Autopilot Websites & Manual Websites

On YouTube, first impressions matter. One of the most effective ways to win the hearts of new viewers on your channel is with a captivating trailer.

In this article, you will learn how to make a great trailer for a powerful YouTube hook.

What is a YouTube channel trailer?

A YouTube channel trailer is a video designed to help viewers quickly learn about your channel. When enabled, the trailer is displayed at the top of your YouTube channel page and plays automatically for your non-subscribed visitors.

The trailer is crucial because if you’re going to put in the effort to promote your YouTube channel, you’ll need a way to convert that traffic into subscribers.

Here’s what you should include in your trailer in order to hook viewers in immediately:

• A quick introduction of your business and who your channel is for (bloggers, hikers, gamers, etc.).
• An overview of the type of video content you publish.
• A highlight reel of your video content.
• Your schedule for uploading videos.
• A compelling call to action (CTA) encouraging viewers to subscribe.

Here’s a super simple YouTube channel trailer template from Biteable:

How to create a YouTube channel trailer

So how can you create a YouTube channel trailer that covers all the bases above in an interesting way? Let’s dive in.

1. Step into your viewers’ shoes

To create an awesome YouTube channel trailer, you should assume that the viewer knows absolutely nothing about you or your brand and ask yourself the following questions:

• What does the viewer immediately want to know about my channel?
• What knowledge is most important to impart in the first few seconds?
• How do I want the viewer to feel after watching my channel trailer?
• Why should they be compelled to return to my channel?
• What tone should I use—playful, humorous, serious, informative?
• What color schemes and fonts are aligned with my brand?

Viewers should be certain that they’ve found the right channel for them in the first 5-10 seconds – just from the information you provide them within your video trailer.

These questions are crucial to achieving your video marketing goals, whether that’s to build a community or make money on YouTube. When you understand what your audience wants—and not what you think they want—you’ll be able to serve up valuable content.

2. Create a well-structured script

If you’re going to be speaking in your trailer, write a script or jot down some talking points for your video.

Structure your video from start to finish and put a clear and compelling message in it. The more succinct and impactful your channel trailer, the more effectively it will work to get you more views and new subscribers on YouTube.

From the words and images appearing on the screen to the music and sounds that viewers hear, everything should clearly communicate your channel’s message and match the way your brand looks and feels.

Here is an example of an awesome (scripted) channel trailer:

Important Note: Using a script or outline for your trailer is important even if you’re not someone who usually plans out their videos.

You have to cover a lot of material, and you only have a minute or so in which to do it. A script will help you avoid a lot of “umms” and make it possible for you to hit all your key points in the least amount of time possible.

3. Use captions and clips

To make your trailer more appealing, combine short scenes, sounds, text (either music or voiceover, or both). Add a short title within the first screen or list out key topics you’re covering in the video.

Also, you may want to use captions for those watching the trailer with the sound off. Maybe they’re listening to music at the same time, or were put off when it started playing automatically.

Here’s an example of a captioned YouTube channel trailer:

View channel trailer here

4. Include music and high-quality graphics

Nothing draws in your viewers more than animated graphics combined with the right music. Great visuals will keep your viewers spellbound, and the music will set the tone and energy for your channel trailer.

Just make sure that you only pick music and graphics that are consistent with your words, channel, and brand. A cohesive brand image leads to increased brand awareness, making your company and its product memorable and recognizable to viewers.

There is plenty of graphic design software that makes it easy to keep your images consistent and high-quality.

Appealing to the senses in your video trailer can emotionally move your viewers to subscribe.

While not a channel trailer, Asana shows a good example of unique illustrations:

View video here

According to expert video strategists, it’s important to keep the viewer’s eyes moving so you can retain their attention on your video.

This aspect is particularly important because, as you know, YouTube channel homepages often look quite “busy”.

Everywhere you look there are buttons, playlists, video thumbnails, and even an option for visitors to leave your channel altogether!

But, although fast-moving, dynamic footage has been shown to increase engagement, keep in mind that this type of content isn’t ideal for all YouTube channels—like a meditation channel, for instance.

However, you can still use elements like text, visually appealing images, and short scenes to draw your viewer’s immediate attention.

5. Keep it short

The entire point of a YouTube channel trailer is to pitch great things about yourself, your brand, and your content to new viewers in the quickest way possible.

So, unlike explainer videos (which are great within your channel), the channel trailer itself should instantly arrest the attention of your viewers and in a few short seconds, convey all the information they need to decide whether or not yours is the right channel for them.

After all, what are the odds that someone will sit through a five or ten-minute video before deciding whether or not they are in the right place?

Although there isn’t a “perfect” length for a YouTube channel trailer, you should aim for about 30 to 90 seconds.

This should be sufficient for you to tell new visitors who you are, what type of content to expect from your YouTube channel, and when you will be posting new uploads.

Remember, when it comes to YouTube channel trailers, less is more.

6. Show highlights

As YouTube says, “Show, don’t tell”. In addition to sharing all the important information pertaining to your brand and channel, you can also show your audience a highlight reel that makes them want to view the videos in your channel.

And make sure these are actual highlights from actual videos in your channel. This will save you from unsubscribes down the line when it turns out that your videos weren’t at all what new subscribers expected.

