Hey Community! Last week my bot went way down. I was trying to install Hermes, something went sideways and my bot was not operational. However, there is a LESSON to this and I wanted to share this with you. As we get updates to our bots, make sure you ask your bot to create a current backup of your config. Your Bot will give you the correct code for your terminal. What does this do? If you bot goes down, and if Scout can only do so much, you can run the backup via the terminal. But, always make sure you are running the most current backup! Anyway, I hope this helps!

What the Heck is a VPS? (And Why You Might Need One) Hey Bot Squad! You've probably seen the term VPS thrown around in tech circles. But what actually is it? Let's break it down — no jargon, promise. VPS = Virtual Private Server Think of it like renting an apartment in a building. The building is one big physical server. A VPS is your own private unit inside it. You get your own space, your own resources, your own keys — but you're sharing the same structure as your neighbors. It's the sweet spot between: Shared hosting (everyone crammed into the same room — slow, limited) Dedicated server (you own the whole building — powerful, but pricey) VPS (your own space, your own control, without the full cost) What can you actually use a VPS for? → Hosting a website or app → Running automations and bots 24/7 → Setting up a private AI environment → Storing and accessing files remotely → Running software that needs to stay "always on" Why does it matter for you? If you're building anything that needs to run in the background — scripts, automations, agents, tools — a VPS gives you that dedicated space without breaking the bank. Plans start as low as $5–10/month with providers like DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, or Hetzner. Bottom line: A VPS is like giving your projects a home on the internet. Always on. Always yours.

During our last Google Meet, one of our members brought up Synthesia.io — and it's worth a proper shoutout. What is it? Synthesia is an AI video creation platform that lets you make professional-quality videos from text. No camera. No mic. No editing skills required. You type a script → pick an AI avatar → and it generates a polished video in minutes. Why it's worth knowing: → 240+ AI avatars (or create your own) → 1,000+ AI voices and 160+ languages → Turn slides, PDFs, or docs straight into videos → AI dubbing and video translation built in → Screen recorder for walkthroughs and tutorials → Live collaboration for teams → Analytics to track how your videos perform → Brand kit to keep everything on-brand It's used for training videos, sales enablement, onboarding, marketing — basically any time you need video content at scale without spinning up a full production setup. There's a free tier to get started, and paid plans begin around $18/month. synthesia.io Have you tried it? Drop a comment — would love to know what you think.

Hannah, my ProductiveBot, and I have been getting to know each other. I'm just starting out with a print on demand apparel business and honestly, I wasn't sure where to begin. Ever heard of Analysis Paralysis? I had it bad! So instead of figuring it all out myself, I brought my trusty bot, Hannah into my start-up process. I dumped my whole world on her 81 pages of brand guidelines, sample images, phrases I'd been collecting. And then I just asked: can we build something that generates ideas for new images and phrases? She said yes. Obviously, silly rabbit! My first order of business is to create product so I have something to sell either on my website, on TikTok Shop, maybe even Amazon, if the business model makes sense to my brand. Once enough products are made. I am going to see if Hannah can help me revise my website, the one I paid $6K for isn't really want I had hoped for. Instead of paying a lot of money to have someone re-do the site, I am hoping Hannah can assist! Then, there is my social media channels. She will help me create a marketing strategy for each platform, create the content and automatically post! The video attached is raw. No edits. Just me, Hannah, and the actual process of figuring this out in real time and inviting you guys to see it! Still early days. But this is how we're starting and I can't wait to see what she can do!!!!!!!!

I have been using my ProdBot for a few weeks now and suddenly I couldn't speak to my bot in Slack. I wasn't able to chat with my bot in the Web Console via the desktop, either. So, what did I do? I headed over to Scout, our trusty (FREE!!!!) ProdBot Fixer and it was able to fix the bugs or the code confusion with Hannah, and the Web Console. It is like sitting next to a Tech Ninja right by your side. If you have been wanting to try Open Claw and you are overwhelmed by setting it up, terrified of doing it in an unsafe digital environment, but you really need help with work, or you are starting to launch a new business. You cannot do it alone. I have a business assistant now, and I feel less overwhelmed even in the Start-up phase. If you have any questions, head over to the Community in Skool and send me a DM. I am more than happy to chat with you about my experience! Happy Bot'ing! Dar