SmugMug without GoDaddy

Hiply

Given the fairly tight hosting integration and partnership between SM and GoDaddy I'm a little leery of starting this process...but between the elephants and SOPA I've finally had it with GoDaddy and want out.

Has anyone in the DGrin community already gone down this road who can offer me some tips? I need the whole ball of wax; domain hosting, web hosting, and email...so if anyone has some insights I would appreciate the help.

Cheers

docwalker

There is a delay between when you start the transfer to when it will show up on the new host. During that time, your domain, email, etc may be down. So plan accordingly.

The new host should be able to walk you through the process to help minimize the down time.

Make absolutely certain that you select a domain host that allows you to setup a CNAME for the domain to work correctly with your SmugMug site. There are a few scam hosts out there that either do not allow for a CNAME, or in some cases if you setup both a CNAME and an @ A record (so that the domain works without the www in front) the email will not work. Be careful.

During ElephantGate we had a customer lose their domain by transferring it to a scam site and then could not get it back due to the 30 day rule on transfers.

We can help you get the domain setup once it is transferred to the new host. Yes, we have a partnership to make it easier for customers to get a domain setup to work with their SmugMug site. But you can use any domain host that allows for a CNAME.

Hiply

Hey Doc,

Thanks for both the seriously speedy reply and the clear suggestions. I almost pulled the trigger on this during ElephantGate but let myself be lazy about it...SOPA has just pushed me over the edge.

Thanks again.

BradfordBenn

I also want to say that SmugMug has been very helpful with support for non Go Daddy registrars and services. I was able to get my custom domain working in about five minutes through reading their directions. There are many hosting companies out there but as Doc said, be careful. I asked all these questions before selecting my host. If they did not know the answer to the question, I just kept on looking. Now admittedly I did this many years ago before I joined SmugMug but still all of Doc's points are valid.

HDRoamer

Hi Doc (or Any Knowledgable Hero),
Does smugmug has any experience with Namecheap.com registrar?
Does/can Smugmug use the default nameserver of a new registrar or require? Or is that what cname does, translate/link through the default?
Hope fully you can interpret through what I'm asking... not totally technically savy in this area.

Can you make any GoDaddy alternative recommendations compatibility wise?

docwalker

I am not going to give any approval but Namecheap appears to work with SmugMug from the domains I have setup for customers.

You must use the default nameservers. SmugMug does not have nameservers you can use. The CNAME is what points the domain at SmugMug. We then connect the site and the domain using the domain listed in your SmugMug control panel.

Alternatives? I personally like setting up domains with hover.com Its pretty simple.

I would recommend you be very careful choosing one of the domain hosts that is trying to make a buck off of this issue. Some of the worst offenders of ripping off customers were the loudest screamers during the elephantgate scandal. They were the ones offering huge discounts to transfer but did not really tell you what you were getting. What do you mean DNS control is extra $?

HDRoamer

Thanks Doc!
I'm up for renewal so why not investigate, with political reason or not...

I can tell you and everyone else, aside from the political landscape and it's uncertainty, the time and effort I've put into research today is not worth it right now. Even if I did make a change, the meat and potatoes of Smugmug is still GoDaddy so what could I gain?

Namecheap couldn't even conduct a reasonable online chat and no phone number to call. They are probably busy with the current cattle call.

I realize Smugmug opposes SOPA per the November blog postings, and until a law is passed, and Smugmug establishes a new provider, I'm inclined to not resist now.
Knowing Smugmug and we the members rely on an incredible and stable infrastructure, I agree with your decision to stay with current partner GoDaddy.

The members will let you know when its time to change and I have not seen it here yet. If a new partner surfaces with enough trust that provides savings to the members,we'd like to know.

Instead our energy needs to be directed to the continued good work of improved interfaces and copyright protection through better tech.
Not a band-aid to blanket protect, punish and tax.

Thanks Again! Go Smugmug!

Andy

HDRoamer wrote: »

Thanks Doc!
I'm up for renewal so why not investigate, with political reason or not...

I can tell you and everyone else, aside from the political landscape and it's uncertainty, the time and effort I've put into research today is not worth it right now. Even if I did make a change, the meat and potatoes of Smugmug is still GoDaddy so what could I gain?

We support ANY domain registrar that allows CNAMEs. This is a lot of registrars! We just happen to have a partnership with GoDaddy to make it super easy for customers to get setup. But really, it's not that big a deal to get other domain hosts that allow CNAMES to make your domain work with SmugMug.

