of-posts and info, how and where you see it vary slightly.
Both apps feature similar tabs at-the-bottom:
Home page
Mini apps page
Notifications
Wallet
Both apps also have a trending coins page and swap/trade page, but they're located in different places. Farcaster's trending page is under the fire icon-at-the-bottom, and Base App's is under the retweet icon, just below the swap page. Farcaster's swap function is located in the same place as the wallet.
Farcaster has a 6th icon (chat bubble on the right), where you'll find your private message inbox. The inbox icon on Base App is located in the upper-right-corner-of-the-screen from all tabs.
Additionally, both apps have a search function, with a magnifying glass icon on every page of Farcaster, and the same type-of-icon at-the-bottom-of-Base App's screen.
Regardless of whether or not you've used a Warpcast protocol, it'll take a minute to get used to a new app. So, make your life easier by poking around and getting to know the app. You’ll thank yourself later when you don’t have to flip through 3 tabs, before getting to the right one.
You know how you need gas to make your car go (or electricity, if you drive an electric)?
Well, the same concept applies to transactions on a blockchain:
They require gas, too.
And just like cars, the price of gas can fluctuate, at the drop-off-a-hat.
Where things differ with your car, though, is you only need to pay attention to prices when your tank’s getting low. Obviously, this is not every time you drive—unless you cover long-distances every single day!
Blockchain transactions, however, require gas every single time.
That means you need to pay attention to prices whenever you post or perform an on-chain action.
Gas prices increase as traffic and number-of-on-chain-transactions increase. In other words, as the number-of-people doing things on-chain goes up, so does the cost of gas.
BUT, you won’t know how busy things are, unless you check the gas price for a transaction. It may surprise you the random times gas prices spike. So, don’t accidentally screw yourself on prices because you didn’t take 2 seconds to double-check.
Already got bit by high gas prices?
Don't beat yourself up. For real, we allllllll get it—been there, done that, felt dumb. If it happens, it happens. Just use it as a lesson for the future!
Once you've got a feel for things, it's time to get your profile rockin' and rollin'. First stop is funding your wallet.
You can purchase crypto on:
Base App
From a different exchange.
If you choose the latter option, make sure your coin:
Is on a chain compatible with TBA
Has enough liquidity that you can sell and/or transfer it (any reputable exchange should alert you if the coin is low-liquidity)
Is going to the right address
If you purchase off-app, ensure your Base wallet address is 100% correct, before completing the transaction. If you send it and the information is incorrect, it’s gone forever. No takes backsies, no Mulligans, no second chances—nothing.
So make sure your information is correct the first time and every time after that.
On Base App, a post is called a “cast”. So instead of posting, you’re casting.
Here’s how to do it:
Navigate to the Home Tab, at the bottom of the app. The icon looks like a house
You should see your feed with casts from other users, regardless of the feed you're in. Click the pencil icon in the lower-right-corner
Type what you want to say. Attach a single picture or video, if you want, though it’s not required! (If you decide to go this route, you’ll be prompted to "Edit Ticker" . Choose something short and relevant to the whole cast)
Hit “Save Ticker”. It’ll take a few seconds, then you’ll be asked to input the pin or passkey you originally used to create your account. Type it in, then hit “Continue” when prompted
Tadaaaaaaaa!! You just got paid for posting
Once you cast for the first time, you’ll want to buy some shares of your post. (This is why it’s important to fund you wallet, from the get-go 😉)
Here’s how:
Click your profile picture in the upper-left corner, from any tab
Click "View Profile", from the menu that pops up
Your cast will be just below the bio section. Click it,
In the box that pops at-the-bottom, click the "Ticker" you just named your cast
Click the right-hand-button that says "Trade"
In the popup, decide how much you'd like to buy—$.50 is sufficient. If you want to pay with a coin other than USDC, click the dollar sign icon to change it
Slide the "Trade Now" tab at-the-bottom to confirm the amount you want to buy
When prompted, input that same passkey/pin you used to cast in the first place
BAM!! You own a digital piece of your first ever cast from Base App.
