Appendix A. Domain Mapping

In This Appendix

  • Finding a domain name that suits your blog

  • Buying a domain name

  • Connecting your domain name with your TypePad blog

When you decide it's time to take your blog to the next level — meaning that you're serious about blogging, and you want it to show — purchasing your own domain name is an important step toward that goal. And after you secure your domain name, you'll need to map the domain to your TypePad account.

We just threw some serious phrases at you: domain name (which is the .com, .net, .org URL you purchase) and map the domain (which simply means that you want one URL to point to another; for example, you want your blog.com to point to yourblog.typepad.com so your readers don't see the TypePad reference in the URL). We know it sounds intimidating, and truth be told, this isn't a task for a blogging newbie who isn't comfortable with servers.

However, if you've been blogging for a while, are comfortable with your experience, and are eager to discover something new, we encourage you to buy your own domain name and map it to your TypePad account. Before you buy your domain name, though, we think it's prudent to consider how that domain name fits in with your blog's branding and your overall goals for your blog. Next, you need to know if the domain name is available for purchase and, if it's not, consider how that affects your blog's brand. If everything falls into place nicely, and you've purchased your domain name, the final step is connecting ...

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