If you’re worried that you won’t have enough time to give your audience the information they need as well as show a highlight reel, don’t worry. You can do both at the same time. Will Smith’s YouTube channel trailer is essentially one big highlight reel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFknCgyJOI4

As a small business, you’re not going to have extreme highlights like this, but you can use short scenes to show your audience the nature and tone of your videos. Are they funny, educational, serious, relaxing, entertaining, actionable?

Highlights for your business might include are:

• Bloopers and other funny clips
• Clips that show the interesting ways you’ll provide information
• Clips of industry influencers you’ll interview

This will be easy to do if you have already published some videos on your channel. Simply choose one of your best clips and include it as a highlight reel in your channel trailer.

Use your YouTube channel trailer to show your audience what they can expect from and look forward to in your videos.

This brings us to the next and shortest tip:

6. Stockpile videos beforehand

You’re not going to have any highlights to show if you don’t already have videos ready. You don’t have to have them all published, but enough to support the claims in your trailer.

In SearchLab’s YouTube channel homepage, you can gather right away from the video thumbnails that you’re going to learn local SEO and laugh.

SearchLab’s YouTube channel homepage

Note also that video thumbnails are an excellent YouTube SEO tactic.

7. Take viewers on a journey

As humans, we tend to gravitate towards other people, and showcasing your unique personality in front of the camera enables you to deeper stronger connections with new audiences.

That’s where storytelling comes in. The mostsuccessful channel trailers are those that take viewers on a journey.

Don’t simply provide information to viewers; take them on a journey and show your story.

This means everything from the reason you started your channel to the topics your cover, and everything in between. Stories can be mesmerizing!

Storytelling also comes with the following benefits:

• It hits the emotional quotient;
• It makes it easier for you to convey your personality;
• It keeps your viewers engaged and eager for more;
• And, it also makes your content more memorable.

When you tell personal stories in a fun, fresh, and relatable way, people feel like they know you, which ultimately leads to more subscribers to your channel.

Here’s an example of a YouTube channel trailer that takes viewers on an exciting journey:

View trailer here

8. End with your subscribe CTA

If you’ve followed the tips above, you’ve given viewers enough reasons to subscribe. But you still need to make the deliberate ask

Here are a few common subscribe pitches:

• “Make sure to hit the subscribe button”
• “If that sounds good, subscribe to my channel right now”
• “Go ahead and subscribe right now so you don’t miss anything”
• “And now, it’s time to subscribe!”

It doesn’t matter how you phrase your pitch, but make sure that it’s explicit and on-brand.

Tools for Creating Awesome YouTube Channel Trailers

Creating an enticing YouTube channel trailer takes work, but don’t lose sleep over it! There are dozens of tools out there, so to make things a little easier for you, here are three of my favorite.

9. Biteable

Biteable is an affordable tool for creating drop-dead gorgeous YouTube trailers. It comes with hundreds of fully customizable templates to choose from, and you can add your own personal touch using your images, music, text, and footage.

10. InVideo

InVideo is a user-friendly online tool that helps you edit and create YouTube videos with ease. It offers you numerous templates and the option to add music from the stock audio list, images, GIFs, and much more.

With this tool, you can explore your ideas and create professional-level videos even if you’re just a beginner.

From adding subtitles to your YouTube videos to adding voiceovers, you can use InVideo to produce any type of channel trailer.

11. Wondershare Filmora

Wondershare Filmora is a powerful—and free—video editing tool that you can use on both PCs and Macs. This program is simple and easy to use, which makes it ideal for beginners without a lot of editing experience.

If you’d like to see even more options, most of the YouTube editing software listed here can be used for both creating trailers and editing videos.

Get to work on your subscriber-generating YouTube channel trailer

There you have it. Eight tips for and three tools to create an awesome YouTube channel trailer that can build a brand with a loyal following:

1. Step into your viewers’ shoes
2. Create a well-structured script
3. Use captions and clips
4. Include music and high quality graphics
5. Keep it short
6. Show highlights
7. Stockpile videos beforehand
8. Take viewers on a journey
9. End with your subscribe CTA
10. Biiteabel
11. InVideo
12. Wondershare Filmora

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There was a generation in-between which included bands like All Time Low, Mayday Parade, You Me At Six, We Are The In Crowd, and the Maine. These bands were on the rise towards the end of MySpace’s peak but never reached the same heights their predecessors did. Their fan bases would eventually find a home on Tumblr. Appropriately, their sound was a bridge between MySpace and Tumblr waves, incorporating less pop influences than the former but more than latter. Pop-punk was drifting further away from pop, which became clearer when new bands started coming up surrounding the genre’s Tumblr subculture.

Tumblr

At the start of the 2010s, pop-punk had fallen out of favor with mainstream audiences and went underground. As a reaction, the emerging style of pop-punk leaned away from pop and became narrower. The resulting music was rawer, rougher, less polished, and relied on only organic instrumentation. Its sound was developed first by bands like the Wonder Years and Man Overboard, originators of the iconic “Defend Pop-Punk” symbol. They were soon followed by State Champs, Neck Deep, Real Friends, Knuckle Puck and the Story So Far, a group of bands that came to be associated with the Warped Tour.

