Setting Up Custom Domains in Blogspot

A couple of years back I didn't even have the slightest idea that I would be hosting blogs on a .com domain in the days to come. Things have changed a lot since then, at least for me.

Let me sum the modus operandi for managing a domain for a novice like me who have just ventured into blogosphere.

Domain Name Suggestions

• Select any one you like or do the following
  
• SMS friends with a list of options to get their suggestions, my message was;
  

"Pl suggest a domain name

Linerkit.com

Pistongp.com

Pistonskirt.com

Crbush.com"

I got an almost unanimous conclusion in support of linerkit.com.

• Post your preferences on some tech forum to get proposals from members out there. My post on wiredpakistan.com was;
  

"Suggest me a domain. The options are

crbush

linerkit

pistongp

pistonskirt

For hosting www.engineeron.blogspot.com.

Is there any assurity that my domain won't be sold to anyone giving higher price?

Moreover, why can't I make smaller domains like f77 etc?"

Coincidentally, I discovered some free professional services of "Google Adwords" and selected enginehour.com to structure my web address on the basis of approximate monthly search volumes.

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

Domain Hosting

I selected creativeon.com as I don't want to use a credit card on my insecure desi LAN internet service. Placed an order on the following page and asked my accountant to credit their account in Standard Chartered Bank, Pakistan with 695/- PKR. My domain was activated in 24hrs only after I forwarded the requisite bank branch information to the host i.e., creativeon.com through an email carrying the machine generated invoice code.

DNS Hosting

Please note that I am a mechanical engineer by profession and am almost completely unapprised about domains and DNS stuff. Anyhow, creativeon.com staff didn't bothered to tell me that their domain hosting services are not bundled with DNS hosting service which in fact is the part and parcel of creating a web portal.

Search syntax "free dns hosting" on Google created everydns.net in the top ten results which I selected owing to the minimalistic home page design of the free DNS service provider. Please note that it has also been authenticated by blogger.com in one of its tutorials shown below;

http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=58317&ctx=sibling#everydns

After going through a rather simpler registration process I ended up on the following HOME page.

Following steps were performed to get things done.

1. Typed "enginehour.com" in the "Add new domain: (basic)" box and pressed the ">>(Basic)" button.
   
2. Pressed enginehour.com under the heading of "Primary Domains:"
   
3. Typed "www" in the "Fully Qualified Domain Name:" box, selected CNAME in the "Record Type:", added ghs.google.com in the "Record Value:" and pressed "Add Record" button in order to set the DNS hosting of www.enginehour.com.

1. Pasted http://mydomains.creativeon.com/customer in the browser which brought me to the following page where I entered the login information provided by creativeon.com.
   
2. Changed the name servers to following;
   

   ns1.everydns.net, ns2.everydns.net, ns3.everydns.net & ns4.everydns.net
   

   (I have noted that it takes almost 24hrs for these settings to take effect. So, please wait for a day at least before redirecting your blog towards the newly set domain in order to save on a complete day of hard earned internet traffic)

Blogger Settings

1. Logged in to my blogger account and pressed the "Settings" link under "Construction Machinery" blog.
   
2. Pressed the "Publishing" tab and then "Custom Domain" & "Switch to Advanced Settings" link.
   
3. Wrote www.enginehour.com in "Your Domain" place, ticked "Redirect enginehour.com to www.enginehour.com" button.
   
4. I don't know about "Use a missing files host?" therefore left it to default "No" settings and headed towards word verification and saved the settings.
   
5. This is it.
   

Troubleshooting

1. Now if 24-48 hrs have already passed away after changing the "name servers" in your domain's control panel, just press the "View Blog" tab. If everything has gone set then this is it. You have successfully redirected your blogspot hosted blog to the newly purchased domain name.
   
2. If you get an error message like "Server not Found" though the chances are very slim, don't panic. You only have to try shifting back to the original blogspot hosting and then repeat the above mentioned "Blogger Settings" route only.
   

(http://groups.google.com/group/blogger-help-publishing/browse_thread/thread/7ac9662a9b36e954/7ba327ef0e997724)