If you’re already familiar with another Warpcast protocol, head to the search tab to add your favorite ones.
And if you’re a complete newbie, now’s your chance to really dig into the mini-apps tab. Like you first did, after downloading Base App, it's time to dig in and play around, by browsing the top charts.
Peep through each category, and check out anything that piques your interest. Don’t skip a category just because you think you won't be interested—seriously, you’d be surprised at what you’ll find under each one.
Dive into any that sound cool, by clicking the "Get" button, after clicking the mini app's icon.
Don't like it or find it useful?
Just hit the 3 dots in the upper-left-corner, while in the app. Then flip the toggle next to "Pinned". This removes it from your home screen. Flip it back to re-add it.
When you’re ready for more post-chart-browsing, head to the search bar and type in keywords relevant to the kind-of-mini-app you want to find.
Here are a few examples to get your creative juices flowing:
If slot games really get you going, enter “spins”, “slots”, “slot machine”, or “casino games”
If digital art’s your thing, try “market”, “marketplace”, “NFTs”, or “buy sell
If you want to get your inner-nerd on, search for “course”, “academy”, “advice”, “guide”, or “how to”
No matter what you’re interested in, take a second to think about short phrases or words that describe what you’re looking for. This is when a thesaurus or mind map is your bestie.
And if after all that, you still can’t find the “right” one, well, you know what they say, right? If you build it they will come!
But that’s a topic for another day 😉
An approval is how much an app asks you to “give the ok to spend” towards your on-chain transaction.
Now, an approval is not the same thing as the price. The transaction price is the transaction price.
An approval is the amount-of-money a mini-app asks for permission to spend on your behalf, in order to execute the transaction. They may sound similar, but that’s not always the case.
Most apps require an approval for the amount-of-the-current-(or total) transaction(s).
For example, PodBall Game is essentially the blockchain-version-of-a-gum-ball-machine. You put in $.10 and prize spits out. Sometimes you win a regular gum ball, and others it’s coins or an NFT.
You can only play 3-times-every-12-hours, which adds up to $.30 total. Each time you spin, there’s an approval for $.30, while the transaction price is $.10. Since the total cost of all-3-transactions is $.30, this is an acceptable approval.
However, there are times when that disparity cannot be explained.
Let’s say a mini app advertises a transaction will cost 100 $DEGEN. When you go to submit the transaction, though, it requests a *10,000* $DEGEN approval.
The transaction will go through because the amount obviously covers what’s required to complete it.
You may be wondering what happens to the other 9,900 $DEGEN you gave the "ok!" to. Well, you said the app could take 10,000 out to cover the transaction, so it’s in their possession now. Like sending funds to a wallet, the action is permanent and cannot be undone.
Is that shady as hell?
Absolutely.
Is it allowed?
Unfortunately.
As slimy as it is, devs can request any amount for an approval (as long as it covers the transaction). Since you submit the transaction of your own volition, you consent to the amount being taken from your wallet.
It’s one of those unfortunate things you just need to be aware of, when you’re on-chain. All you have to do is keep your eye out, and you’ll be golden.
If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Take a lesson from PopFi users.
For the uninitiated, PopFi was a mini-app where you’d pop a balloon every hour. Each pop earned you $.01 and you received additional rewards, as you reached new milestones
It spread like wildfire, garnering a large user-base, and eventually partnered with another popular mini-app, Inflynce.
Long story short, after releasing an airdrop which failed to explain the implications of participating, the creator of PopFi rugged.
(Rugged means they created their coin then sold the vast majority of it all at once, pumping the price for their sell, which renders it useless/untrade-able for almost everyone else)
People who participated—myself included—convinced themselves they’d be getting a fat bag just for popping some dang balloons.
So, save yourself from future annoyance, by giving a project the sniff test before letting your daydreams take hold.
Just like other social media platforms, the best way to grow is to connect with like-minded accounts. On Base App, however, it's doubly true.
