Deprecated Domain Name Redirects Removed

[Son of a Beach]

Some users of the three OLD Domain Names for this site may have noticed that the automatic redirects to http://bushwalk.com have been removed. The affected domain names are:

• http://bushwalk-tasmania.com/
• http://bushwalkaustralia.com/
• http://tasmania.bushwalk.com/

When the bushwalk.com domain became the primary domain name for this site in November 2009, the others were configured to be mirrors of it, so that they continued to work seamlessly. Later in 2010, the mirrors were disabled and the old domain names were reconfigured to automatically redirect to the primary URL at http://bushwalk.com/ . Now those redirections have been removed, and those old URLs merely present a page informing people that the site has moved to http://bushwalk.com/ and that any bookmarks, favourites or links which point to the old URLs should be updated.

This change has been applied in these 3 steps over 2.5 years in the hope of making the transition as smooth and easy as possible on users of the old domain names. I apologise if it causes any inconvenience to people who are still using the old URLs.

The fourth step (maybe next year?) will be to cease serving up any web pages at all on the old doman names. By then, there should be nobody using them anymore. A fifth step, some time further into the future, will be to relinquish the old domain names altogether (and stop paying for them).

[Stibb]

I don't get it. why should you have to keep paying for the old domain names (if you don't want to)?

I mean, how hard is it for those who still use them to use the "new" URL???

And who is using them anyway??? Just stop using them
Just like that!

[photohiker]

And who is using them anyway???

Guilty

Domain names are dirt cheap these days, I'd keep them.

[Stibb]

I wouldn't have a clue how much (or little) money we are talking about here but I'll take it that you will pay for them from now on then photohiker

[Son of a Beach]

I don't get it. why should you have to keep paying for the old domain names (if you don't want to)?

I mean, how hard is it for those who still use them to use the "new" URL???

And who is using them anyway??? Just stop using them
Just like that!

There are a couple of reasons the old domain names need to be kept around for a while longer (and therefore paid for).

Firstly, for the sake of people who have been using them primarily up until now. Those domain names are still required to serve up the web page that says, "Hey bozo! Stop using this domain name, and go this this new one instead.". Without it, they would merely get an error in their web browser and might wonder if the site has simply disappeared into the ether. Hopefully, they'd do an internet search and find the correct URL eventually, but this way makes it easier for the users.

The second reason is that there are plenty of people out there who love to grab old domain names as soon as they become available and do nasty things with them. Things that could damage the reputation of this site, or otherwise irritate people who are legitimately looking for this site. The most likely things that are likely to happen is that such people would buy the domain name, and use it for a web page that displays lots of adverts, and not any useful content at all (but perhaps just enough content to keep people clicking on a few links looking for more, but only getting more adverts, and more hints of actual useful content). The other possibility is that somebody might start up another similar site to this one, legitimately, but attempting to poach users who are actually looking for this site.

So it's a bit complicated, and the best way to make sure that people are protected from this sort of thing, and that they get the best user experience possible when looking for this web site, is to retain ownership of the domain names, at least until all knowledge of those domain names has disappeared into worthless obscurity (which may be a number of years yet).

[Maelgwn]

I don't really care that te name changed years ago. I still call it Bushwalking Tasmania

[Nuts]

Good on you so do i.. still linked that way too!!

[Macca81]

I just had to change my bookmark... but my bookmark toolbar still has tas in the name

[Stibb]

And who is using them anyway??? Just stop using them
Just like that!

turns out I was using the old ones myself

[wayno]

or you could use the old domains to start your own alternative site that no bushwalker in their right mind would want to go near and thus avoid poachers.