Confused about domain and subdomain mapping.

  • Unknown's avatar
    igregor · Member ·

    I’m confused. I have several wordpress.com domains. I also have recently added a wordpress.org domain to a website hosted by ipage (www.reclaimdemocracy.us). I’ve noticed some significant differences in the features that are available with wordpress.org compared with wordpress.com (fewer widgets, unable to shut off comments, others), and am considering moving the domain to wordpress.com and pointing it to ipage.

    But need to better understand what’s involved. I understand that this costs $12/year — correct? I also understand that I’ll need to point my nameservers to wordpress in order for this to work, and that I’ll no longer be able to use my unlimited email accounts available thru ipage. Is this correct?

    I’ve noticed that I might be able to work around this by establishing a subdomain under my domain account at ipage called blog. And that if I use this subdomain that I do not have to point the nameservers to wordpress — thus saving my unlimited email accounts on that domain. Is this right? If so, that’s what I’d like to do, but how to proceed? After doing this subdomain thing will the address for the blog be blog.reclaimdemocracy.us?

    Also, is there anyway to talk or chat with you guys/gals?

    Thanks.
    Blog url: http://www.reclaimdemocracy.us/

  • Unknown's avatar
    designsimply · Member ·

    First, check out this help page which we’ve made to explain the differences between WordPress.com and WordPress.org:
    http://en.support.wordpress.com/com-vs-org/

    $12/year is the cost to map a domain you already own to a WordPress.com. At WordPress.com, the basic blog is free but we charge a fee for optional upgrades like Custom Design which allows you to add CSS or VideoPress which allows you to upload and store videos on your site. You can find out more about the upgrades we offer here:
    http://en.support.wordpress.com/upgrades/

    You can use outside email serviced with a WordPress.com-mapped domain name. In order to do that, you should find out what DNS records, including MX records, your email providers will need you to setup if you change your DNS hosting to WordPress.com. If you ask them, they should be able to provide you with that information. Then, as soon as your new domani mapping goes through, you will see an Edit DNS link on your Store -> Domains where you can add the custom DNS records from your email provider to keep your email working.
    http://en.support.wordpress.com/domain-mapping/custom-dns/

    A subdomain would also work.
    http://en.support.wordpress.com/domain-mapping/map-subdomain/

    Right now, we only offer support through our contact form and forums.

  • Unknown's avatar
    igregor · Member ·

    Well, thanks! But, having read thru the references you provide, and having determined too risky the approach to edit DNS to salvage email, I think I’d prefer mapping to a subdomain. Now, does this mean that if I set up the subdomain blog.reclaimdemocracy.us on iPage that I can point any of my wordpress.com sites to that subdomain for $12 per year per blog?

    Thanks.

  • Unknown's avatar
    designsimply · Member ·

    What you would do is go through the domain registrar where you purchased reclaimdemocracy.us and ask for help setting up a CNAME record that points from “blog” to “igregor.wordpress.com” (or the blog of your choice). Then wait for the settings to propagate, which usually takes an hour or less in most cases. Then add blog.reclaimdemocracy.us to the Store → Domains page inside your WordPress.com blog dashboard to pay the $12 and finalize the domain mapping.

    The steps are also posted here: http://en.support.wordpress.com/domain-mapping/map-subdomain/

  • Unknown's avatar
    igregor · Member ·

    So, yesterday afternoon I set “blog.reclaimdemocracy.us.” (with period at end per instructions” to point to “igregor.wordpress.com.” (again, with period at end per instructions). But, now, when I attempt to purchase the domain map I get this message

    “Someone (maybe you?) already registered blog.reclaimdemocracy.us, but the domain is not pointing to WordPress.com.”

    What gives? Thanks.

  • staff-blorbo · Staff ·

    It can sometimes take a while for these changes to propagate. Now that it has been a few hours, would you please try again?

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