Virtual Hosting
What is Virtual Hosting?
Virtual Hosting allows you to point one or more domain names that you have registered to your Expressions account. This means you can have a seamless domain name for your Expressions blog*.
Before You Start
There are a few things you should be aware of before you start.
- You must already have a domain name registered before you can do this. Expressions cannot register domain names for you. You can register your domain name at any number of registrars online. A few we know of (but have no affiliation with) are:
Go Daddy
000domains
Network Solutions
- You must be prepared for this domain name to map exclusively to your Expressions blog. For example: Say you have a web site currently hosted somewhere and the domain name you plan on using for your Expressions blog points to this site. When you update this domain name with your registrar to point to your Expressions blog, you will no longer be able to get to your old site by the same domain name. If you need this functionality, we recommend creating a subdomain exclusively for your blog and then pointing this to your Expressions blog (i.e. instead of somedomain.com you could create blog.somedomain.com).
- If you have email addresses associated with the domain name you plan on using, you must ensure that your MX records are configured properly to point to your email provider. We do not offer email services. If you have questions on this, contact your registrar / DNS manager.
Adding the Virtual Host
After you have ensured you meet all of the above requirements, you need to add the virtual host(s) to your Expressions account. To do this, go into your Account Prefs (click "Account Prefs" under "Main Menu") and type your domain name into the field under Virtual Host Domains.
Example: example-domain.com
You don't need to worry about the www. part (it will be removed anyway) but if you are using a subdomain, be sure to enter the full subdomain name.
Example: blog.example-domain.com
Click 'Add' and you've completed the first step!
The second step is to go to your registrar/host for your domain name and update your DNS settings for the domain name. You will need to point the domain's (or subdomain's if you are choosing to use one) "A" record to 83.170.75.220
If you are unsure how to do this or need help, you will need to contact your registrar/host for assistance as there are hundreds of registrars, each with their own tools and ways of doing things. You can email them with something like this:
I'm using Expressions (http://my-expressions.com) to host my photoblog and would like to map my domain name (<insert your domain name>) to point to their servers. To do this, I need to have access to my domain name's A and MX records. Specifically I need to point <insert your domain name> to 83.170.75.220 but retain my current email services. Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated.
Once you've updated your DNS for your domain name, allow 24 - 48 hours for the DNS to propagate around the world and you should be all set! If you have any questions or concerns, post to our Google Group.
* - It will be seamless with two exceptions. The 'comments' link will still point to Expressions (this may change in the future) and the tags links will still point to the Expressions-based subdomain. This is because tags are a community feature and, as such, must stay tied to Expressions.