I noticed that Rachel had purchased a domain name but not known what to do with it after that to get it hosted, put stuff on it, and use it for email, so I thought I'd start a thread with my experience - and since many of the forumites here also host things I'm sure there is lots of help/advice available.
In my case, I host:
http://www.bethlenco.com - Beth's art and Shamanic site
http://www.lecomteowners.com - LeComte Owner's site
http://www.ramoak.com - my original site, now just a link to Beth's and one for the new boat
http://www.chrick.com - photo album
I pay for the domain names annually (or bi-annually, or every three years, or whatever length of time I feel like renewing them for when they come up, actually), which is pretty cheap - less than $10/name/year - probably much less, I don't recall.
The domain name fee gives me the right to use the domain name exclusively - but nothing else. They aren't actually being used until I host them somewhere.
I use http://www.hostica.com to host for me - the 5-5-5 plan, which allows me 5 domains, more space than I seem to need, way more email addresses than I need, and more bandwidth than I seem to need, for $5/month. It allows me to run PHP applications against MySQL databases, which means the LeComte Owner's site, which runs on Mambo, works; the new Yankee 30 site, which runs on Textpattern, works, Beth's new blog, also on Textpattern, works, etc. They do have "safe mode" turned on, which means I can't use the most popular online gallery software, "Gallery".
A coworker uses 1 and 1, which I've just checked on again, and it's definitely a better buy. Here's a link:
http://order.1and1.com/xml/order/Hostin ... _lf=Static
They not only include the cost of the domain in the price, but at $4 or $5/month the space available is much higher, they'll host any number of other domains, have built-in gallery software, etc. And I believe they have "safe mode" turned off, which allows many more PHP applications to run.
I may have gotten a bit technical there - but here's the synopsis. If you want to host your own stuff, go to 1 and 1 and buy either the 1 and 1 Beginner ($3.99/month) or the 1 and 1 Home ($4.99/month), depending on whether you'd like to host 1 or 2 domains. It has gallery software and a blog built in, and you can set up email easily.
And if you have any questions about it, feel free to ask this thread or to email me with them - I'm not the most expert on this forum by any means, but hopefully I can help.
Hosting your own domain
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Chris Campbell
- Candidate for Boat-Obsession Medal
- Posts: 422
- Joined: Tue Jun 06, 2006 9:18 am
- Boat Name: Luna
- Boat Type: Yankee 30
- Location: Chester, NS
- Contact:
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Allen
- Candidate for Boat-Obsession Medal
- Posts: 349
- Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2005 5:26 pm
- Location: On the move
- Contact:
I have had my domain (kaholee.net) hosted at OneWorld Hosting for a number of years and am very happy with both the service and tech support. They have various plans which include mail boxes and other stuff. The control menu is easy to use, too, which is a plus for novice users. If you decide to give them a try, call them and they can help you with all the technical domain stuff.
http://www.oneworldhosting.com
http://www.oneworldhosting.com
Chris,
What a great idea for a thread. I would have been shy to pose my questions in a thread because of it maybe being off-topic, but when you think about it, being able to record and share images and processes about our boat work on the web is really key to a forum like this. It should probably be in the "tools" sub-forum :)
And thank you for the specific recommendations and description - I always find that sort of thing helpful when I'm just starting in to something, even if I might change the specifics at some point. It just helps me to get going when I have something concrete.
Here's a specific question I have:
I've had the same e-mail address, with the same ISP, for about 12 years. I haven't actually used my ISP for anything else in years, and in fact don't even live in their territory anymore. I've just kept it for the continuity, and because I'm not sure how to transition it. Here are the pertinent facts:
1) I don't mind getting a new e-mail address, but would like to keep the old one for some time and "point" it to the new one. The old one has been taken over by junk mail anyway, but this would let me make sure that old friends, registrations, and the like have time to shift over.