It’s fitting that this took place on Tumblr, a site which often felt like an underground community despite its widespread user base. This scene became so overpopulated with bands that it became difficult to tell whether or not certain bands were pop-punk anymore. Some fans lumped acts like Joyce Manor or Citizen into that category, and others fought against it, claiming that their sound was too dark and not generic enough. Thus continued the never-ending debate over the borderline between pop-punk and emo.

Tumblr was also really good at coming up with aesthetics for a movement of music. The pop-punk subculture of the early to mid-2010s was a take on Tumblr’s popular soft grunge aesthetic. The Tumblr pop-punk aesthetic was less of a fashion trend than the MySpace aesthetic and more of a style of fan art and decor. It involved wall flags, string lights, and darker, muted colors. Tumblr also turned lyric edits (a type of fan art which incorporates lyrics) into a trend; pop-punk edits looked very similar, often using a particular font and pictures of nature.

The mid-2010s brought on somewhat of a mini-revival of pop-punk within the scene, with this movement reaching its height. The sound and influence of this era of pop-punk is still evident in today’s bands like Meet Me @ The Altar and Pinkshift, both who have more of a rawer, easycore-style sound.

2020 kicked off a new era of pop-punk. Neck Deep, despite being one of the stalwarts of Tumblr pop-punk — so much so that they sold t-shirts and wall flags emblazoned with “Generic Pop-Punk” — released their most experimental album to date. Stand Atlantic and Boston Manor also followed suit by adding more electronic and hip hop styles to their sound. By this point, Tumblr had truly become an underground platform and a new app had already taken over.

TikTok

The Tumblr era’s narrow, organic, raw interpretation of pop-punk was a reaction to the pop-ification of pop-punk in the MySpace era. The current era has responded by opening up again and embracing other genres. Perhaps not coincidentally, pop-punk is going mainstream once more, at the same time that alternative culture is going through a resurgence on TikTok.

Popularity aside, the TikTok era has a lot in common with the MySpace era, especially when it comes to the aesthetic and culture. TikTok puts niche subcultures into the spotlight, and the pop-punk subculture is one that has taken off. When e-boys and e-girls were thriving on the app in its earlier days, it was seen as an evolution of the MySpace emo aesthetic. Once again, it’s become an easily identifiable and cohesively packaged style — ripe for others to co-opt as well. This fueled some of the controversy surrounding Tramp Stamps, who went viral on TikTok for all the wrong reasons, slagged off as “industry plants” and criticized for their connection to Dr. Luke’s Prescription Songs.

One thing that TikTok does particularly well is surface songs from across time. Many of the viral pop-punk hits on the app are from the MySpace era, like Paramore’s “All I Wanted.” It’s Gen Z kids discovering the genre, but as the “it was never a phase” trend illustrates, it’s also fans from earlier eras showing their lasting love of the genre on the app. The TikTok wave of pop-punk owes a lot to nostalgia, boosting songs and artists from different eras, which didn’t happen in previous waves. The nostalgia was heightened by the pandemic, as people in their 20s returned home to their childhood bedrooms and inevitably began reflecting on their teenage years, leading them back into the rabbithole of this type of music that relies on nostalgia culture. Not all of the notable acts in this current wave owe their popularity to TikTok though, nor do they all have a noticeable TikTok presence or fanbase, meaning that this current wave is the most decentralized it’s ever been.

Unlike Tumblr and MySpace, which were not as creator-centric, TikTok has produced its own class of influencers, and many of them are launching music careers. Most are making pop music, but a few, most notably Travis Barker’s prodigy Jaden Hossler (who released music under the name jxdn), have gravitated to pop-punk. Hossler also happens to be influenced by acts like Juice WRLD, whose pioneering form of heavily melodic post-emo hip-hop is (speaking of music scenes being associated with online platforms) widely known as SoundCloud rap. Emo rap proved integral in revitalizing pop-punk and is also big on TikTok. It provided a way to combine pop-punk and hip-hop and to recontextualize the influences of the MySpace era.

The biggest difference between this era of pop-punk and previous ones is that this one is more diverse than ever before. Stand Atlantic, Doll Skin, Trash Boat, Yours Truly, and Hot Milk all have women and/or queer members in their bands. Newer bands like Pinkshift and Meet Me @ The Altar entirely comprise people of color and are fronted by women. (All of the members of Meet Me @ The Altar are women, including queer women.) Black solo artists like KennyHoopla, POORSTACY, and DE’WAYNE are also gaining traction within the genre.

Cultural shifts in the last year have resulted in more artists of color getting recognition within alternative spaces because audiences are making a conscious effort to pay attention. When the Black Lives Matter movement gained widespread support after George Floyd was killed by police, listeners began to seeking out more Black artists and artists of color. But that’s not the only factor contributing to inclusivity within the genre. It also has to do with emo rap, which showcased more diverse artists making emo and pop-punk music. This means that the communities which have always been an integral part of pop-punk fan bases are better represented within the artists now.

