Bridgewebs is one giant online web site with the information kept in databases and pages built dynamically as required. As such there isn't an individual web site for each club and the normal methods of setting DNS etc do not apply.

However, it is possible to have a registered domain name that can be used to point to your web site home page. You may also need a domain to allow you to register emails.

There is a recurring cost for domains. This can either be arranged through Bridgewebs or you can do it yourself. There is no difference in operation. The Bridgewebs host, 123-REG provides domains and these days it is a fairly easy task to do yourself and little difference in cost.

If you would like to administer the domain yourself and use the Bridgewebs host 123-reg then

Go to www.123-reg.co.uk

• Sign up for an account.
• To avoid transfer problems in the future, make sure you sign up in your club's name and not your personal name
• Choose your domain and pay for it
• Choose "Web Forwarding"
• "Add Web Forwarding" - choose "Temporary Web Forwarding(302 redirect)"
• Choose "Framed Forwarding" - This is preferable because this leaves your domain in the address bar when users access it.
• Set the forward to e.g.. "http://www.bridgewebs.com/birmingham"
• Enter Title
• Enter "Meta Tag details". Comma separated list of words to find the club, e.g. Myclub, Bridge, Club, Lessons, Birmingham
• Author - "Bridgewebs"
• Description - up to 200 characters that Google will index
• [Confirm]

That is it, you will then need to wait up to 24 hours, usually quicker.

If you administer your own domain, you can also have your own email addresses. There are 2 types

• Email Forwarding (Free) - Enter an email such as secretary@brirminghambridge.co.uk and the email address of someone to forward the email to. This technique means you can easily change the recipient if there is a change in committee.
• Mailbox (Charge) - A full mailbox that can be used to send and receive emails. See the 123-reg help for details.

If you would like Bridgewebs to organize this, Complete the form at http://www.bridgewebs.com/bw/page7.html 
The cost is simply passed on to the club as an addition to the annual Subscription.

• For uk domains, .org.uk .co.uk the cost is £8 per year
• For International domains .com, .org, .net the cost is £14 per year (US$ 20 approx)
• For other country domains, for technical, legal and cost reasons, you will need to register and maintain these yourself.

If you already have a domain, you can

• continue to administer it yourself
• transfer the domain to the Bridgewebs host

If you would like to continue administering the domain yourself, use something similar to Web Forwarding as described above.

If you would like to transfer your domain, there are 2 techniques

For .uk Domains

• Go to Domain Control Panel
• Issue transfer Request
• Enter the TAG 123-REG
• Let Bridgewebs know
• Once it is transferred, it will be set up
• This process can take 24/48 hours

For International domains

• Go to Domain Control Panel
• Set the domain to be "Unlocked"
• Ensure the administration email is set for you or someone who can transfer the email
• Let Bridgewebs know and a transfer will be initiated
• You will then receive an email to confirm transfer
• Confirm Transfer
• Let Bridgewebs know you have confirmed the transfer
• Bridgewebs will complete the transfer
• There is additional security on transferring international domains and the process is manual/semi-automatic so can take 7-10 days

Technical Notes

• Domain renewal is usually for 2 or more years. For convenience, all Bridgewebs registered domains are automatically re-registered every 2 years, the cost is prorated as an annual fee, so Bridgewebs pays up front and recovers the remainder of the fee in the second year.
• The DNS settings will simply point to the IP Address of the server holding the Web Forwarding information