That’s because the algorithm puts a lot of weight into engagement, meaning likes, replies, casts, and quote casts (QCs).
By interacting with and following accounts who are similar to yours and interested in the same things, you’re far likelier to get engagement back on your posts.
On the flip side, if you’re engaging with accounts who are not similar to yours and/or interested in the same things, you’ll likely receive little-to-no interaction back.
There are 2 reasons for this:
Your reply may not even hit their notifications. The platform filters them for quality/spam, and may hide your response for any number-of-reasons--including not being mutual followers
Your spam score
Like other platforms, Base App rates users on the likeliness they will spam and act like bots.
While there’s no specific “formula” to ensure you’re not labeled as spam, there is a general rule-of-thumb:
Post like an account you’d want to follow. Yeah, no shit, right? But I’m being serious.
Ask yourself the following questions:
Would you follow an account whose page is mostly just canned casts from other accounts?
Would you follow someone who mostly just says GM/GN (good morning/good night), but never adds anything of real value?
Would you follow an account who just QCs giveaways and enters promotions?
Would you follow someone who doesn’t really differentiate themselves from any other random account?
No. The answer to all of them is “No.”
Now, ask yourself these questions:
Do good memes make you follow someone?
How about eye-catching pictures, educational videos, or insightful long-form posts?
Are you likely to follow someone who makes you laugh or think?
Does seeing someone’s personality shine through entice you to follow them?
All of these make an account stand out, right? Like even if their content isn’t your jam, you can appreciate the effort and individuality that radiates from their page and casts.
That’s how you need to approach Base App.
Now, don’t go copying like tumbler in its glory days. But, do take inspiration from accounts you follow, by playing the “what do I like about them/why do I want to follow them?” game.
What makes your clock tick? Find it, stick to it, and watch your genuine engagement grow,
Join a group chat as soon as you can.
Ideally, whoever gave you an invite to TBA has a little group chat going already. If not, don’t sweat it!
As you genuinely start connecting with people, and/or sharing your love for a mini app, project, or dev, you’ll get added to group chats without even trying.
Yeah, some group chats are definitely going to suck and be super annoying, just like any other platform. But others will be a ticket to increased engagement for everyone.
Aside from random adds, you can also:
Cast asking other people to form one with you
DC (direct cast) mutuals to see if they have any leads/suggestions
Create your own group chat
How you join isn’t as important as who’s in the group, and how everyone interacts
Joined a GC that ended up not meeting your expectations? Don’t sweat it. Just leave the group & move onto the next one.
After all, you're about allllll that Base, no treble--nor just group chats.
With the basics under-your-belt, and some tools in your toolbox, you're ready to take on Base App, like the badass you are.
One last thing, before we button this up:
Change is the only constant on Base App.
What's here today may shift, evolve, or drop-off-the-face-of-the-planet, to make way for the new things on the horizon.
So keep an open mind, try new features, and see what the world of decentralized social media has in store.
Go forth and be based!
[Some links may contain affiliate tracking cookies. When you buy through our links, the author may receive a commission.]
Yahoooo, you finally got your hands on an invite to Base App!! Congrats on becoming part of the most based (heh), decentralized community.
Before signing up you had the gist of what to do. But now that you’re here, you realized don’t really know where to start.
We all know it's always easier to have a guide, rather than randomly figuring things out on your own. The Base App is no different.
Luckily, though, I've got some excellent news for you:
You're already in the right place!
Whether you’re a Warpcast nomad, or are brand spanking new to decentralized social media, this is the quick start advice you need to get rocking & rolling on TBA.
So get your learning hat on because you’re about to get familiar with the dos and don’ts of this bad boy!
If you’ve used Farcaster or another Warpcast protocol, Base App will simultaneously feel similar and foreign.
Before we dive into the differences, though, let's talk about the 2 ways you can use the app:
Base mode
Wallet mode
Base mode is where you’ll find Base App and everything associated with it. Wallet mode just pares the app back to the Coinbase wallet app you know and love.