This current wave of pop-punk still hasn’t reached the same heights of popularity as it did in the mid-2000s, but it’s also just starting. At this point, it’s hard to tell how big pop-punk will get this time, which artists will top the charts, where the sound will go next, and whether bands like Meet Me @ The Altar or Pinkshift will enjoy the kind of success Paramore and Fall Out Boy once did. It also remains to be seen what the return of live music will do, not to mention the return of some of these older MySpace-era acts like a potential sixth Paramore album or the long-awaited My Chemical Romance reunion tour. It is evident that more artists will dabble in the genre and that pop-punk will continue to incorporate hip-hop, electronic, pop, indie, and other genres. It’s anyone’s guess how long this boom will last. And when it’s over, pop-punk will fade back underground to discover its punk roots, until something comes along and makes it go viral again.

The government has announced it will be increasing the flexibility and attractiveness of the Pension Loans Scheme (PLS) for senior Australians.

The PLS is a voluntary, reverse mortgage-type loan available to assist older Australians who wish to boost their retirement income by unlocking equity in their real estate assets. 

Through the PLS, people can receive additional, regular, fortnightly payments with the payments accruing as a debt secured against their Australian property.

From 1 July 2022, the government will introduce a No Negative Equity Guarantee for PLS loans and allow people access to a capped advance payment in the form of a lump sum.

A No Negative Equity Guarantee will mean that borrowers under the PLS, or their estate, will not owe more than the market value of their property, in the rare circumstances where their accrued PLS debt exceeds their property value.

“This brings the PLS in line with private sector reverse mortgages. Immediate access to lump sums under the PLS eligible people will be able to receive a maximum lump-sum advance payment equal to 50 per cent of the maximum Age Pension,” the government said in its budget papers.

Based on current Age Pension rates, this is around $12,385 per year for singles, while couples combined could receive around $18,670, according to the government.

A maximum of two advances totalling up to the cap amount are permitted in a year, for those who do not want to take an advance in one instalment.

PLS and self-funded retirees

Under the existing PLS, self-funded retirees of Age Pension age who do not receive any Age Pension can get an income boost over a year worth 1.5 times a full rate Age Pension payment.

“This represents around $37,155 per year for singles and around $56,011 per year for couples. The increased flexibility from 1 July 2022 will allow a self-funded retiree to get a lump-sum payment worth up to 50 per cent of a full-rate Age Pension, representing around $12,385 per year for singles and around $18,670 for couples under the PLS each year,” the government said.

“This is on top of the other amounts they would receive under the PLS up to the maximum annual amount and means they will be able to bring forward one-third of their maximum PLS payments if they choose to do so.”

PLS and age pensioners

Under the existing PLS, those with a full-rate Age Pension can get an annual income boost worth 50 per cent of a full Age Pension, representing around $12,385 per year for singles and around $18,670 for couples. This is on top of receiving a full Age Pension.

The government stated the increased flexibility from 1 July 2022 will allow a full-rate age pensioner to access their entire annual PLS amount as a lump sum. This is on top of receiving a full-rate Age Pension.

Those with a part-rate Age Pension will also be able to access a lump sum worth 50 per cent of a full Age Pension. They will continue to be able to use the PLS to top-up their fortnightly pension through the PLS, such that their combined Age Pension plus PLS benefit (both lump sums and income stream) is up to 1.5 times a full-rate Age Pension payment.

You trust that that you can hand control over to your electronic co-pilot while you divert your attention to other tasks, and it will keep the aircraft flying with the “sunny side up” until your focus returns to the primary instruments. The relationship breaks down when that trust is broken by reliability issues, especially issues of intermittent failure. This is especially true for pilots flying under instrument flight rules. Ultimately, you can’t safely share the workload in the cockpit if you don’t trust your autopilot.

As our aircraft age, so do the autopilots that most GA aircraft were delivered with from the factory. Because of the high cost of adding an autopilot, the majority of the autopilots in the fleet are those that were either added by the factory, or installations made long ago during the heyday of GA. Brands such as BendixKing (or King), ARC, Century Flight Systems Inc., and OEM-branded versions of these autopilots remain in service to this day, and are often as old as (or older than) the pilots flying them.

When an older autopilot starts having trouble, the discussion with the avionics shop frequently turns to the question of whether to repair or replace. Phrases such as, “How much money do you want to throw at a 40-year-old autopilot?” or “We can fix it, but you’ll probably be back for something else soon,” are read from the same script at avionics shops across the country.

From the avionics shop’s perspective, it makes sense. Troubleshooting old autopilots is time-consuming and messy, and rarely results in a happy customer when the bill comes. Enter the shiny new baby: replacement. Today’s modern, digital autopilots are reliable and full of additional features such as altitude preselect, vertical speed preselect, indicated airspeed hold, envelope protection/alerting, and emergency level mode. For the shops, installation is a known commodity, and they stand to make money on both the sale of the hardware and the installation labor.

For the aircraft owner, upgrading offers reliability and advanced features. However, the cost of upgrading can be high. Prices for entry-level autopilots such as the BendixKing AeroCruze 100 (formerly TruTrak) start at just over $5,000 and advanced autopilots such as the Genesys Aerosystems S-TEC 3100 can easily exceed $20,000 with three-axis options. Considering the features and capability these systems add to the aircraft, it’s not a bad deal. However, you must factor in installation costs to get the full picture of what each system will really cost you in the end. For example, I was quoted over $15,000 in labor for an advanced autopilot installation on my Bonanza. My old autopilot seemed just fine after reading that quote.