We're watching the SOPA stuff and GoDaddy very carefully. But they are a partner of ours and we're NOT going to knee-jerk. Right now, they've rescinded their support of SOPA. We'll keep watching.

Dan7312

http://www.no-ip.com is another to look at.

HDRoamer wrote: »

Hi Doc (or Any Knowledgable Hero),
Does smugmug has any experience with Namecheap.com registrar?
Does/can Smugmug use the default nameserver of a new registrar or require? Or is that what cname does, translate/link through the default?
Hope fully you can interpret through what I'm asking... not totally technically savy in this area.

Can you make any GoDaddy alternative recommendations compatibility wise?

sara505

Andy wrote: »

We support ANY domain registrar that allows CNAMEs. This is a lot of registrars! We just happen to have a partnership with GoDaddy to make it super easy for customers to get setup. But really, it's not that big a deal to get other domain hosts that allow CNAMES to make your domain work with SmugMug.

We're watching the SOPA stuff and GoDaddy very carefully. But they are a partner of ours and we're NOT going to knee-jerk. Right now, they've rescinded their support of SOPA. We'll keep watching.

I have been disturbed by this entire GoDaddy/Sopa episode. There are conflicting reports Re GoDaddy's stance, and it troubles me to watch a virtual lynch-mob go after a company. We are all aware of how easy it is for rumors to spread - like wildfire! - on the internet. I find the lynch-mob mentality very troubling. I have no idea what's really going on - what I heard was that GoDaddy said something like, "yeah, the internet does need some guidelines, it shouldn't be like the wild west," which does not seem like an unreasonable statement. Again, I don't really know what's going on, but I am bothered by the lynch-party. For now, I am doing nothing Re my GoDaddy account. Really? This is all worth destroying a company over?

Dan7312

I've got domains hosted at GoDaddy too, and no-ip.com. I've found that both have good,fast technical support, at least on the occasions I've had to use them. I don't have any plans on moving from either anytime soon. I think GodDaddy ui could be cleaner but once you get used to it, it's not so bad. For no-ip I've always been amazed at how fast they propogate DNS changes.

sara505 wrote: »

I have been disturbed by this entire GoDaddy/Sopa episode. There are conflicting reports Re GoDaddy's stance, and it troubles me to watch a virtual lynch-mob go after a company. We are all aware of how easy it is for rumors to spread - like wildfire! - on the internet. I find the lynch-mob mentality very troubling. I have no idea what's really going on - what I heard was that GoDaddy said something like, "yeah, the internet does need some guidelines, it shouldn't be like the wild west," which does not seem like an unreasonable statement. Again, I don't really know what's going on, but I am bothered by the lynch-party. For now, I am doing nothing Re my GoDaddy account. Really? This is all worth destroying a company over?

Malte

Andy wrote: »

We support ANY domain registrar that allows CNAMEs. This is a lot of registrars! We just happen to have a partnership with GoDaddy to make it super easy for customers to get setup. But really, it's not that big a deal to get other domain hosts that allow CNAMES to make your domain work with SmugMug.

We're watching the SOPA stuff and GoDaddy very carefully. But they are a partner of ours and we're NOT going to knee-jerk. Right now, they've rescinded their support of SOPA. We'll keep watching.

ElephantGate was a while ago. http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=194107

So if you won't knee-jerk, when will you do something other than "watch"?

DesptachesGallery

Andy wrote: »

We support ANY domain registrar that allows CNAMEs.

Andy - just an FYI - if you have multiple domains at godaddy pointing to the same Smugmug site, they remove the CNAME on the referral site. It's actually a forced move for referral site.

We have had this issue as recently as yesterday - as our domains can be spelled similarly (UK English vs US English). See despatches or dispatches on your search engine of choice.

For those of us overseas, even with .com accounts, it's disturbing to see this unfold, and as Sara and others say, we'd like some clear guidelines/TOS from SmugMug around this. We Pro people are spending a LOT of money every year with Smug - so time to give us a clear stance.

Hope this helps.

Andy

Malte wrote: »

ElephantGate was a while ago. http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=194107

So if you won't knee-jerk, when will you do something other than "watch"?

