Question regarding custom domain names

DiverPiper

I see many sites powered by SmugMug - totally customized and great looking. I've noticed the owners email addresses remain person@domainname.com

I've owned my domain name for a while. If I point it to a Pro SmugMug account, won't I lose my email ability since the hosting company currently hosting the domain will be useless once I point the domain over to SmugMug?

How are others handling this?

Thanks!

Dan

DrDavid

Use pixie dust magic. It's a special kind called A, CNAME and MX record pixie dust. Applied in just the right way, you can have your www and mail too!

Just follow the directions on the help pages for setting up your custom domain and you'll be fine.

David

DiverPiper

Thanks Dr. David but that doesn't answer my question.

Though I am slightly amused by your sarcastic, vague response, it does little to assure me that making the switch to SmugMug is a good idea. I have a few days left on my trial period. If I can't get this figured out and make sure that the site will work the way I need it to, by the end of this trial, then I'll drop it and continue on the way I'm doing things now. I'm not about to shell out the money for a system that won't do what I need it to.

The purpose of my questions here are to quickly get the information I need in order to make a decision. Since I'm not familiar with the way SmugMug works, this is difficult to make.

Is there anyone else out here that can simply answer my original question?

DrDavid wrote:

Use pixie dust magic. It's a special kind called A, CNAME and MX record pixie dust. Applied in just the right way, you can have your www and mail too!

Just follow the directions on the help pages for setting up your custom domain and you'll be fine.

David

populus

DiverPiper wrote:

Thanks Dr. David but that doesn't answer my question.

Though I am slightly amused by your sarcastic, vague response, it does little to assure me that making the switch to SmugMug is a good idea. I have a few days left on my trial period. If I can't get this figured out and make sure that the site will work the way I need it to, by the end of this trial, then I'll drop it and continue on the way I'm doing things now. I'm not about to shell out the money for a system that won't do what I need it to.

The purpose of my questions here are to quickly get the information I need in order to make a decision. Since I'm not familiar with the way SmugMug works, this is difficult to make.

Is there anyone else out here that can simply answer my original question?

I don't think Dr.David was being sarcastic, merely humorous.

The instructions are here (http://www.smugmug.com/help/professional-accounts).

Simply put, all you need to do is add a cname record at your existing ISP to redirect your site to your Smugmug account. It's easy and it works.

Andy

DiverPiper wrote:

I see many sites powered by SmugMug - totally customized and great looking. I've noticed the owners email addresses remain person@domainname.com

I've owned my domain name for a while. If I point it to a Pro SmugMug account, won't I lose my email ability since the hosting company currently hosting the domain will be useless once I point the domain over to SmugMug?

How are others handling this?

Thanks!

Dan

Hello Dan,

DrDavid is one of the many volunteers around here who freely gives of his time to help others. Sorry if his attempt at humor fell flat with you.

You can keep your email with your hosting company (I do, for example - have my email at godaddy.com and they host my domain... www.moonriverphotography.com )

You don't need to lose anything.

If, after reading the link for cname help, you still have questions on how it works, please write to our help desk at SmugMug, and "Our Doc" (his name really is "Doc") will sort you out in no time

DiverPiper

Thanks Andy. I have emailed the "Help Desk" and await a response.

For the record. I'm sure DrDavid is a great person, and I have no reason to doubt his ability. However, his response to my question didn't come off as humorous, at least to me. It came across quite arrogant. As if to say, "I know how to answer your question, but it's a stupid question in the first place, so I'll just make some remark about it being magical... now go figure it out yourself."

I'm a pretty humorous guy and I like to joke around, but right now I'm looking for accurate information, and have a limited time to figure a ton of things out.

So, to DrDavid - I apologize if my reply to your reply was offensive. I meant no disrespect. I was frustrated at the reply and how it came across.

Cheers!

Dan

Andy wrote:

Hello Dan,

DrDavid is one of the many volunteers around here who freely gives of his time to help others. Sorry if his attempt at humor fell flat with you.

You can keep your email with your hosting company (I do, for example - have my email at godaddy.com and they host my domain... www.moonriverphotography.com )

You don't need to lose anything.

If, after reading the link for cname help, you still have questions on how it works, please write to our help desk at SmugMug, and "Our Doc" (his name really is "Doc") will sort you out in no time

DrDavid

Diver - no worries. I was trying to be humorous and I guess it was funnier in my own head

Seriously though, just follow the directions and you'll be fine. If you only change the cname, you MX records won't be affected at all. The two have nothing to do with each other.