With total installed costs ranging from just under $10,000 to more than $40,000 for a new autopilot, there are cases where repairing your legacy autopilot makes sense. Here are some questions to consider:

• Does your current autopilot have the basic functionality to support your mission?
• Has it been generally reliable?
• Are parts and support available?
• Is your local avionics shop willing to work on it?
• How long do you intend to own your aircraft?

The answers to these questions will help you decide if repairing your current autopilot is worthwhile, or if the new features and reliability of a new autopilot make more sense, and if the expense can be amortized over your ownership of the aircraft.

Despite the advanced features offered by newer autopilots, many legacy autopilots remain well-equipped to support single-pilot IFR operations when coupled with modern WAAS navigators and displays with GPS Steering (GPSS). My 1975 Century III autopilot, for example, can fly just about any flight path that my Avidyne IFD550 navigator and Aspen Evolution primary flight display can throw at it, including holds and coupled approaches with vertical guidance down to minimums. In a case like this, the decision to upgrade is more about reliability than features, so it makes sense to compare the advice from your avionics shop with a second opinion from people who make their living keeping older autopilots going.

My personal go-to for this expertise is Autopilots Central in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It’s a family-run business with Alan Sparks, his wife, Susan, and sister Judy at the helm, and the folks under their roof probably know more about legacy autopilot maintenance than anyone on the planet. If Alan’s team can’t fix your autopilot, I’m guessing nobody can. And if they advise you to let it go (which they sometimes do), then I would follow their advice as well.

I spent some time with Alan recently when one of my servos was acting up and didn’t always want to release when the autopilot was turned off. Alan quickly found the source of the problem: a tiny leaf spring “shield” that had broken after 40-plus years in service. I’d had the servo open several times and couldn’t even see the offending part (because it was snapped off). Alan had it fixed and back to me ASAP, ready for more years of service. On the flip side, I also sent him my Century I unit that I use as a combination turn and bank instrument and backup autopilot in the airplane. Every once in a while, it was having trouble getting started when power was applied. Once going, it never failed, but I wanted him to check it. In this case, Alan advised that it really wasn’t repairable. If the problem persisted, he recommended removing it and swapping back to a simple turn and bank indicator.

It’s critical that you trust your autopilot. When that trust is broken, difficult and expensive decisions must be made. So, make two calls: one to your avionics shop and another to a place that specializes in autopilot repair. Armed with advice from both sides, you’ll be well equipped to make your own call to repair or replace. Until next time, I hope you and your families remain safe and healthy and wish you blue skies.

Fans of the Dallas Cowboys are certainly used to their owner speaking to the media. Jerry Jones has never met a microphone he didn’t like. Jones is a noted media hog and when he talks, he’s usually talking up the Cowboys.

Every offseason it’s a ritual to hear the Cowboys owner talk like the team is a legitimate Super Bowl contender, even when they are nowhere close. It’s become somewhat of a game for the local media to get Jones to make some kind of outlandish prediction for the Cowboys so all can laugh about it later.

Jones recognizes his own optimism. In the Cowboys kickoff press conference for this year’s training camp he spoke about it and said that it is often termed as being naïve by others, but he says it’s a good philosophy to live by.

So it was a little surprising to hear him describe the Cowboys opening game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in this manner.

“We’re going to have a lot of prayer, so we could get the courage to show up,” Jones joked on Back Together Saturday. “Let me tell you this: world-champion Tom Brady, Tampa, great atmosphere — what a better opportunity to step up there and be David against Goliath.”

Obviously that was tongue-in-cheek as it was noted that he was saying it in a joking manner. Jerry always lets his sense of humor out when he wants to make a point. But behind every good joke is a grain of truth and that’s what we have here: Jerry masking a truth with some humor.

The Cowboys are certainly underdogs in their first game of the season. Oddsshark has them as a consensus 6.5 point underdog at this point in time. That’s a pretty healthy spread in favor of the World Champions.

Dallas has an opportunity on September 9th to shock everyone with a win over the Bucs. Tampa Bay is bringing back basically their entire team that is coming off a Super Bowl win. And they will be at home. If Dallas wins that game, the rest of the league would be on notice that they are legitimate contenders.

While the offense isn’t really the problem for Dallas, everyone is wondering about the defense. If you are looking for a team around the NFL that has a receiving corps that matches up with the Cowboys, then Tampa Bay is a good place to start. When Bill Barnwell recently ranked offensive arsenals for teams going into 2021, the Cowboys were second, and Tampa Bay was first.

The Cowboys starting quarterback summed it up this way.

“I’m excited for the challenge for my defense and just the whole team,” Prescott said about taking on Tampa Bay. “I’m excited for these guys to go out there and improve off of last year. And that’s what training camp is about. We’re trying to iron-sharpen-iron right now. We’re trying to make them better, they’re making us better. But it’s going to be important for us to go out there and take care of the ball, put (the Bucs) in tough situations and put the pressure on those guys.”

