Transfer registrar, keep domain name

portfrankscameraclub · Member · Dec 31, 2011 at 3:05 pm
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I am involved with a non-profit group. We are using a webdesigner who has hosted our site through bluehost. We are unhappy with the designer and want to stop using her and bluehost, and change to wordpress. We do not have access to the bluehost password. We want to keep our domain name, which ends in ca. How do we do this?
justjennifer · Member · Dec 31, 2011 at 3:09 pm
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If you are referring to WordPress.com, they do not accept incoming domain transfers.

But it is not clear to me from what you’ve said whether you wish to host your site here on WordPress.com, the hosted service, or self-host using the WordPress software.

To understand better the differences, please read http://support.wordpress.com/com-vs-org/
lfs353 · Member · Dec 31, 2011 at 3:14 pm
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Why is it not possible to transfer a domain from an outside host to WordPress.com? I’d like to do this, but don’t understand why it’s not an option.
justjennifer · Member · Dec 31, 2011 at 3:19 pm
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Perhaps this thread will explain the why not (or not, but only Staff could say) https://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/making-wordpresscom-my-new-registrar-please-help?replies=9

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t map a WordPress.com site to a domain you already own. It just means you can’t transfer the domain itself to WordPress.com. See here: http://en.support.wordpress.com/domain-mapping/

Regardless, for the person who started the thread, it’s very important to clarify/determine where exactly they want to host their site before anything else.
portfrankscameraclub · Member · Dec 31, 2011 at 3:23 pm
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I want to host the site here on wordpress.com, just like I’ve done for the portfrankscameraclub.
justjennifer · Member · Dec 31, 2011 at 4:08 pm
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If you want to use the same domain, you’d first have to settle who owns the domain in question and you can do this by a simple WHOIS search. If you or your group owns the domain, then you might have a case with bluehost to getting into the domain dashboard and changing the DNS pointers and the password to the domain management area there. Personally, I’d start fresh with a new domain.

Once you’ve sorted that out, domain mapping is the almost the same, but I believe WordPress.com Support has to create a .ca zone record for you, if that is the route you want to go.
portfrankscameraclub · Member · Dec 31, 2011 at 5:55 pm
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Would I be able to cancel the old domain and then re-use the same name on WordPress?
justjennifer · Member · Dec 31, 2011 at 6:49 pm
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If you cancel a domain, it can take up to 90 days before it is made available again and anyone can buy it. These are ICANN rules. In any event, if you own the domain, I again suggest contacting your domain registrar directly.

If you have any other questions pertaining to how to map your domain, or buying a new domain from WordPress.com and mapping it, then this is the right place.
justjennifer · Member · Dec 31, 2011 at 6:54 pm
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Sorry, that should have read “60 days” not 90.
portfrankscameraclub · Member · Dec 31, 2011 at 10:19 pm
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I have contacted Namespro, who registered the domain and found that the web designer owns the domain. They have said that to have it hosted by wordpress, the owner needs to long into the account and update the DNS specifications of the domain to ns1/2.wordpress.com. But, if I understand you correctly, I would still need to map the domain, at a cost of $12 per year. Have I got this right?

By the way, thank you for taking the time to walk me through this. I have a wordpress.com account for another blog I manage, and liked it so well that I want to use it for this other site.

Much appreciated.
auxclass · Member · Dec 31, 2011 at 10:23 pm
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@camera

Yes – point name servers to WordPress.COM – done at the registrar

Then do the $ 12– domain mapping to a blog here that has your content.
justjennifer · Member · Dec 31, 2011 at 10:46 pm
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At the very start of this thread you mentioned your group was unhappy with the designer and wanted to leave her.

As the designer is the owner of the domain, do you feel comfortable having her in charge of the domain management on the registrar side? If it were me, I’d try to buy the domain from the designer or wipe a clean slate and start with a new domain. If things are amicable, then great; if not, then food for thought.

And you are most welcome and best wishes for a happy outcome.
portfrankscameraclub · Member · Dec 31, 2011 at 11:12 pm
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I would love to start with a new domain. However, we have advertised and promoted our group using this website name for several years, and other non-profits have helped us out with links on their sites, and I’m worried about changing it. If I can work things out with the designer, I think she would let us have the name without charge – but that remains to be seen! I’ll have to ask my Executive what they think about this, including the $12 cost for mapping.

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