Domain Name Setup

Already Have Your Domain?

Email support@thrive.am with the name of your site and the domain name you plan to use with it. As soon as you hear back from us, simply sign in to the site where you purchased your domain and update the name primary name server to ns1.websrvcs.com and the secondary name server to ns2.websrvcs.com. If you don't know where your name was purchased, you can find out by searching for your domain at whois.

Manage Your Own Zone Records?

If you manage your own zone records (you know who you are), point your A record at 66.182.141.177. If you're using our email servers, point your MX records at mx1.emailsrvr.com with a preference of 10 and mx2.emailsrvr.com with a preference of 20.

Need to Purchase a Domain Name?

Good news! We can help you with purchasing a domain through our own Axletree Domains registrar where you'll find .com, .net, .org and many more top level domains at competitive prices. Even better, your Axletree domain will come pre-configured for our servers so there's no additional setup. 

Choosing a Domain Name

Here are a few guidelines to consider when choosing a domain name:
  • Keep it as simple and short as possible (graceumc.org instead of graceunitedmethodistchurch.org)
  • Make sure it is easy to spell, say, and remember
  • Only letters, numbers, and hyphens are allowed (it should be noted that hyphens are discouraged because they are difficult to say and almost always require you to spell the name out, something you will tire of very quickly)
  • Try to avoid odd spellings of the name unless they are actually part of your organization's name (because you'll constantly have to spell it out)
  • Consider purchasing the most common alternate spelling(s) of your domain name if it is spelled unusually or non-phonetically
  • Consider purchasing non-standard extensions to get the name you want (i.e. ".us" or ".net" instead of ".com") since many of the short, simple names are already in use in the ".com" and ".org" extensions
  • Consider stringing together a domain name that includes your organization name, any denominations or affiliations you may have, and the organization's location (city or state) so that if you are Grace United Methodist Church in Chicago your domain name would be something like graceumcchicago.com or gracemethodistchicago.com
  • If you want to use a catchy domain name as a "nickname" or for a seasonal or periodic event, register it in addition to your main domain name 
Think carefully about what you want your domain name to be. After you have chosen a name and it has been registered, most registrars will not issue a refund of the registration fee even if you cancel the registration before the end of the year. Once you've begun to use a particular name in public, it may not easily be replaced or forgotten in people's minds.