Jerry Jones knows the Cowboys are true underdogs here, but so was David when he slew Goliath. There’s always a chance.

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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)—an independent U.S. agency that investigates all aviation and other significant transportation accidents—indicated today that someone was in the driver’s seat at the beginning of the journey. Investigators were able to review the owner’s home security camera footage, which showed two occupants were sitting up front when they began the drive. The car traveled about 550 feet before leaving the road on a curve, then striking a curb, a drainage culvert, a raised manhole, and then a tree. The crash damaged the front of the car, leading to the lithium-ion battery catching fire and ultimately destroying the car, the report said. 

The NTSB confirmed that the Model S was equipped with Autopilot, but investigators say that based on their evaluation using another Tesla, Autosteer was not engaged on that residential road. The report noted separately that the road did not have painted lines, which is needed for Autosteer to work. Elon Musk said in a tweet two days after the crash that data logs show Autopilot was not engaged on the car before the crash and that “standard Autopilot would require lane lines to turn on, which this street did not have.”

The preliminary finding does not provide any definitive answers as to the ultimate cause of the crash or put to bed speculation that the Model S was being operated in some fashion without anyone in the driver’s seat. The NTSB investigation is ongoing, the report says. The safety board routinely releases preliminary findings shortly after a crash, before issuing a full crash investigation report later on.

In the week following the crash, Consumer Reports conducted an experiment demonstrating that it was possible to operate a Tesla in Autopilot without anyone in the driver’s seat. “The experiment wasn’t designed to prove anything about the Texas crash, but it did demonstrate that there isn’t adequate driver monitoring in Tesla vehicles to establish that there is a driver present, let alone one who is attentive, when Autopilot is engaged,” says Jake Fisher, CR’s senior director of Auto Testing who conducted the evaluation. “The fact still remains that Autopilot and similar systems from other automakers need to do a better job of making sure the driver is looking at the road.” 

Investigators recovered the fire-damaged restraint control module, which contains key data associated with vehicle speed, belt status, acceleration, and airbag deployment. NTSB staff is working in a laboratory to analyze the module.

In a statement, the NTSB said, “All aspects of the crash remain under investigation as the NTSB determines the probable cause, with the intent of issuing safety recommendations to prevent similar crashes.” The NTSB also said it’s working “alongside” the Harris County Texas Precinct 4 Constable’s Office, which is conducting a separate, parallel investigation. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Tesla “are supporting the NTSB in the investigation.”

Getting your retail business online is more important than ever. Maybe you run a bricks and mortar shop already. Maybe you’re just getting ready to start. Either way, this step-by-step guide will take you through the different options for setting up an online shop.

Decide on your platform

When getting your business online, you essentially have two options – launch your own website or use an existing ecommerce platform.

If you already have your own website, or want to launch one, you may want to add in an online shop to that, and there are several platforms that can integrate with your existing site or act as their own standalone website.

Pros of this option

• existing customers can find you easily

• you can stand out from the crowd with your own brand

• you have a greater level of control

Cons of this option

• it requires some technical know-how

• it’s up to you to do all your own marketing

• if people don’t visit your website already, it’ll be harder for them to find you

If, however, you don’t have a website of your own, or you don’t feel comfortable with adding an online shop directly into it, you can use some existing ecommerce platforms, like Amazon, eBay or Etsy.

Pros of this option

Cons of this option

• you’ll be in among a lot of other retailers

• you have less control over the set-up and how you personalise it

• you’ll need to work out how to re-route your existing customers to this platform

We’ll delve into both of those options later, but if you already know which one is better suited to your needs, feel free to skip to the relevant section using the links below.

Listing products that sell

Whatever way you decide to set up your online store, there are some things you’ll need to do to create listings that sell.

Practice your photography – whether it’s the lighting, or how the item is modeled, try to show your products in a way that’s both desirable and practical. Seeing how a dress looks on, or how a cabinet sits in a particular space, will give buyers a better idea of whether it’s the right product for them.

Nail the description – when you’re describing your product, you want to make sure that you’re talking through all its plus points, while also giving the practical details such as dimensions, weight, colour and care instructions.

Make use of available features – whatever platform you use, there will be features that help you increase your chance of making a sale, such as listing similar items, showing product reviews, or recommending other products to buy alongside it.

Postage, packaging and returns

Whether you decide to use your own website or an existing online platform, you need to think about how you’re going to get your products to your customers – and what to do if they want to return them.

The first question to ask yourself is who you’re going to use to send your items. Some options are:

Different companies offer different prices, and it’ll depend on how much you have to send, what you’re sending, and how often you’re sending them.

It’s important you pick a carrier that can best meet both yours and your customers’ needs, so have a look at what they offer before you make a decision.

When it comes to tax, make sure you’re aware of VAT changes post-Brexit if you’re posting products abroad to the European Union, and further afield.

And if you’ve got a cake and baking business with an online shop, you’ll probably want to just offer local delivery. You’ll still need to think about how best to package your cakes though, and if it’s worth selling baking accessories too.

Postage and returns policies

If you’re selling through a third party website, there will be rules that you have to agree to about your postage, packaging and returns, so make sure you familiarise yourself with those.