In other words, alter your A and CNAME as described in the help screen. Do NOT alter the MX records or anything else.

It will "Just Work"(tm)

David

docwalker

Dan, I just wanted to make sure this is the same issue from the emails. I think we have everything under control?

DiverPiper

Thanks DrDavid - no hard feelings...

I understand the concept of changing the A and CNAME, but what happens to my site that's currently being hosted at my "domain name" at my current hosting provider?

Will I in fact, be paying for 2 sites while only will be visible at my domain name?

Cheers,

Dan

DrDavid wrote:

Diver - no worries. I was trying to be humorous and I guess it was funnier in my own head

Seriously though, just follow the directions and you'll be fine. If you only change the cname, you MX records won't be affected at all. The two have nothing to do with each other.

In other words, alter your A and CNAME as described in the help screen. Do NOT alter the MX records or anything else.

It will "Just Work"(tm)

David

DrDavid

Depends on how you do it. If you send the A and CNAME (www) to smugmug, and leave no a record (for example "blog") pointing to your existing website, then, yes. It will be a waste of money.

OR you can use photos.yourdomain.com and point only THAT as a cname to smugmug and then both will work (but, to get to SM, you'd need to go to photos.yourdomain.com vs. www. or youdomain.com). Get it?

If you want to get rid of the first website, just transfer the domain to godaddy first, then cancel the hosting service. Godaddy includes full DNS control.

David

DiverPiper

OK, now we're getting somewhere.

Now, if I kill the first website and have the DNS point to SM. Then I will lose the ability to email from my domain, correct?

DrDavid wrote:

Depends on how you do it. If you send the A and CNAME (www) to smugmug, and leave no a record (for example "blog") pointing to your existing website, then, yes. It will be a waste of money.

OR you can use photos.yourdomain.com and point only THAT as a cname to smugmug and then both will work (but, to get to SM, you'd need to go to photos.yourdomain.com vs. www. or youdomain.com). Get it?

If you want to get rid of the first website, just transfer the domain to godaddy first, then cancel the hosting service. Godaddy includes full DNS control.

David

Andy

DiverPiper wrote:

OK, now we're getting somewhere.

Now, if I kill the first website and have the DNS point to SM. Then I will lose the ability to email from my domain, correct?

Hi, you don't kill any DNS You're just setting up a CNAME Alias - MX records (email) aren't affected.

Let Doc from our staff help you out

DiverPiper

Yes, but then as DrDavid said... The first site would still be active. I'd still be paying "hosting company A" for a site being hosted that is no longer being seen when you type in my domain. Instead you are seeing my SM account. Right?

Andy wrote:

Hi, you don't kill any DNS You're just setting up a CNAME Alias - MX records (email) aren't affected.

Let Doc from our staff help you out

docwalker

Dan, as I said in my last email. Once you point the domain over using the DNS settings, you can close the web hosting. Just do not close the domain hosting.

DiverPiper

Hey Doc,

Just emailed you.

By the way, yer icon is great. I used to own a website called kiltedmadman.com

Anyway, I understand what you're saying. But my domain hosting company and web hosting company are the same company. That's why I'm confused. I would need them to shut down the web hosting and continue to offer email and DNS support for my domain... just pointing it over to SM, correct?

Sorry if I'm makin you guys crazy. I'm an artist, not a web guy, so this quite foreign to me.

docwalker wrote:

Dan, as I said in my last email. Once you point the domain over using the DNS settings, you can close the web hosting. Just do not close the domain hosting.

docwalker

That is correct. They should be able to turn off the web hosting but leave the domain hosting and email in place.

Did you ever hang out over at xmarksthescot?

DiverPiper

That name sounds really, really familiar but I'm not sure why at the moment. Can that be a MySpace name by chance?

docwalker wrote:

That is correct. They should be able to turn off the web hosting but leave the domain hosting and email in place.

Did you ever hang out over at xmarksthescot?

docwalker

Its a forum for kilt wearers: http://www.xmarksthescot.com/

DiverPiper

Oh. I think there's someone in my MySpace list by that exact name.

docwalker wrote:

Its a forum for kilt wearers: http://www.xmarksthescot.com/