Using Two Domains

Have you ever tried using two domain names on the same forum?

Is something like this even possible?

Do you mean serving the site so it shows as a different domain in the browser address bar?
Or do you mean having multiple domain names that resolve back to a master domain name via rewrites?
My Astro site answers on astrowhat.com, astrowhat.net and astrowhat.org. It used to do the same for dso.photo also, all mapping back to the primary.
Most paid scripts will require you to have multiple license if the site is being served on different domains.

Yes, and, and No, because it's against the license agreement for XenForo:

1. Grant and Scope of License
Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the payment by You of the applicable fee for the Software, XenForo Limited grants You a limited, non-exclusive, worldwide license to install, download and use a single instance of the Software ("License") through a single installation. Each License may run one instance of the Software, accessible via one URL; any attempt to circumvent this limitation is prohibited and will result in the License being revoked. Automated checks may be used to verify your License, including but not limited to installations reporting their usage to Us.

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For the Yes, I do use this to 302 redirect domain names (without masking) that have untargeted type-in traffic, relative to the forum I'm redirecting them to, to see if there is a better ROI over CPC ads.

Tracy said:

Or do you mean having multiple domain names that resolve back to a master domain name via rewrites?

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I don't use Invision or vB, but with these terms, I could pretty much say that this is universally against all license agreements.

Invision license agreement:

2. LICENSE SCOPE AND GRANT
In consideration for payment of all applicable license fees and subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, IPS grants you a revocable, limited and non-exclusive license to install and use the Software and Services on a single installation, accessible via one URL. Access to services, components, software updates and technical support require an active license. All rights in and to the Software and Services are reserved to the use and benefit of IPS and/or its licensors, successors and assigners.

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vB license agreement:

1. Software License.
Provided you comply with the terms and conditions of this Agreement and have paid the applicable license fees, vBulletin grants you a revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable, worldwide, limited license to install, download and use a single instance of the Software on a single website domain in a manner consistent with its designs and Documentation as further set forth below and not for purposes of resale or re-compilation, re-distribution, re-syndication, time sharing or use for the benefit of any third-party (the "License"). Upon vBulletin’s receipt of the applicable license fees, a unique license number will be issued to you.

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frm said:

I don't use Invision or vB, but with these terms, I could pretty much say that this is universally against all license agreements.

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incorrect
If you 301/302 rewrite
astrowhat.org -> astrowhat.com
astrowhat.net -> astrowhat.com
You are serving ALL your content off one domain, the astrowhat.com. You are not "showing" them as individual domains. You are simply using a 301 or 302 rewrite to send traffic to the primary domain.
There is nothing against the rules of any of the paid scripts about doing that.
What IS against the rules is having one installation that looks like it is on astrowhat.com, astrowhat.org and astrowhat.net... or even in my case of the old domain dso.photos, even if it is serving the same content. The URL is generally restricted to only one for use, ergo the rewrites required.

Tracy said:

Do you mean serving the site so it shows as a different domain in the browser address bar?
Or do you mean having multiple domain names that resolve back to a master domain name via rewrites?
My Astro site answers on astrowhat.com, astrowhat.net and astrowhat.org. It used to do the same for dso.photo also, all mapping back to the primary.
Most paid scripts will require you to have multiple license if the site is being served on different domains.

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I mean like having yourforum.com point at your forum component and then having yourresources.com being the mapped domain for the resource section.

It's abnormal to do something like that but can it be done?

Shawn Gossman said:

I mean like having yourforum.com point at your forum component and then having yourresources.com being the mapped domain for the resource section.

It's abnormal to do something like that but can it be done?

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Again, yes you can. But with most of the paid scripts you have will have to do a 301/302 rewrite and it still be the base domain.
As an example, I purchased a domain to use for a local astronomy group to remap to a part of my site that is for their use and was going to be managed by a friend.
If you go to etexastro.com you will be directed to the social group/club that was created on my site. Now, to keep with compliance of the XF license, it still has to be shown as astrowhat.com in the site URL.
I could just as easily create subdomains also to do similar with my XF install for the gallery, resources and such. But it's honestly generally more trouble than it is worth and it can also ding you on SEO for duplicate content.

Tracy said:

incorrect

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frm said:

Yes, and, and No, because it's against the license agreement for XenForo:

Click to expand...

frm said:

For the Yes, I do use this to 302 redirect domain names (without masking) that have untargeted type-in traffic, relative to the forum I'm redirecting them to, to see if there is a better ROI over CPC ads.

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@frm my response was to what you quoted from my post and replied to.

Or do you mean having multiple domain names that resolve back to a master domain name via rewrites?

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So saying that 301/302 rewrites are prohibited is incorrect.
Hosting the same site on individual URL's and that makes it appear the site is different domains is prohibited without additional licenses.
That is what got several folks with the multi-site XF add-on that was out. They did not read the license agreement and many were not aware that they were in breach of it since they had one install running multiple sites under just one license.

Tracy said:

@frm my response was to what you quoted from my post and replied to.



So saying that 301/302 rewrites are prohibited is incorrect.
Hosting the same site on individual URL's and that makes it appear the site is different domains is prohibited without additional licenses.
That is what got several folks with the multi-site XF add-on that was out. They did not read the license agreement and many were not aware that they were in breach of it since they had one install running multiple sites under just one license.

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You're confusing 301/302 redirect rewrites and domain masking.

frm said:

You're confusing 301/302 redirect rewrites and domain masking.

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No, I am not. Domain masking (or URL masking/domain cloaking) is another issue .. The simplest explanation for what is legitimate is you are sending traffic from one domain (or subdomain) to a primary domain that is consistent in its URL. There is no "masking" involved unless one wants to get into linguistic terminology since you are not hiding any domain behind another domain name. There are folks that work to sell snake oil that try to tell you this is something "new"...it's not. It has been done for decades.
There is ZERO attempt to keep the original domain in the URL browser bar.... which is what domain masking consists of. Those domains are redirected to a static primary domain.
All domains (and sub-domains) are redirected to a primary that is consistently shown in the browser address bar. There is ZERO attempt at showing the original domain in the browser URL, but the destination URL IS shown.

If you want to see a classic example of this... feel free to hit astrowhat.net or astrowhat.org and tell us all what domain is actually served.. hint.. it's a .COM version of that domain name. There is ZERO masking involved as you end up at the primary domain.