Selling through your own website means you’re in charge of deciding the rules and letting your customers know about them. They can protect you if you get into legal trouble around your postage and returns, and they set expectations for your customers – if you’re clear that the wait time is two weeks, you won’t have people contacting you within five days asking why their package hasn’t arrived.

You may also choose to offer free postage and/or free returns – or have these as a bonus if people spend a certain amount or take part in a particular event.

Whatever you decide to do, make sure you balance the cost to you with how much you’re earning from each sale, and what sort of behaviours you want to incentivise in your customers. For example, if you run a clothing business and want to enable people to try on lots of options, free returns will make that more appealing.

Don’t forget everything else

The online shop front of your business is a huge part of how you get customers, but it’s certainly not the only part that matters when it comes to your business as a whole.

While you’re getting that up and running, make sure you’re also thinking about the other aspects, like your suppliers, your business plan, and the tax you may have to pay – not to mention the business insurance you may need for things like your stock.

But don’t worry – we have a guide to starting a business from home to help you get to grips with all of those aspects, as well as the online part of your business.

You can also read our guide to creating a marketing plan for your business, to make sure you’re reaching as many potential customers as possible. It’s also worth researching your legal obligations as a business owner, even if you’re running it from your own home.

Adding an ecommerce platform to your website

If you already have a website and want to add in an online shop function, or want to build one from scratch, these are some of the options out there at the moment:

Let’s take a look at some of the main features of each of them:

Shopify

Shopify is known for being easy to set up and run, with a dashboard area for quickly adding products, customising the look of your site and more.

As well as getting your products online, it also provides an area for managing your customers and their details, orders, and gives you rich data on the performance of your online shop.

Even if you’re not particularly web-savvy, Shopify can still be a great option. They’ve made it as easy to use as possible so you can set up your own online shop without having any design or development skills.

Features of Shopify include:

• unlimited orders, products, file storage, bandwidth

• 24/7 support

• a website that works on mobile devices

• use your own domain name

• accept credit cards

• a drag-and-drop online website builder

• a full blogging platform

• multiple languages

• customer profiles and accounts

• search engine optimisation

• product reviews and gift cards

• social media integration and the option to sell on Facebook

• inventory management

• digital products and product variations

• no transaction fees when using Shopify Payments

BigCommerce

While it’s not quite in the same league as Shopify, BigCommerce also boasts a clean dashboard and clear directions for getting your online shop built in minutes. Once you’re up and running, everything you need, from products to orders to customer details, is available in the sidebar.

On top of that, BigCommerce also has a range of marketing settings, analytics, and other modules where you can optimise your online shop.

Features of BigCommerce include:

• unlimited products, orders, file storage, and bandwidth

• 24/7 live chat support

• visual store builder

• accept payments from PayPal, Stripe, Apple Pay, Pay with Amazon and more

• manage orders and inventory

• sell via Facebook, Pinterest, eBay, Amazon and Square POS

• multiple marketing features

• get found on product comparison sites

• encourage return visits with email marketing

• SEO features

Ecwid

If you’re looking for the most bang for your buck, you could do worse than Ecwid. They and BigCartel are the only ones who offer free versions, and Ecwid’s offers a lot more – if you’re just starting to dip your toe in the water of online selling, this could be a good option for you.

Like the others, they have a site builder that helps you get everything ready to go. The side menu gives you access to all the other areas of the admin panel where you can adjust the design, manage products, see your order and customers, and so on.

Other features you get with Ecwid include:

• from 10 to unlimited products

• unlimited orders, file storage and bandwidth

• 24/7 support over live chat or phone

• sell on multiple sites, blogs, and social networks

• customer address book

• smart shipping calculator

• integrates with WordPress, Joomla and more

• track inventory

• 40 different options for accepting payments

Volusion

Getting started with Volusion is pretty simple – there’s a step-by-step wizard guiding you through the setup. Like the others, it has a simple dashboard that you can use to access the main areas, such as managing your orders, customers, inventory, marketing efforts, design, and reports.

Here are the main features that you get with Volusion:

• options to sell up to 100 or unlimited products

• unlimited orders and file storage

• unlimited bandwidth

• 24/7 support through chat, phone, and priority support

• visual website builder

• accept credit cards

• ratings and reviews

• newsletters

• import and export products

• built-in SEO as well as all-in-one SEO tools

• reports

• social media selling tools

• accept payments with Stripe, PayPal, and Amazon

• handle shipping rates

• abandoned cart reports and checkout recovery

• eBay and Amazon integration

• phone orders, CRM, and batch order processing

• a dedicated account manager

3dcart

3dcart sets you up right with an interactive video and a set of sample products in your catalog to help you start. You can examine how these products are structured, what the example descriptions look like, and how that might influence your own products

Adding in products can be a little intimidating, as the product creation panel has a lot of features packed into a small area, but it shouldn’t take too long to get used to.

Here’s what else 3dcart brings to the table:

• sell unlimited products

• unlimited orders, file storage, and bandwidth

• 24/7 support over live chat, phone, and priority support

• mobile and social ready

• integrate with eBay, Amazon, Google Shopping, Facebook, and Shopzilla

• upsell and cross sell

• bulk import and export

• product FAQs

• customer reviews

• waiting lists

• detailed product reports

• simple shipping setup

• marketing and SEO features

Selling on an existing ecommerce platform

If you decide you want to go down the route of listing your products on an existing website, the first thing to do is to have a look through the options available and think about which one – or ones – best suit your needs.