2) I have the idea that, if I have a domain name, I could have the same kind of continuity with the new e-mail address, because even if I get other addys, I could always point them to the new one. Is this true?
3) I have a major aversion to web mail, for a number of reasons, so I would like to be able to set up whatever e-mail address I choose as POP3 e-mail that gets downloaded all at once to my computer, and does not rely on my web connection for each little step of interacting with it. I don't mind using a free service, but I also don't mind paying a reasonable amount for the right product.
Again, thanks for the thread Chris, and for the added input to you, Joe.
Rachel
What a great idea for a thread. I would have been shy to pose my questions in a thread because of it maybe being off-topic, but when you think about it, being able to record and share images and processes about our boat work on the web is really key to a forum like this. It should probably be in the "tools" sub-forum :)
And thank you for the specific recommendations and description - I always find that sort of thing helpful when I'm just starting in to something, even if I might change the specifics at some point. It just helps me to get going when I have something concrete.
Here's a specific question I have:
I've had the same e-mail address, with the same ISP, for about 12 years. I haven't actually used my ISP for anything else in years, and in fact don't even live in their territory anymore. I've just kept it for the continuity, and because I'm not sure how to transition it. Here are the pertinent facts:
1) I don't mind getting a new e-mail address, but would like to keep the old one for some time and "point" it to the new one. The old one has been taken over by junk mail anyway, but this would let me make sure that old friends, registrations, and the like have time to shift over.
2) I have the idea that, if I have a domain name, I could have the same kind of continuity with the new e-mail address, because even if I get other addys, I could always point them to the new one. Is this true?
3) I have a major aversion to web mail, for a number of reasons, so I would like to be able to set up whatever e-mail address I choose as POP3 e-mail that gets downloaded all at once to my computer, and does not rely on my web connection for each little step of interacting with it. I don't mind using a free service, but I also don't mind paying a reasonable amount for the right product.
Again, thanks for the thread Chris, and for the added input to you, Joe.
Rachel
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Chris Campbell
- Candidate for Boat-Obsession Medal
- Posts: 422
- Joined: Tue Jun 06, 2006 9:18 am
- Boat Name: Luna
- Boat Type: Yankee 30
- Location: Chester, NS
- Contact:
Questions answered, to the best of my ability:
1) Pointing your old email address to the new one requires the cooperation of your old ISP - but hopefully they'd be willing to play ball. It's a simple configuration thing on their end, but they do have to do it (i.e. it involves an actual person entering the configuration), so you'd have to check with them. I should add a caveat: if your old ISP has a configuration panel you can access to forward it yourself, then it's no problem, for sure.
2) You can have as many email addresses as you like, all pointed to as many as you like. The number of mailboxes (where the mail is stored until you pick it up) is generally restricted, but not the number of addresses. I have two main mailboxes and about 250 addresses pointed at them (I usually create a new email address each time I sign up for something online since I want to be able to turn it off if it turns into a spam-collector). And I have provided Beth and my Dad with mailboxes and pointer addresses, and have room for lots more - all for $5/month.
Related information: once you own the domain, even if you decide to change where it's hosted you won't need to change your email address, since the domain follows you around from host to host - including if you decide you'd like to host it yourself on a machine at home or at a friend's house.
3) All the hosts I know of provide both POP3 and webmail, which I think is great. When I'm away and have access to a connected computer, but no way to connect my own (or I don't have my own with me), I can still get email through the web client. The rest of the time I can use Thunderbird (my email client of choice) to POP3 my mail off the server, setting it to delete when I move it from the inbox. Speaking of free - I believe that you can actually POP3 against gmail, which might serve your purpose, minus the picture hosting. That said, I personally don't use any Google services that require them to know who I am or that need cookies - but I'm kind of paranoid!
NOTE: having a hosted domain does not replace your ISP, since you still need some way to get online (of course you canuse hotspots to replace your ISP).