Switching between the 2 modes is super easy. Here's how:
Click the avatar/profile picture in the upper-left corner of any screen. At the bottom of the menu, there's a toggle. Flip it once to return to the original Coinbase wallet. Flip it again to return to Base mode.
Now that you're back in the social media part-of-the-app, we're covering the similarities and differences between Base App and other Warpcast protocols--with Farcaster being the most popular.
Both Farcaster and Base App have a feed on the homepage (the house icon on the bottom-left-of-the-screen). This is where you'll find posts from people you follow, as well as other users.
However, Base App functions like a mix between Zora (or Instagram for Web2) and Twitter/X, while Farcaster is far more reminiscent of Twitter/X.
Furthermore, Base App features 2 feeds:
Trade
Talk
The trade feed has info and updates about what coins people are buying and selling, along with image and video posts. The talk feed is where you'll find all of the text and link posts.
While they both provide the same types-of-posts and info, how and where you see it vary slightly.
Both apps feature similar tabs at-the-bottom:
Home page
Mini apps page
Notifications
Wallet
Both apps also have a trending coins page and swap/trade page, but they're located in different places. Farcaster's trending page is under the fire icon-at-the-bottom, and Base App's is under the retweet icon, just below the swap page. Farcaster's swap function is located in the same place as the wallet.
Farcaster has a 6th icon (chat bubble on the right), where you'll find your private message inbox. The inbox icon on Base App is located in the upper-right-corner-of-the-screen from all tabs.
Additionally, both apps have a search function, with a magnifying glass icon on every page of Farcaster, and the same type-of-icon at-the-bottom-of-Base App's screen.
Regardless of whether or not you've used a Warpcast protocol, it'll take a minute to get used to a new app. So, make your life easier by poking around and getting to know the app. You’ll thank yourself later when you don’t have to flip through 3 tabs, before getting to the right one.
You know how you need gas to make your car go (or electricity, if you drive an electric)?
Well, the same concept applies to transactions on a blockchain:
They require gas, too.
And just like cars, the price of gas can fluctuate, at the drop-off-a-hat.
Where things differ with your car, though, is you only need to pay attention to prices when your tank’s getting low. Obviously, this is not every time you drive—unless you cover long-distances every single day!
Blockchain transactions, however, require gas every single time.
That means you need to pay attention to prices whenever you post or perform an on-chain action.
Gas prices increase as traffic and number-of-on-chain-transactions increase. In other words, as the number-of-people doing things on-chain goes up, so does the cost of gas.
BUT, you won’t know how busy things are, unless you check the gas price for a transaction. It may surprise you the random times gas prices spike. So, don’t accidentally screw yourself on prices because you didn’t take 2 seconds to double-check.
Already got bit by high gas prices?
Don't beat yourself up. For real, we allllllll get it—been there, done that, felt dumb. If it happens, it happens. Just use it as a lesson for the future!
Once you've got a feel for things, it's time to get your profile rockin' and rollin'. First stop is funding your wallet.
You can purchase crypto on:
Base App
From a different exchange.
If you choose the latter option, make sure your coin:
Is on a chain compatible with TBA
Has enough liquidity that you can sell and/or transfer it (any reputable exchange should alert you if the coin is low-liquidity)
Is going to the right address
If you purchase off-app, ensure your Base wallet address is 100% correct, before completing the transaction. If you send it and the information is incorrect, it’s gone forever. No takes backsies, no Mulligans, no second chances—nothing.
So make sure your information is correct the first time and every time after that.
On Base App, a post is called a “cast”. So instead of posting, you’re casting.
