Domain name with Blogger

[MomaChet]

Can I purchase a domain name, and add it to my Blogger journal?

[noricum]

I have no idea, but I'm guessing "probably", since we already sort of have our own domain names.

[Donna]

You can purchase a domain name and publish to it from Blogger, but you also have to purchase web hosting. I publish to yarntomato.com from Blogger.

[xantha]

Or you can buy the domain name and set it up so that it forwards to your blog. Many domain registration sites (like gandi) will handle your DNS and forward it for you.

 

However it means that while you will get to the site when you type in your new domain, once you get to the site it will revert to what the actual address is. If you don't want it to do that, you need to handle your webhosting (by paying for webspace or otherwise hosting it).

[Catana]

A little tack-on to what Donna said--as long as you are being hosted for free at blogspot.com, you will have to use that name.

[Donna]

A little tack-on to what Donna said--as long as you are being hosted for free at blogspot.com, you will have to use that name.

But if you purchase your own domain name (and hosting) and publish to it from Blogger, then you are not using blogspot.com anymore.

[MomaChet]

So blogger has two sides. One side is free: Blogspot. and the other side is paid for?

[Tiffany]

Blogger is free and blogspot is their free hosting site for Blogger blogs. Anyone can use blogger, but if you have your own web domain and host, you can have your blog published to that site, i.e. Donna's yarntomato.com

I bought my domain name from www.godaddy.com and I host at www.knitblog.com I still enter my posts at the Blogger website, but instead of publishing to blogspot, I publish via ftp to my server.

[MomaChet]

so what you saying, is your page right now, was once free on blogger? I am making a blog for my family to read while we are living in Hawaii. I wanted to buy a domain name to make it easier for them to find. BUt if I have to purchase a host, then I think I will just stick with the blogger. Thanks

[Tiffany]

You can do as Jess (I think ) suggested and just purchase a domain name. I think godaddy's price for a .com is $8.95 per year. You can just have that domain name forward to your free blogspot address. That way, your family will only have to remember http://www.myfamily.com for example instead of myfamily.blogspot.com.

[MomaChet]

Does the name of the domain, be the same as the blogger name? As myfamily.blogspot.com with kelsos.com? I just want to clarify. I CAN buy a domain name, and transfer it to my blogger account without having to purchase a host?

[xantha]

Does the name of the domain, be the same as the blogger name? As myfamily.blogspot.com with kelsos.com? I just want to clarify. I CAN buy a domain name, and transfer it to my blogger account without having to purchase a host?

 

I'm not sure I understand your question...

 

One way you can have a domain name that is easier for the other people to remember would involve these steps:

 

* you open the blogger account with whatever you choose -- say kelsosfamily.blogspot.com

 

* you then register a domain with a registrar -- say kelsosfamily.com

 

* after registering the domain, you go into the registration settings at the registrar to set up your "domain redirection" or "domain forwarding" (different places call it different things). Some registrars charge for this. I know gandi does not. When you set this up, it will ask you where you want your domain to redirect to. You then put in your blogger address (kelsofamily.blogspot.com).

 

What this does is when I type in "kelsosfamily.com" in my browser, it takes me to the kelsosfamily.blogspot.com page. It will then display kelsosfamily.blogspot.com in the address bar. But it means that all I have to remember is 'kelsosfamily.com"

 

This also means that later, if you decide to buy webhosting space/services you can change it so that the domain does not redirect to the blog.

 

* kelsos.com is already taken, so you would have to pick something else

* Domain registrars: I use gandi for my 7 domains, Tiff says she uses godaddy for hers

 

I hope this makes sense... I've done this so many times in the past when I didn't want to fully host a site on one of my servers, but I know it can be confusing to understand sometimes.