1) Pointing your old email address to the new one requires the cooperation of your old ISP - but hopefully they'd be willing to play ball. It's a simple configuration thing on their end, but they do have to do it (i.e. it involves an actual person entering the configuration), so you'd have to check with them. I should add a caveat: if your old ISP has a configuration panel you can access to forward it yourself, then it's no problem, for sure.
2) You can have as many email addresses as you like, all pointed to as many as you like. The number of mailboxes (where the mail is stored until you pick it up) is generally restricted, but not the number of addresses. I have two main mailboxes and about 250 addresses pointed at them (I usually create a new email address each time I sign up for something online since I want to be able to turn it off if it turns into a spam-collector). And I have provided Beth and my Dad with mailboxes and pointer addresses, and have room for lots more - all for $5/month.
Related information: once you own the domain, even if you decide to change where it's hosted you won't need to change your email address, since the domain follows you around from host to host - including if you decide you'd like to host it yourself on a machine at home or at a friend's house.
3) All the hosts I know of provide both POP3 and webmail, which I think is great. When I'm away and have access to a connected computer, but no way to connect my own (or I don't have my own with me), I can still get email through the web client. The rest of the time I can use Thunderbird (my email client of choice) to POP3 my mail off the server, setting it to delete when I move it from the inbox. Speaking of free - I believe that you can actually POP3 against gmail, which might serve your purpose, minus the picture hosting. That said, I personally don't use any Google services that require them to know who I am or that need cookies - but I'm kind of paranoid!
NOTE: having a hosted domain does not replace your ISP, since you still need some way to get online (of course you canuse hotspots to replace your ISP).
Thanks Chris,
I actually don't use my ISP to go online anyway. They're a small, local place and I pay for "dial up" service with them, but I now live about 1,000 miles away. I use wi-fi connections for my actual Internet use at this point, and if I do need a provider in future it would most likely be someplace different. So right now it's just so that I can keep my address.
I understand just about everything you said, and it's all helpful. But a question:
1) Okay, so I have my domain name and I pay annually for that through one of the domain services. That is already done.
2) Next I sign up for a pay service to use the domain name (this is called the host?). And I can have a bunch of e-mail addresses all pointing to one or two "main" addresses - that sounds good. I like your idea of creating new ones that you can "kill off" for uses where you don't know if they will generate Spam (I now get hundreds of Spam e-mails each day - argh). I pretty much get this part.
3) Now this is my actual question: Is it the host in #2 who is also providing the e-mail service? Or do I contract with a third party? I mean, not the mail program on my computer (I use Apple Mail and am happy with it), but the equivalent of a service like Gmail, or the @xxxxxx that I have with my current ISP? For some reason that's the part I'm confused on. I realize it may be dead simple, but...?
Thanks again for your help, especially because I realize my questions may sound idiotic to people who understand it all.
Rachel
I actually don't use my ISP to go online anyway. They're a small, local place and I pay for "dial up" service with them, but I now live about 1,000 miles away. I use wi-fi connections for my actual Internet use at this point, and if I do need a provider in future it would most likely be someplace different. So right now it's just so that I can keep my address.
I understand just about everything you said, and it's all helpful. But a question:
1) Okay, so I have my domain name and I pay annually for that through one of the domain services. That is already done.
2) Next I sign up for a pay service to use the domain name (this is called the host?). And I can have a bunch of e-mail addresses all pointing to one or two "main" addresses - that sounds good. I like your idea of creating new ones that you can "kill off" for uses where you don't know if they will generate Spam (I now get hundreds of Spam e-mails each day - argh). I pretty much get this part.
3) Now this is my actual question: Is it the host in #2 who is also providing the e-mail service? Or do I contract with a third party? I mean, not the mail program on my computer (I use Apple Mail and am happy with it), but the equivalent of a service like Gmail, or the @xxxxxx that I have with my current ISP? For some reason that's the part I'm confused on. I realize it may be dead simple, but...?
