FYI: You can now get to OMG! Ubuntu using .com instead of .co.uk (tho it's only a forward; the site URL itself is still .co.uk)
Ever wondered why the site is /not/ a .com?
Nah, didn't think so but I'm gonna tell you anyway!
I started blogging about Ubuntu in 2008 on d0od.co.uk. Things took off, so I wanted a pRoPeR domain.
As Ubuntu isn't my trademark (and I'm not a rear orifice) I asked Canonical for permission. They said I could only register a ccTLD (.co.uk), not a TLD (.com).
So I did.
BUT obviously someone then bought the .com, and used it to promote all kinds of WEIRD stuff to people looking for my blog.
Annoying - but I coped!
Fast forward to 2019 and they let it expire!
Now in reach (and being sure Canonical wouldn't sue me for buying it) I counted down the days 'til I could register it…
Only…
Someone else bought it before I could. Thankfully, they didn't use it for icky shiz, and instead set a redirect to the official Ubuntu website.
5 YEARS LATER…
The new owner left their job and, feeling it was no longer a conflict of interest to do so, got in touch to transfer the .com to me!
"Why not make omgubuntu dot com the main domain?" you ask — and I'll admit: it was my first thought too!
Sadly, I'm told (by people who know their stuff) that doing that is not advised. There's the best part of 15 years worth of links to the current domain.
But a .com forward to the .co.uk is, at least, better than nothing.
Above all, it's just nice to own the .com after all this time of regretting the fact I never plucked up the courage to buy it in the first place.
ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED
@omgubuntu holy moly, I remember the d0od days! What a time, congrats on getting the TLD for the site!
@tswartz07 Don't out yourself as being /that/ nerdy, man ;) Appreciate you sticking around that long though. Even I've boycotted myself 4 times since the d0od days. But yeah, it is very satisfying to finally have the TLD, even if it is 14 years and a few pivots too late to make the best use of it!
@omgubuntu Elon Musk did it
@omgubuntu why not to make a permanent redirect from co.uk to com? All links and seo will be fine.
@ipa @omgubuntu I was also wondering why it can't be redirected from .co.uk to .com instead.
@ProfessorCode @omgubuntu imho, it can with no issues.
@ipa @ProfessorCode It can be done, and is easy to do and configure correctly so everything works. The technical side isn't the issue. The issue is Google. From speaking to people in the field, the risks to SEO significantly outweigh the benefits. My site, and every page, has 15 years of "authority" - the second I change domain, that is gone forever. Search placings might recover in around 12 months, but they also might not. It's a tough one.
@omgubuntu @ProfessorCode that's what was my point above. From seo point it should not hurt, if just few things are done correctly. Set 301 redirects, change domain in canonical urls, and keep uk domain running. If no stupid mistakes done - all should be fine. :)
But I understand it may seem scary.
I anyway read news through feeds, so don't care about tld :) thanks for the good content.
@omgubuntu I think @ipa is right.
It seems you can set up a 301 redirect to transfer SEO from one domain to another.
@ProfessorCode @ipa Thanks for that, I'll watch it later. If it was a minimal-risk situation, I'd do it - .com looks so much neater.
@omgubuntu congrats! As someone who has been reading since the d0od days it’s lovely to see the site continue to thrive
@joel Appreciate you sticking with me that long, Joel
@omgubuntu Thanks for sharing the story! I did always wondered why you didn't use a .com.
@omgubuntu
Congratulations!