Is Bob Parsons the CEO any more? Don't get me wrong, I thought the ele-shooting video was just terrible. Again, we don't force anyone to use GoDaddy - it's just an easy way to hook up a custom domain to SmugMug. There are lots of others out there that aren't GoDaddy that do just fine with hooking up a CNAME to SmugMug.

And here's some recent news:
http://techcrunch.com/2011/12/29/burned-by-fleeing-customers-godaddy-no-longer-just-doesnt-support-but-actually-opposes-sopa/

sara505

Andy wrote: »

Is Bob Parsons the CEO any more? Don't get me wrong, I thought the ele-shooting video was just terrible. Again, we don't force anyone to use GoDaddy - it's just an easy way to hook up a custom domain to SmugMug. There are lots of others out there that aren't GoDaddy that do just fine with hooking up a CNAME to SmugMug.

And here's some recent news:
http://techcrunch.com/2011/12/29/burned-by-fleeing-customers-godaddy-no-longer-just-doesnt-support-but-actually-opposes-sopa/

Somebody please tell me how any of this (lynch mob) is any different than the shunning practices of old, or persecution without a trial. Or even the kind of censorship everyone is reacting to Re Sopa? You may be on the "correct" side of things today, but what if you're not?

Andy

sara505 wrote: »

Somebody please tell me how any of this (lynch mob) is any different than the shunning practices of old, or persecution without a trial. Or even the kind of censorship everyone is reacting to Re Sopa? You may be on the "correct" side of things today, but what if you're not?

I can't answer that question, but I was just trying to point out that in the last 24 hours GoDaddy has done a full reversal and now opposes SOPA... we'll continue to watch as things develop further.

Andy

DesptachesGallery wrote: »

...so time to give us a clear stance.

Hi and thanks for posting! We're not making any moves right now. Especially in light of this which seems to have happened in the last day or so. We don't force anyone to use GoDaddy - there are many registrars available that will work just perfectly with SmugMug. We will keep watching this and hopefully this new news about their opposition will prove out, publicly by GoDaddy.

sara505

Andy wrote: »

I can't answer that question, but I was just trying to point out that in the last 24 hours GoDaddy has done a full reversal and now opposes SOPA... we'll continue to watch as things develop further.

I realize that, Andy. It was pretty much a rhetorical question, anyway.

Andy

sara505 wrote: »

I realize that, Andy. It was pretty much a rhetorical question, anyway.

OK Thanks Whew, these debates are exhausting, aren't they? I'm tired and it's only 830am ET Happy New Year, Sara!

sara505

Andy wrote: »

OK Thanks Whew, these debates are exhausting, aren't they? I'm tired and it's only 830am ET Happy New Year, Sara!

I know, right?

Best to you, Andy.

DesptachesGallery

Andy wrote: »

Hi and thanks for posting! We're not making any moves right now. Especially in light of this which seems to have happened in the last day or so. We don't force anyone to use GoDaddy - there are many registrars available that will work just perfectly with SmugMug. We will keep watching this and hopefully this new news about their opposition will prove out, publicly by GoDaddy.

Andy - again - fyi - and re-read the post...CNAME's do not work on GoDaddy for referral sites - so you DO get tied into them.

docwalker

Pete,

Can you explain for me what you are saying? I have setup hundreds of domains for customers at GoDaddy. This includes some users with multiple domains pointing at one primary domain.

This also applies to any registrar and not just GoDaddy.
You do not CNAME the secondary domains. You forward them to the primary that is CNAMEd correctly to SmugMug.

Please help me understand exactly what you are trying to do and maybe I can help.

pgman

Secret of proper hosting

Hiply wrote: »

Given the fairly tight hosting integration and partnership between SM and GoDaddy I'm a little leery of starting this process...but between the elephants and SOPA I've finally had it with GoDaddy and want out.

Has anyone in the DGrin community already gone down this road who can offer me some tips? I need the whole ball of wax; domain hosting, web hosting, and email...so if anyone has some insights I would appreciate the help.

Great title to attract people's attention, but really... The first thing that you need to do is to start controlling your domain. This can only be done if:

1. You own a domain registry (unlikely)
2. Split the DNS services from your hosting. DNS is the Domain Name Services. This allows you control where your email, your web, your subdomains... are.