Thanks again for your help, especially because I realize my questions may sound idiotic to people who understand it all.
Rachel
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Chris Campbell
- Candidate for Boat-Obsession Medal
- Posts: 422
- Joined: Tue Jun 06, 2006 9:18 am
- Boat Name: Luna
- Boat Type: Yankee 30
- Location: Chester, NS
- Contact:
No computer-related question is idiotic - I generally feel idiotic for understanding them at all, actually! So...
1) Check.
2) Check. The hosting service will create a DNS (domain name service) entry which will propagate around the internet which says that if you're looking for rachel'sdomain.com, you will find it at their place.
3) Since all things directed at rachel'sdomain.com go to that host, they provide the web service, the mail service, and probably several other services (ftp, telnet, database, etc.). And to be even more specific - yes, the email is included in what you pay monthly for your hosting. Your new email address would be whatever you like it to be @rachel'sdomain.com. Your existing email, that you have with your old ISP, won't be hosted by the new people. It is still hosted at your old ISP, since the domain it's at is pointed to them. They can set up a forward from your old address to your new one, but the mail will still arrive at their place and get resent to your new place. Presumably they'll continue to charge you for the email address for as long as you want the forwarding to stay in place. Then, once you're satisfied that everyone is sending mail to your new address, you can cancel the forwarding with your old ISP, and stop paying their bill. Of course it would be a good idea to have that mail arrive at one of your pseudo-email addresses (like oldemail@rachel'sdomain.com or something) so that you can see what's coming in from them clearly. Most email clients (we have a Mac but I spend most of my time on my work PC, so I can't remember if Mail does this or not) can show you what email address something arrived for - a recipient column in the view. That way you can see which of your many addresses everything is coming in on, and you'll have a good feeling for when all of the stuff from your old address is just spam, and it's time to turn it off.
I hope I didn't get carried away with that - feels like I wrote more answer than there was question!
1) Check.
2) Check. The hosting service will create a DNS (domain name service) entry which will propagate around the internet which says that if you're looking for rachel'sdomain.com, you will find it at their place.
3) Since all things directed at rachel'sdomain.com go to that host, they provide the web service, the mail service, and probably several other services (ftp, telnet, database, etc.). And to be even more specific - yes, the email is included in what you pay monthly for your hosting. Your new email address would be whatever you like it to be @rachel'sdomain.com. Your existing email, that you have with your old ISP, won't be hosted by the new people. It is still hosted at your old ISP, since the domain it's at is pointed to them. They can set up a forward from your old address to your new one, but the mail will still arrive at their place and get resent to your new place. Presumably they'll continue to charge you for the email address for as long as you want the forwarding to stay in place. Then, once you're satisfied that everyone is sending mail to your new address, you can cancel the forwarding with your old ISP, and stop paying their bill. Of course it would be a good idea to have that mail arrive at one of your pseudo-email addresses (like oldemail@rachel'sdomain.com or something) so that you can see what's coming in from them clearly. Most email clients (we have a Mac but I spend most of my time on my work PC, so I can't remember if Mail does this or not) can show you what email address something arrived for - a recipient column in the view. That way you can see which of your many addresses everything is coming in on, and you'll have a good feeling for when all of the stuff from your old address is just spam, and it's time to turn it off.
I hope I didn't get carried away with that - feels like I wrote more answer than there was question!
No, that was just right! I now feel like I have a much better handle on it. Thanks!
I'll have to check to see if my current ISP will forward my mail, and then, as you say, just pay for both until I feel like pulling the plug on my original one. I guess if they won't forward it I can still keep the two, just "manually" keeping an eye on the old addresses, and making sure to notify people, or change contact info.
Over the last dozen years I've used my e-mail address for so many contacts and registrations that I can't remember them all.