Some of the options are:

Let’s take a look at each of these in more detail:

Selling on Amazon

Arguably the greatest retail operation ever, selling on Amazon gives you access to millions of potential buyers.

Amazon has two different selling plans – The Professional plan gives you the opportunity to sell an unlimited number of products and pay a £25 (excluding VAT) monthly subscription fee. Individuals pay no monthly fees, but instead pay £0.75 per item sold. Both Professionals and Individuals pay additional selling fees when an item sells.

You’ll get access to a manage orders tool, order reports, and, if you’re more tech-savvy, you can use Amazon MWS to be notified of events.

When it comes to shipping, Amazon notifies you when customers place an order. You can then use Fulfillment by Amazon and let Amazon do the shipping or handle it yourself.

Selling on eBay

While eBay is known more as a marketplace than a place for dedicated shops, there are more than 24 million buyers registered with them – and that’s just in the UK.

eBay lists its benefits as:

• international selling tools to help you reach a global audience

• a seller protection plan, so you can sell in confidence every step of the way

• PayPal as a safe and easy way to get paid

• a mobile app that allows you to list items and track sales on the go

As a professional seller, eBay has tools that will help you manage orders, track sales and build your brand.

There are two fees you may have to pay when you sell over eBay. First is the ‘insertion fee’. This is the baseline fee to list an item, which is normally a flat 35p. However, you can list up to 1,000 items a month (at any start price) without paying any charge.

The second is the final value fee. If and when an item sells, you have to pay a flat 10 per cent of the final sale price, including postage. This applies to every item, including those listed for free.

Finally, if the buyer pays by PayPal, it usually takes 2.9 per cent of the total sale price, plus 30p per transaction.

Selling on Etsy

Etsy is particularly known for handmade goods, and might be a great option if you’re turning your hobby into a business, like candle making or artisan crafts.

When you register, Etsy directs you through the process of creating your online shop and choosing your language and currency preferences. When you specify your language and location, your Etsy listings will be more likely to reach potential customers in your area.

You’ll need to pick a unique name, and once you have that you can start listing your products and building your shop.

Etsy takes a lot of different fees, including listing, transaction, and payment processing fees, so make sure you take those into account when you’re pricing your products. You’ll also need to think about shipping, and whether you want to take advantage of Etsy’s marketing and promotion tools, which also come at a cost. You can read about all the different Etsy fees on their website.

Selling on Bonanza

Bonanza may not be a name that you’re familiar with, but they claim to be – and have been voted as – the best place to sell online.

It doesn’t hurt that Bonanza is a lot more cost-effective than its competitors. There are no set-up fees and no listing fees. Even with Google shopping ads included, they come in cheaper than both Amazon and eBay.

On top of that, they also offer a customer marketing tool, a seller stats dashboard, and the ability to build your own web store. And if you decide to use Bonanza alongside another platform, you can easily synch up your shops.

Selling on Facebook shops

Facebook shops is a new addition to the ecommerce world, having only sprung up during the Covid-19 pandemic.

It’s a mobile first platform that caters to small businesses and is distinct from Facebook Marketplace, which is geared towards peer-to-peer selling.

Have a read of our full guide to Facebook Shops.

Selling on Instagram

Instagram Shopping allows creators to tag products in photos and for customers to shop and buy items without leaving the app.

As the platform first started life as a photo sharing mobile app, it lends itself naturally to showcasing everything available in your shop’s online catalogue. You just need to have a business account to get started.

Our guide to selling on Instagram explains what to do step-by-step.

Have you tried any of these platforms? Which do you like best? Let us know in the comments section.

The Thursday preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers draws closer so the Cowboys are hard at work out in Oxnard. Still no Dak Prescott throwing the ball, but the show must go on. Let’s check in.

A little bit of injury news.

This sounds promising for a defense that was awful last year.

A little more on the defense.

Another possible injury.

Zeke gets one on LVE.

Sean McKeon cashes in this scramble drill.

Keanu Neal getting it done in coverage.

Turnovers are key, so practice them we must.

Here’s a name not many are paying attention to.

Kelvin Joseph getting some work in.

Smooth.

You can always count on CeeDee.

Hi, I’m Randy Gregory. Nice to meet you.

Looks like the o-line didn’t quite get the blocking assignments right o this one.

Dalton Schultz wants to be TE1.

Nice pass breakup from Nahshon Wright.

The big man in “coverage”.

LVE getting in on the no-fly zone.

It’s always a nice thing when a player surprises at training camp. Maurice Canady is helping his own cause.

He’s a bad man.

Run defense? Yes, please.

Nice snag by Reggie Davis.

As we have been doing all throughout camp we recapped Sunday’s practice (with highlights included) over on the Blogging The Boys YouTube Channel. Make sure to subscribe to our channel (which you can do right here) so you don’t miss any of the videos that we are putting out. We will be having a livestream on Tuesday evening to recap practice and discuss what we saw!