Question re: Domain registration for Power User

billtubbs

I'm new to smug mug, and am planning to get a power user account to share photos and videos with our family and friends. The power user level has EVERYTHING we would like to have, except the ability to have an external domain - ie, www.thesimsfamily.com instead of http://thesimsfamily.smugmug.com.

I understand this is a part of the pro user account, but I really don't need all of those bells and whistles. Is it possible to have a custom domain for a power user account? If not - is it possible to purchase that option as an add on without having to jump into the full pro account?

Thanks in advance for your assistance,
-Ryan

rainforest1155

Hi,

Unfortunately, customized packages aren't available and therefore, our CNAME feature is only available with a Pro account. You can still make use of your domain by simply setting it to forward to your SmugMug account. This won't preserve your domain name for your visitors, but they would be able to use your domain to get to your site.

I hope this helps.

Sebastian

digitalities

billtubbs wrote:

...
Is it possible to have a custom domain for a power user account?
...

I second the Ryan request. Power users have the possibility to completely customize the site (header and footer as well), therefore it make sense to have the own domain at this plan level.

Zenfolio which follows somewhat the SmugMug plan structure, they offer own domain at the intermediate level already.

I believe that there is a niche market of people aiming for this, but not wanting the rest of the pro features.

Cheers, Sergio

billtubbs

Thanks for the reply Sebastian... that gets me halfway there, in the sense that I don't have to give my friends and family some kind of cryptic site name.

As Sergio says - I would really like to have this, but have no interest in the other "pro" features, and don't want to spend all the extra money just for the domain feature (though I would be willing to spend a little more).

Anyways - I appreciate the resonse!

-Ryan

I Simonius

Do I understand right that power users can forward to their SM site OK and it will display
www.myreallygreatname.smugmug.com

as opposed to Pro users who can get it to display just
www.myreallygreatname.com

???

Andy

I Simonius wrote:

Do I understand right that power users can forward to their SM site OK and it will display
www.myreallygreatname.smugmug.com

No. www.myreallygreatname.smugmug.com (the www isn't necessary btw) is just a regular smugmug nickname account, and is the way all customer accounts look.

E.g., http:/davidrosenthal.smugmug.com

as opposed to Pro users who can get it to display just
www.myreallygreatname.com

???

Pro feature on SmugMug.

http://www.moonriverphotography.com

I Simonius

Andy wrote:

No. www.myreallygreatname.smugmug.com (the www isn't necessary btw) is just a regular smugmug nickname account, and is the way all customer accounts look.

E.g., http:/davidrosenthal.smugmug.com

Pro feature on SmugMug.

http://www.moonriverphotography.com

The reason I ask is that IM not makigng any sales ( I mean none) and whilst that in itself isn't a disaster I do wonder whether I need the pro account or whether the power user acc would do

I hope to get to the level of making sales in the future but see Ill have to make quite a few changes and that wil take me quite some time i.e. a year or so

So the only reason I don't downgrade right now is that Im not sure about the URL forwarding thingy

It doesn't reall bother me at this stage if folks type in 'mysite.com' and get 'mysite.smugmug.com' So can I forward 'mysite.com still with a pooer user account, is there any reason for me not to do that?

thanks

Andy

I Simonius wrote:

The reason I ask is that IM not makigng any sales ( I mean none) and whilst that in itself isn't a disaster I do wonder whether I need the pro account or whether the power user acc would do

I hope to get to the level of making sales in the future but see Ill have to make quite a few changes and that wil take me quite some time i.e. a year or so

So the only reason I don't downgrade right now is that Im not sure about the URL forwarding thingy

It doesn't reall bother me at this stage if folks type in 'mysite.com' and get 'mysite.smugmug.com' So can I forward 'mysite.com still with a pooer user account, is there any reason for me not to do that?

thanks

Forwarding is bad b/c site & gallery passwords and cart cookies will be affected. I'm sorry

http://www.smugmug.com/help/professional-accounts

I Simonius

Andy wrote:

Forwarding is bad b/c site & gallery passwords and cart cookies will be affected. I'm sorry

http://www.smugmug.com/help/professional-accounts

hmm checked te link but ...

Do you mean you can't set gallery passwords on a power account?
And Im not sure what you mean by 'cart cookies being affected..if Im not neededing to set my own prices for a year would that matter

(sorry to be dumb - really - I know it must be annoying.. it annoys me!)

BeachBill

I Simonius wrote:

hmm checked te link but ...

Do you mean you can't set gallery passwords on a power account?
And Im not sure what you mean by 'cart cookies being affected..if Im not neededing to set my own prices for a year would that matter

(sorry to be dumb - really - I know it must be annoying.. it annoys me!)

You will be fine. Gallery passwords and cookies work perfectly fine when you are doing forwarding. In fact, SmugMug has no way of knowing that you site was accessed via a forwarded URL. The forwarding occurs before any SmugMug page is ever requested; the web browser uses your smugmug.com URL to make the actual request.

Andy is referring to using frames to try and keep your domain name listed in the web browser address bar while browsing your site. Frames will break SmugMug's password and cart functions. But you don't even need to worry about that, because SmugMug automatically breaks out of frames when they are detected.

3n-out

I forward from my domain to my smugmug Pro account and have not encountered any problems. Of course I'm not selling photo's like I wish but none-the-less it is working great!

I Simonius

BeachBill wrote:

You will be fine. Gallery passwords and cookies work perfectly fine when you are doing forwarding. In fact, SmugMug has no way of knowing that you site was accessed via a forwarded URL. The forwarding occurs before any SmugMug page is ever requested; the web browser uses your smugmug.com URL to make the actual request.

Andy is referring to using frames to try and keep your domain name listed in the web browser address bar while browsing your site. Frames will break SmugMug's password and cart functions. But you don't even need to worry about that, because SmugMug automatically breaks out of frames when they are detected.

I don't think I would ever be using frames - or would I without knowing?
I thought SM didnt use frames so Im not sure why Andy mentioned it?