Here’s how to do it:
Navigate to the Home Tab, at the bottom of the app. The icon looks like a house
You should see your feed with casts from other users, regardless of the feed you're in. Click the pencil icon in the lower-right-corner
Type what you want to say. Attach a single picture or video, if you want, though it’s not required! (If you decide to go this route, you’ll be prompted to "Edit Ticker" . Choose something short and relevant to the whole cast)
Hit “Save Ticker”. It’ll take a few seconds, then you’ll be asked to input the pin or passkey you originally used to create your account. Type it in, then hit “Continue” when prompted
Tadaaaaaaaa!! You just got paid for posting
Once you cast for the first time, you’ll want to buy some shares of your post. (This is why it’s important to fund you wallet, from the get-go 😉)
Here’s how:
Click your profile picture in the upper-left corner, from any tab
Click "View Profile", from the menu that pops up
Your cast will be just below the bio section. Click it,
In the box that pops at-the-bottom, click the "Ticker" you just named your cast
Click the right-hand-button that says "Trade"
In the popup, decide how much you'd like to buy—$.50 is sufficient. If you want to pay with a coin other than USDC, click the dollar sign icon to change it
Slide the "Trade Now" tab at-the-bottom to confirm the amount you want to buy
When prompted, input that same passkey/pin you used to cast in the first place
BAM!! You own a digital piece of your first ever cast from Base App.
If you’re already familiar with another Warpcast protocol, head to the search tab to add your favorite ones.
And if you’re a complete newbie, now’s your chance to really dig into the mini-apps tab. Like you first did, after downloading Base App, it's time to dig in and play around, by browsing the top charts.
Peep through each category, and check out anything that piques your interest. Don’t skip a category just because you think you won't be interested—seriously, you’d be surprised at what you’ll find under each one.
Dive into any that sound cool, by clicking the "Get" button, after clicking the mini app's icon.
Don't like it or find it useful?
Just hit the 3 dots in the upper-left-corner, while in the app. Then flip the toggle next to "Pinned". This removes it from your home screen. Flip it back to re-add it.
When you’re ready for more post-chart-browsing, head to the search bar and type in keywords relevant to the kind-of-mini-app you want to find.
Here are a few examples to get your creative juices flowing:
If slot games really get you going, enter “spins”, “slots”, “slot machine”, or “casino games”
If digital art’s your thing, try “market”, “marketplace”, “NFTs”, or “buy sell
If you want to get your inner-nerd on, search for “course”, “academy”, “advice”, “guide”, or “how to”
No matter what you’re interested in, take a second to think about short phrases or words that describe what you’re looking for. This is when a thesaurus or mind map is your bestie.
And if after all that, you still can’t find the “right” one, well, you know what they say, right? If you build it they will come!
But that’s a topic for another day 😉
An approval is how much an app asks you to “give the ok to spend” towards your on-chain transaction.
Now, an approval is not the same thing as the price. The transaction price is the transaction price.
An approval is the amount-of-money a mini-app asks for permission to spend on your behalf, in order to execute the transaction. They may sound similar, but that’s not always the case.
Most apps require an approval for the amount-of-the-current-(or total) transaction(s).
For example, PodBall Game is essentially the blockchain-version-of-a-gum-ball-machine. You put in $.10 and prize spits out. Sometimes you win a regular gum ball, and others it’s coins or an NFT.
You can only play 3-times-every-12-hours, which adds up to $.30 total. Each time you spin, there’s an approval for $.30, while the transaction price is $.10. Since the total cost of all-3-transactions is $.30, this is an acceptable approval.
However, there are times when that disparity cannot be explained.
Let’s say a mini app advertises a transaction will cost 100 $DEGEN. When you go to submit the transaction, though, it requests a *10,000* $DEGEN approval.
The transaction will go through because the amount obviously covers what’s required to complete it.
You may be wondering what happens to the other 9,900 $DEGEN you gave the "ok!" to. Well, you said the app could take 10,000 out to cover the transaction, so it’s in their possession now. Like sending funds to a wallet, the action is permanent and cannot be undone.
Is that shady as hell?
Absolutely.
Is it allowed?
Unfortunately.
As slimy as it is, devs can request any amount for an approval (as long as it covers the transaction). Since you submit the transaction of your own volition, you consent to the amount being taken from your wallet.
