What is the final checklist before launching

  • Unknown's avatar
    topcat0206 · Member ·

    Thanks for your help! My site is ready to launch. Not sure what last items I need to take care of before making it public. Some questions.

    1. For social media, do I need to set anything? Or do the icons automatically link?
    2. My URL is hosted by another company. When I am ready do I simply need to point my URL to the “greenfootprint2015.wordpress.com address?
    3. Are there any last items you recommend I check before going public?

    Thanks for your great help.
    Tom

    The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

  • Unknown's avatar
    thatrobyn · Member ·

    Hiya Tom!

    Great work with the site!

    1. For social media, do I need to set anything? Or do the icons automatically link?

    Are you referring to the sharing buttons underneath your page/post content? If so, those will work automatically. If you would like your posts to publish automatically to your own social media accounts, you should set up Publicize:
    http://en.support.wordpress.com/publicize/

    2. My URL is hosted by another company. When I am ready do I simply need to point my URL to the “greenfootprint2015.wordpress.com address?

    You will need to: a) point your domain to your WordPress.com site AND b) add domain mapping to your WordPress.com site. Here are the instructions:
    http://en.support.wordpress.com/domains/map-existing-domain/#instructions-for-mapping-an-existing-domain

    3. Are there any last items you recommend I check before going public?

    Your site, including your widgets, your pages, and especially your contact form look great. Unless there’s anything you feel like you need to add, I think everything looks ready to go.

    I hope this helps! If you have any other concerns, drop me a note. Thanks much!

  • Unknown's avatar
    topcat0206 · Member ·

    Thanks. That was very helpful. And I have since changed the name servers with my URL host and my site is live.

    Now, what I think is a stupid question but one I need to ask anyway. Coincidentally, or not, since I changed the name servers several of my staff are having email problems. Unable to send or receive. Asia Registry hosts both my domain and my email. Now I don’t know how the name server change could affect the mail server, but I want to make sure that I haven’t inadvertently done something to create an issue. Any thoughts on this?

    Thanks so much,
    Tom

  • Unknown's avatar
    thatrobyn · Member ·

    Hello there!

    Coincidentally, or not, since I changed the name servers several of my staff are having email problems. Unable to send or receive. Asia Registry hosts both my domain and my email.

    This is most likely NOT a coincidence, and I’m glad you inquired about it.

    First off, when you do change your name servers, and when you do add your MX (mail exchange) records to your WordPress.com DNS, it can take up to 72-hours for the email to begin working properly. So, before you make any major changes, or start to worry, can you confirm that the 72-hour period is over?

    You may need to contact your domain’s host and ask the following:

    You are providing domain and email hosting for greenfootprint.co.th. The name servers for this domain are currently pointing to WordPress.com (ns1.wordpress.com, ns2.wordpress.com, ns3.wordpress.com). Once the name servers were changed for my domain, my email ceased functioning properly. Could you please provide me with the complete MX and/or other DNS records I will need to enter on WordPress.com’s end, so that my email on this domain will function?

    Feel free to copy and paste that directly :)

    Once you get all those records, you can add any additional records by following the instructions here:
    https://en.support.wordpress.com/add-email/add-other-email/

    Let me know how this works out, and if I can assist with anything else.

  • Unknown's avatar
    topcat0206 · Member ·

    I am a bit disappointed that I was not aware of the 72 hour issue nor about the loss of email. Apparently this is common so it seems that WordPress needs to do a better job of informing its clients about this issue.I did call my host and they informed me about the A records (?) that got lost when I changed name servers. My company email was down for 2 days before I figured out what happened. So I immediately changed back to the host’s name servers. And hence are back to square one, with no website, and with dozens of customers wondering why their emails bounced.My host said the only way around that was to obtain these A records I believe he called them and provide to them so they can update my information at the same time I change back to the WordPress servers. Is this possible? I do not want to go through another multiple day loss of email. It is too costly.Appreciate your advice on how to proceed.Kind regards,Tom Grimm+66-87-99-89-118Sent from Smartphone

  • Unknown's avatar
    thatrobyn · Member ·

    Hi Tom!

    Your domain’s registrar is where the name servers were changed. There should have been a notice about the possibility of some lag-time when you adjusted those with them. We have that listed in our instructions, but I’ll make certain it’s much clearer for future cases. Thanks for bringing that up. Generally, it only takes a couple hours for those changes to take effect.

    In order to use your domain for your WordPress.com site, and for your third-party hosted email to work with your custom domain:

    1. Your domain’s name servers should be pointed here, to WordPress.com. Use our name servers:
      ns1.wordpress.com
      ns2.wordpress.com
      ns3.wordpress.com

      This will connect your domain to your website.

    2. Then, your email host should provide you with MX records so we can add them here, and your email can work. You can use a portion of that quote I’d given you:

      Could you please provide me with the complete MX and/or other DNS records I will need to enter on WordPress.com’s end, so that my email on this domain will function?

      Once you get all those records, you can add any additional records by following the instructions here: https://en.support.wordpress.com/add-email/add-other-email/

      Once that record is changed, this will connect your email address with your website/domain as well.

    If this isn’t clear, and you need me to step you though anything else, please do let me know before you start the process and I can clarify, or allay any doubts.

    Thanks much!

  • Unknown's avatar
    topcat0206 · Member ·

    Hi Robin, please see the email reply from Asia Registry below. Everything seems to be done now and ok. The only issue remaining is why the URL shifts to the WordPress URL from my official one. Can this be adjusted? Thanks, Tom
    ______
    Hello Thomas,

    Thank you for your call.

    I’ve looked into what I can do for you following our conversation over the phone, and I have retrieved the A and CNAME records WordPress is currently using to deliver your site with them.

    I’ve gone ahead and changed the A records in our zone file for your domain to match what WordPress is using, so once propagation is complete your site should be pointing to WordPress while your mail is handled by us. This should make things nice and easy, since you’ve already submitted your delegation order with us.

    If you have any issues after propagation has completed, please let us know.

    If you have any further queries, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

    Regards,

    Joshua Verry
    Customer Support
    Instra Corporation Pty. Ltd.

  • Unknown's avatar
    thatrobyn · Member ·

    Hey Tom!

    Terrific. Great news.

    Now, you’ll want to make your custom domain your Primary Domain. Here’s how to do it…click on the link below:
    https://greenfootprint2015.wordpress.com/wp-admin/paid-upgrades.php?page=domains

    Then, click greenfootprint.co.th and make it your Primary Domain. Once that’s done, after a few minutes, it should appear as the URL whenever you visit your website.

    That will do the trick! Cheers :)

  • Unknown's avatar
    topcat0206 · Member ·

    Thank you, Robyn. It’s working now!!

    Tom

  • The topic ‘What is the final checklist before launching’ is closed to new replies.