Transitioning Away From SimpleURL
10/6/24
To my SimpleURL customers...
I have decided to end my simpleurl.com website and domain business over the coming months. The custom programming that makes everything work is nearing end of life and would need to be completely rewritten... (Message continued at the bottom of this page.)
----------------------------------------------------------------
Info & Updates: (Please keep checking back here and with Karthost for updates.)
Moving Domains - November 20 Update
I am no longer renewing domains. All the domains have been moved to KartHost. However, for a short while, you can still use your SOS domain control panels for making changes to your domains.
IMPORTANT: You should confirm that your whois domain ownership information is current for all your domains. In particular, be sure to check on domains that were transferred to SimpleURL. That's because eNom fills in my contact information upon a successful transfer, since they don't know yours. If you didn't update the contact information, then it appears that I own that domain. It's easy to fix now in your SOS account or at KartHost.
Just enter your SOS Domain Manager, click into each domain control panel, and scroll down. If anything is wrong, be sure to update it. Your contact information shown there is _NOT_ publicly available, but it confirms that you own the domain. Make absolutely sure that your correct email address is listed. I don't have any way to update whois information in bulk.
ALSO IMPORTANT: Please fill in your contact details in the account KartHost is has set up for you. Please see their transition FAQ page for details. https://karthost.com/simpleurl-karthost-page/
ONE MORE THING: KartHost used two different registrars. Your domains are with eNom Registrar. eNom does _NOT_ publish your contact information in the public whois. The other registrar does, so KartHost offers ID protection to those customers. You do _NOT_ need to buy ID Protection from KartHost for your domains!
Moving Mailboxes
10/31 update - all of the mailboxes are now moved to Karthost.
Karthost charges a bit more for mailboxes but when your term ends, they are kindly offering a 3 month renewal at the same price I have been charging - $5 for a 3 month term. I believe they will accomplish that by giving you a coupon code to use when your renewal comes up, giving you an opportunity to get acquainted with their service.
IMPORTANT: Please fill in your contact details in the account Karthost has set up for you. Please see their transition FAQ page listed above for details.
Moving Your Website:
If we provide hosting for your website, you will need to set up a new hosting account somewhere and move your website files to that new location. Karthost does not have a low level hosting offering that is likely to fit the needs of our current hosting customers.
Nevertheless, I can suggest that you take a look at A2 Hosting. That is where I have our hosting server, which will be decommissioned in several months. They have shared hosting plans that will likely meet your needs very affordably. I have confirmed that they will even migrate your website for you, typically at no cost to you. Here is a link to their offerings -
https://www.a2hosting.com/web-hosting/
Please investigate and take action!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To my SimpleURL customers...
I have decided to end my simpleurl.com website and domain business over the coming months. The custom programming that makes everything work is nearing end of life and would need to be completely rewritten.
I had planned to move to a generic platform for web services management. I invested some time, money, and effort into setting up and testing two different platforms. They would have worked, but I didn't find either to be a "simple online solution" for me to manage. As a result, I've decided to end my SimpleURL service after 24 years.
To help your transition, I have sought and found another provider whom I can highly recommend to you - Roy and Gail Randolph at
Karthost.com. Since the year 2000, they have successfully built a web services business based on professional and friendly customer service.
Beyond that, they have access to the same registrar and the same mailbox provider that I have been using for years. In my search to find a new provider, that was a priority because it allows me to make the transition simple for you.
Since we use the same domain registrar, I can move your domains to Karthost for you. You don't need to go through the hassle of transferring them somewhere.
And the same is true for those of you with our mailboxes. You can keep the same mailbox, with all its email intact. You'll just be paying Karthost at renewal time instead of me.
To be clear, you are free to do whatever you want with your domains and mailboxes. Nevertheless, my strong recommendation is that you choose Karthost to be your new provider. The move is simple and I believe you will be very happy with their service.
To that end, I have asked Gail and Roy to reach out to you. I have provided them with my customer email list, so please watch for future emails coming from them.
Going forward, I will provide updates and answers to questions on this page. You will see it linked from the SimpleURL homepage. Please keep an eye on this update page.
Thank You!
So that's the situation. My last service will be to help you get resettled. But at this time, I want to express my gratitude for the support I have received from well over 10,000 customers through the years. I appreciate the loyalty, the referrals, and the kind comments that have come my way over that time.
It has been my pleasure to have helped so many of you for so long. Thank You!
George Duggan
----------------------------------------------------------------