It’s one of those unfortunate things you just need to be aware of, when you’re on-chain. All you have to do is keep your eye out, and you’ll be golden.
If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Take a lesson from PopFi users.
For the uninitiated, PopFi was a mini-app where you’d pop a balloon every hour. Each pop earned you $.01 and you received additional rewards, as you reached new milestones
It spread like wildfire, garnering a large user-base, and eventually partnered with another popular mini-app, Inflynce.
Long story short, after releasing an airdrop which failed to explain the implications of participating, the creator of PopFi rugged.
(Rugged means they created their coin then sold the vast majority of it all at once, pumping the price for their sell, which renders it useless/untrade-able for almost everyone else)
People who participated—myself included—convinced themselves they’d be getting a fat bag just for popping some dang balloons.
So, save yourself from future annoyance, by giving a project the sniff test before letting your daydreams take hold.
Just like other social media platforms, the best way to grow is to connect with like-minded accounts. On Base App, however, it's doubly true.
That’s because the algorithm puts a lot of weight into engagement, meaning likes, replies, casts, and quote casts (QCs).
By interacting with and following accounts who are similar to yours and interested in the same things, you’re far likelier to get engagement back on your posts.
On the flip side, if you’re engaging with accounts who are not similar to yours and/or interested in the same things, you’ll likely receive little-to-no interaction back.
There are 2 reasons for this:
Your reply may not even hit their notifications. The platform filters them for quality/spam, and may hide your response for any number-of-reasons--including not being mutual followers
Your spam score
Like other platforms, Base App rates users on the likeliness they will spam and act like bots.
While there’s no specific “formula” to ensure you’re not labeled as spam, there is a general rule-of-thumb:
Post like an account you’d want to follow. Yeah, no shit, right? But I’m being serious.
Ask yourself the following questions:
Would you follow an account whose page is mostly just canned casts from other accounts?
Would you follow someone who mostly just says GM/GN (good morning/good night), but never adds anything of real value?
Would you follow an account who just QCs giveaways and enters promotions?
Would you follow someone who doesn’t really differentiate themselves from any other random account?
No. The answer to all of them is “No.”
Now, ask yourself these questions:
Do good memes make you follow someone?
How about eye-catching pictures, educational videos, or insightful long-form posts?
Are you likely to follow someone who makes you laugh or think?
Does seeing someone’s personality shine through entice you to follow them?
All of these make an account stand out, right? Like even if their content isn’t your jam, you can appreciate the effort and individuality that radiates from their page and casts.
That’s how you need to approach Base App.
Now, don’t go copying like tumbler in its glory days. But, do take inspiration from accounts you follow, by playing the “what do I like about them/why do I want to follow them?” game.
What makes your clock tick? Find it, stick to it, and watch your genuine engagement grow,
Join a group chat as soon as you can.
Ideally, whoever gave you an invite to TBA has a little group chat going already. If not, don’t sweat it!
As you genuinely start connecting with people, and/or sharing your love for a mini app, project, or dev, you’ll get added to group chats without even trying.
Yeah, some group chats are definitely going to suck and be super annoying, just like any other platform. But others will be a ticket to increased engagement for everyone.
Aside from random adds, you can also:
Cast asking other people to form one with you
DC (direct cast) mutuals to see if they have any leads/suggestions
Create your own group chat
How you join isn’t as important as who’s in the group, and how everyone interacts
Joined a GC that ended up not meeting your expectations? Don’t sweat it. Just leave the group & move onto the next one.
After all, you're about allllll that Base, no treble--nor just group chats.
With the basics under-your-belt, and some tools in your toolbox, you're ready to take on Base App, like the badass you are.
One last thing, before we button this up:
Change is the only constant on Base App.
What's here today may shift, evolve, or drop-off-the-face-of-the-planet, to make way for the new things on the horizon.
So keep an open mind, try new features, and see what the world of decentralized social media has in store.
Go forth and be based!
[Some links may contain affiliate tracking cookies. When you buy through our links, the author may receive a commission.]
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