Thanks again. I bet your explanations have helped others as well. Maybe pretty soon Britton will be reading all of our blogs instead of working in his own boat ;)
Rachel
I'll have to check to see if my current ISP will forward my mail, and then, as you say, just pay for both until I feel like pulling the plug on my original one. I guess if they won't forward it I can still keep the two, just "manually" keeping an eye on the old addresses, and making sure to notify people, or change contact info.
Over the last dozen years I've used my e-mail address for so many contacts and registrations that I can't remember them all.
Thanks again. I bet your explanations have helped others as well. Maybe pretty soon Britton will be reading all of our blogs instead of working in his own boat ;)
Rachel
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Brodie
- Master Varnisher
- Posts: 113
- Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2007 3:27 pm
- Boat Name: Starry Night
- Boat Type: Sea Sprite 30
- Location: Rhode Island, USA
Great thread! For the moment I have email and FTP capabilities through school but that will be ending soon and I've been wondering what I was going to do about both email and posting pictures. I wanted to be able to still use Eudora for my email and I do not like any of the free email programs (ie Yahoo, gmail etc). I will definitely be returning to this thread and asking a bunch of questions in a couple of months!
I think services like Photobucket were what made Britton make me ask the questions that inspired Chris to start this thread (whew, that was a mouthful.)
That is, Britton pointed out that many of these free photo hosting sites (Photobucket is one of those I think?) own the rights to your photos, and so why not host them on your own domain.
That said, I had just opened up a Flickr account the day before we started the discusssion. I haven't read where they own the rights to my photos, but I did see that if one makes one's photos on Flickr "public," that the images are searchable by Yahoo!'s image search engine (and maybe Google; I wasn't clear).
R.
That is, Britton pointed out that many of these free photo hosting sites (Photobucket is one of those I think?) own the rights to your photos, and so why not host them on your own domain.
That said, I had just opened up a Flickr account the day before we started the discusssion. I haven't read where they own the rights to my photos, but I did see that if one makes one's photos on Flickr "public," that the images are searchable by Yahoo!'s image search engine (and maybe Google; I wasn't clear).
R.
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Tim Mertinooke
- Skilled Systems Installer
- Posts: 200
- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 12:50 am
- Location: Massachusetts
- Contact:
That is, Britton pointed out that many of these free photo hosting sites (Photobucket is one of those I think?) own the rights to your photos, and so why not host them on your own domain.
As a control freak this is why I went this route.
I host two websites through www.ez-web-hosting.com and have done so for about eight years now. I pay about $15/month and have more space and bandwidth than I will ever need. If you use their templates and their sitebuilder, updating is a snap. I update my school website daily and it takes me less than five minutes. My sailing site however is pathetically updated I'm ashamed to say, and is feeling a bit orphaned at the moment...
www.mrmert.com
www.fuji32.com
Fuji 32 Ketch "Excalibur"
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Maine Sail
- Skilled Systems Installer
- Posts: 243
- Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2006 10:47 am
- Location: Casco Bay
- Contact:
I
I chose a different route. I use PBase.com and pay them $23.00 a year for my photo galleries and my blogs. I have not found a better layout for photograpy and it also works well for my "how to" articles. I currently have almost 1400 images online for only $23.00 per year..
While I don't have my own domain name "mainecruising" is tagged onto the end of the web address.
http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising
http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/boat_projects
Pbase is much easier for a web moron like myself and it's professional looking. I highly recommend it. They also have forums where you can get advice on everything from which camera lens is best to how do I embed an email address on my page..
While I don't have my own domain name "mainecruising" is tagged onto the end of the web address.
http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising
http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/boat_projects
Pbase is much easier for a web moron like myself and it's professional looking. I highly recommend it. They also have forums where you can get advice on everything from which camera lens is best to how do I embed an email address on my page..
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Chris Campbell
- Candidate for Boat-Obsession Medal
- Posts: 422
- Joined: Tue Jun 06, 2006 9:18 am
- Boat Name: Luna
- Boat Type: Yankee 30
- Location: Chester, NS
- Contact: