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HELP!! Desperate to change CNAME and move blog!!

  1. itsdf
    Member

    Please - I am desperately seeking help - I am a newbie - non-computer person. I started a blog on WordPress not realizing I could not monetize it - along with other reasons, like simplicity ( can ya tell I need dummy-proof??) I want to move it to blogger.

    When I started the blog on wordpress.com I paid the $17 or whatever for the custom domain.
    I have email tech support and been sent links that tell me I need to change my cname - it even tells me how to get into domain management - which I can do - but there is no place where I can change or enter a cname!! I just want to move this danged blog from here to blogger. I can't call anyone cuz there is no tech support number and all tech support does is send me links that are written for people who understand technical info.

    If I could "cancel" this and start again I would but that's not possible in the computer world - I want this domain - but I want it on blogger, not on wordpress.com - because obviously I am not able to function here.

    Can someone help - either with a step by step or direct me to a video ( I've searched and cannot find one) or something!!???
    Thank you.

    The blog I need help with is speakerinheels.com.

  2. timethief
    Member

    I have no expertise to offer as I have never done this. I typed "How to Move From WordPress.com To Blogger" into Google and got this result. I take no responsibility for an inaccuracy. http://blog.medellitin.com/2010/05/ot-how-to-move-from-wordpresscom-to.html

  3. itsdf
    Member

    Thanks - I do appreciate it - but it doesn't help - # 3 in that post is the problem- HOW do I set up the CNAME? I even have links sent from tech support - and have had a programmer friend look and he has said they have the access locked off. It makes no sense! When I email tech support I get an email with more links.

    I can't be the only person on earth who has a custom wordpress.com domain and wants to move it! What the %$#^?? ( Not aimed at you at all timethief - just frustrated that wordpress has no phone number or online chat and even their email tech support takes 24 hours for each reply!) Thanks anyway.

  4. itsdf
    Member

    Ok - so I have a question /option maybe someone can answer. I keep reading the forum looking for help - seems like people are able to cancel their domains. I purchased this domain on 12/30/10. If I cancel it, will it become available so I can just re-puchase it from blogger or does it go into some yberspace holding ?

    Because if that works I will just cancel the dang thing and get it there. Does anyone know??

  5. timethief
    Member

    Perhaps the instructions in the support documents are worth examining for clues about what to do http://en.support.wordpress.com/domain-mapping/custom-dns/ Or maybe you will need to contacts Staff http://en.support.wordpress.com/contact/

  6. timethief
    Member

    BTW this thread has been flagged so Staff will take note of it.

  7. thesacredpath
    Member

    Unless you want to put your blog on a subdomain such as blog.mydomain.com, there would be absolutely no reason to mess with cnames.

    Take a look at this support document on domain management. It explains about doing c and a name records here.

    http://en.support.wordpress.com/domain-mapping/custom-dns/

  8. itsdf
    Member

    I have read all of those - and I keep saying - they make no sense to a non-techie ( except they all say you need to change the cname).

    The first thing I did on 1/3 was email tech support and explain that I wanted to change to blogger - I explained what and why in my email. The reply I got contained those to links.

    If you actually put yourself in the shoes of someone who is not savvy with this stuff - it is hard to follow - I did the best I could and replied, asking for more help. I got a one line back "did you change the cname?" I replied that I did not because I cannot - it doesn't give me access and besides that the links say you need to know who your domain is through- and wordpress is not a choice on the list!! I got another reply with different links and a note that the domain is through godaddy and I can get phone support through them. I call them and they say I do not have the domain on my account.
    I'm tired and cranky - it's getting ridiculous - I just want to take my danged custom domain to blogger. I guess it's an easier place for people who are less tech savvy like me - but this is crazy - nothing here has been user friendly and waiting 18-24 hours between each email from tech support is annoying as all getout . I appreciate you flagging this (my frustatration is not at you guys, I know you are trying to help) - it would be nice if someone contacts me directly.

  9. raincoaster
    Member

    If what you're trying to do is move a custom domain name to Blogger.com and you only purchased it last month, the solution is simple:

    You can't.

    You can't move a URL like that until 60 days past the purchase date.

    All we can do is refer you to Godaddy and Blogger for assistance in the meantime, because we cannot help you. If you bought the domain here, it's easy to redirect after those 60 days are up. Until then, it's not possible.

  10. raincoaster
    Member

    Oh, by the way, the reason you can't move it for 60 days is because it's US law. So no matter WHO the domain registrar is, they're pretty much bound by that. If you want to start blogging at Blogger.com, just get a Whatever.blogger.com URL and start blogging and when the time is up, switch the domain over.

  11. thesacredpath
    Member

    @itsdf, I'm not sure what is up with blogger, but I can point a domain from here to virtually any new host by simply editing the DNS records and pointing it to the domain name servers for the new host. I have absolutely no idea what all the CNAME and ANAME BS is with the blogger instructions. It just should not be that difficult (it isn't anywhere else).

    Short of contacting staff here about it again, I'm afraid I have no other suggestions. I've moved a lot of people off of blogger, but I've never been asked me to move anyone TO blogger.

  12. itsdf
    Member

    Thank you for at least replying.

    The issue of cname has come from WordPress tech support - not from me! I wrote a clear explanation of wanting to move my blog (and why) two days after I purchased it - sent it to tech support - and got back one line of typed directions to modify the DNS with link to pages you all keep posting. I tried and could not. So I replied to him. HI reply was this:

    Did you first set the CNAME as mentioned in the guide and then set the IPs as A records?

    I said I had not - and asked for more help - I got more links and was told to call godaddy. I did and was told they can't help me.

    I purchased the domain on 12/30 and wrote to tech support on 1/2 (maybe 1/1 very late at night - not sure). It took til late night 1/3 to get a reply from tech support.

    At this point, I appear to be screwed. Had I known this I would have cancelled in the first two days and re-purchased. Now, apparently it is too late to do that and I have to pay for hosting elsewhere.

  13. itsdf
    Member

    Howdy, aforementioned programmer friend here (I also did a few year stint as IT Manager (infrastructure) for a multi-million dollar company so this should not be outside of my comfort zone).
    The main issue we are having with this is being able to point http://www.THEDOMAIN.com and THEDOMAIN.com to anything other than wordpress. We can point ANYTHING.THEDOMAIN.com anywhere we want within seconds, no sweat, but that is not what we are trying to accomplish.

    The link that was provided by timethief and then repeated by thesacredpath works perfectly, just not for the ROOT domain and A record. This is for if we wanted to set up email, or if we wanted to point ANYTHING.THEDOMAIN.com so a site outside of wordpress. If one attempts to change the ROOT domain and A record, one will receive the message "A records are for subdomains only. We reserve the mapped domain's A records."

    What raincoaster says is somewhat correct, you cannot move a URL (domain name) *from one registrar to another* for 60 days, but you CAN point it wherever you want, as many times as the DNS' can keep up with, whenever you want. We don't care if wordpress, securepaynet.net, or goDaddy.com is the registrar, we just want to point it elsewhere.

    @thesacredpath, How are you editing the DNS records? That is where we are getting stopped. I am following this link http://en.support.wordpress.com/domain-mapping/domain-management/ and I would like to PARK the domain, but it never changes from the wordpress nameservers. I can change the nameservers, but blogger doesn't have their own nameservers (all the blame can't be on wordpress.com/securepaynet.net). Either route I go, I cannot change the DNS as "Total DNS: (Not hosted here)" appears where the manage DNS should be.

  14. thesacredpath
    Member

    All I can suggest is to contact staff here again. In the past, I've pointed domains purchased here to new hosting, but there has never been any requests to create subdomains from those people.

  15. itsdf
    Member

    Good morning (at least here in the states), aforementioned programmer friend here again :)
    Its a combination of wordpress.com not allowing one touch the main domain,
    securepaynet.net not allowing one to park the domains, and blogger.com not having their own nameservers.

    Here is what I did to correct this:
    1. Changed the nameservers (following this link http://en.support.wordpress.com/domain-mapping/domain-management/ ) to my own web server.
    2. Forwarded the address from my own web server to her blogger account.

    (3. [optional, in 60days] transfer the domain name to a real registrar, set it up properly (following this link http://help.godaddy.com/article/5112#parking ) and take my server back out of the loop)

    Posting this here so hopefully others may benefit, but I know most people probably don't have access to servers to bounce the name off of.

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