I use http://EasyDNS.com but there are others like http://OpenDNS.com. This is not free, but then you can do many things, like changing where your "stuff" is without being held hostage... You can do your own hosting with cable or adsl and point to the smugmug subdomain... which is what I do with http://www.foto-biz.com and http://photos.foto-biz.com

EasyDNS is not cheap, $40/year but there's somebody there that you can talk to 8 to 5 EST and that person actually knows what s/he talks about. If you don't know how to do it, hire some "kid" and ask him what does he know about DNS, if he can answer then he's OK.

DesptachesGallery

docwalker wrote: »

Pete,

Can you explain for me what you are saying? I have setup hundreds of domains for customers at GoDaddy. This includes some users with multiple domains pointing at one primary domain.

This also applies to any registrar and not just GoDaddy.
You do not CNAME the secondary domains. You forward them to the primary that is CNAMEd correctly to SmugMug.

Please help me understand exactly what you are trying to do and maybe I can help.

Hi Doc - with the second domain, I followed the GoDaddy/SmugMug advice to forwarding without masking to the "primary" domain. That never worked. I ended up calling GoDaddy Tech Support, and they mentioned the same thing - that you don't CNAME the "secondary". Anyway they ended up fixing it for us (I don't understand what they did). I just wanted to advise that as Andy was talking about CNAMES.

Andy

DesptachesGallery wrote: »

Hi Doc - with the second domain, I followed the GoDaddy/SmugMug advice to forwarding without masking to the "primary" domain. That never worked. I ended up calling GoDaddy Tech Support, and they mentioned the same thing - that you don't CNAME the "secondary". Anyway they ended up fixing it for us (I don't understand what they did). I just wanted to advise that as Andy was talking about CNAMES.

Cool - thanks for posting. Email us and we can show you how to do it. Write ATTN: Doc http://help.smugmug.com thanks.

DesptachesGallery

So, Andy, given the way that works and with regard to your referncing CNAMES before, does that mean that those of us with a "secondary" domain might be in a bit of bother if this whole GoDaddy/SOPA issue comes to a head?

Andy

DesptachesGallery wrote: »

So, Andy, given the way that works and with regard to your referncing CNAMES before, does that mean that those of us with a "secondary" domain might be in a bit of bother if this whole GoDaddy/SOPA issue comes to a head?

I'm not sure what you mean. We're not doing anything at all right now. GoDaddy has announced their opposition to SOPA. That's good. We're watching all developments.

You can use secondary domains with the right techniques with other registrars, too - not just GoDaddy. We don't force you to use any domain registrar.

kygarden

Don't know about switching from another provider, but I've been using Yahoo for my domain ever since I decided to get a domain.

Malte

Andy wrote:

Is Bob Parsons the CEO any more?...

No. Do they still keep "smoking hot GoDaddy girls"? Are their commercials still "too hot for TV"?

Andy wrote:

And here's some recent news:
http://techcrunch.com/2011/12/29/burned-by-fleeing-customers-godaddy-no-longer-just-doesnt-support-but-actually-opposes-sopa/

This flip-flopping doesn't help their credibility one bit, if that's what you're saying.

Malte

Andy

Malte wrote: »

No. Do they still keep "smoking hot GoDaddy girls"? Are their commercials still "too hot for TV"?



This flip-flopping doesn't help their credibility one bit, if that's what you're saying.

Malte

Personally I don't care for the commercials. And like I've been saying, we're watching this closely and letting it play out. But Malte, you and so many others will be waiting even longer for some long-delayed features that we're hoping to get out the door if we have to think about domain hosts.

To be clear, we do not force anyone to use Godaddy. We support any domain registrar that allows CNAMES and there are plenty of them

Happy New Year to you and yours!

Art Scott

Malte....I do believe that B.P. is still in control....he is still listed as the Executive Chairman and the 2012 Angles commercial might be as shocking as the 2008 but it should still bring a lot of presence to Go Daddy....

as for Bob Parsons' foray into big game hunting...no one ever complained about Fred Bear killing an Elephant with a 45# draw stick bow or the other numerous bears, deer and sheep....no one....i just do not understand all the moaning... One thing to remember is that 99.99% of all animals hunted are not fed any type of steroid or growth hormone...they are the purest meat you can eat......and we need legal hunters to keep the animals in check if we want to keep encroaching on their land to feed our egos of growing our cities and manufacturing plants and such....

good night to all...and

HAPPY NEW YEARS...MAY YOU BE BLESSED ALWAYS WITH AN ABUNDANCE OF LOVE, JOY, HAPPINESS AND PROSPERITY.