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Adding Email and Domain Names to your MosaicGlobe website

MosaicGlobe will provide you with a great website using our naming structure (<mysite>.mosaicglobe.com). This works for most site owners but you may want to add a domain name to your site and have the ability to create multiple emails with that domain name as well. This article will walk you through the steps involved in getting your domain name pointed to your website and getting gmail to work for your domain name as well.

Techy Alert: This process requires that you have access to your DNS settings. If your not sure if you do, proceed with caution. If you want a professional to do this for you, click here.

Overview

1. Purchase your domain name and setup email.
2. Prepare your MosaicGlobe account.
3. OPTIONAL: Create a Google Apps account to manage your email.
4. Point site visitors to MosaicGlobe.
   

1. Purchase the Domain Name
If you do not already own a domain name then purchasing one would be a good place to start. You can either use a reputable registrar (we recommend godaddy.com) or find and purchase your domain name through Google when you set up your GoogleApps account (Step #3).

Think hard about what that domain name is going to be, but have some backups just in case your first choice is not available. Hint: Your name is always a strong starting point if your want to market you services (example: FrankGoya.com) then if it's not available, perhaps something more descriptive (example: FrankGoyaArt.com).

If you are going to buy your domain name via Google Apps then skip to Step #2. Otherwise, set up an email account using your domain name or forward the email to an account you are using. Most registrars will allow you to do this. (example: frank@FrankGoya.com) This will all you need to provide basic email for you domain, however if you want to tie your email to a much more powerful email management tool follow the steps outlined in Step #3.

2. Upgrade your MosaicGlobe Account
Once you have upgraded you MosaicGlobe site to the Plus level, contact support and let us know what your domain name is. We'll adjust our servers to recognize the new domain name.

3. Create a Google Apps to manage your email
NOTE: If you are going to use your registrars email system then SKIP Step #3.
Step #4 will discuss pointing your domain name to your MosaicGlobe account.

Google Apps is a suite of powerful online applications  that are easy to set up and free to use. Google Apps includes Google Calendar, Google Docs, Gmail and more. For this article we're going to concentrate on setting up GoogleApps for Gmail. Gmail is a full featured webmail application with ton's of free storage and best of all - top of the line spam detection and filtering! [ Visit GoogleApps for details ]

If you have already purchased a domain name then you have already created an email address as outlined in Step #1. You will need that address to setup your Google Apps account.

The Process

A. Create a Google Apps account
Create a Google Apps account at http://www.google.com/a/cpanel/domain/new.
TIP: Use the email address  you set up in Step #1. If you are are purchasing a domain name via GoogleApps then use an email address you have access to such as gmail, hotmail or a work address.
A Sign-Up verification email will be sent to the address provided, click on that link to verify the address and log into your account.

B. Verify Domain Administration Rights
Once you have logged in you will want to set-up administrative features for the domain name. This will involve adding a CNAME record to your DNS. Follow the instructions provided by Google. NOTE: if you purchased the domain name via Google Apps this step won't be necessary.

C. Pointing your Email Traffic to Google: Changing Mail Exchange (MX) records
Now you have created your administrator account you are at the Google Apps Control Panel. As an administrator you can add more users (up to 100), each with their own email account. However, first we will want to activate your email. Click on the Activate Email link under the Email section.

Mail Exchange (MX) records control how incoming email is routed for your domain. Before Google can host your email, you'll need to change these MX records to point to Google's servers. Google provides very detailed instructions for a number of domain registrars such as godaddy.com. Select your registrar and follow the instructions and then select the "I have completed these steps" button.

NOTE: Keep in mind that changes to your DNS settings may take up to 48 hours to propagate throughout the Internet.

D. Renaming webmail: Creating CNAME Records
Now that your email is activated you can read your email online using a generic URL like: http://mail.google.com/a/FrankGoya.com
To use the custom URL like: mail. FrankGoya.com, you must change the CNAME record with your domain host.
To do so navigate to the Email Settings Page from the GoogleApps dashboard.
In the web address section is the temporary location of your webmail (example: http://mail.google.com/a/FrankGoya.com)
Click the link underneath that says 'Change URL' and choose a new location for your webmail like mail.FrankGoya.com
Follow the instruction provided to change the CNAME record with your registrar and then click the "I have completed these steps" button.

NOTE: Keep in mind that changes to your DNS settings may take up to 48 hours to propagate throughout the Internet.

4. Pointing your Domain Name to MosaicGlobe: Creating CNAME Records
Now you have your email working. Next let's point your domain name (FrankGoya.com) to your MosaicGlobe site (<mysite>.mosaicglobe.com). Following are some general instructions:

A. Sign in to your hosting account, and go to the DNS management page.
CNAME records may be in sections such as DNS Management or Name Server Management.
You may have to enable advanced settings to create a CNAME record.
Please contact your domain host directly if you can't locate the CNAME management options.

B. Either delete and Add a new CNAME Record or edit the existing CNAME entry for the alias (or unique string, host) called 'www' .

C. For the host name enter your subdomain URL for mosaicglobe. (<mysite>.mosaicglobe.com)

D. Add a New A Record that points to the IP Address that has been provided by MosaicGlobe Support

Your CNAME record is now configured to point to MosaicGlobe. Keep in mind that changes to your DNS settings may take up to 48 hours to propagate throughout the Internet.

Want someone to do this for you? Get professional help with setup.

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