Observe DNS Address Entry Conventions

One of the more frustrating steps involved in setting up a custom domain comes with entry of the DNS addresses, into the domain host or registrar's DNS dashboard aka zone editor.

Whether you are setting up a new domain, just purchased directly from a registrar - or re publishing an existing domain, purchased using "Buy a domain" - the addition of the proper DNS addresses is essential to successful custom domain publishing.

Sometimes, you just can't get the zone editor to accept what you are provided by "settings instructions". Other times, you enter the proper values, your update is accepted by the zone editor - and the Blogger Publishing wizard rejects your attempts.

Even after repeated attempts to publish your blog to the domain, you can get another "Another blog ..." error - maybe an "Error 12" or variant.

You may see "Another blog ...", in spite of your efforts.

This may be in spite of the fact that you are retrieving a new "Name" / "Destination" periodically from "settings instructions", and dutifully adding or updating the domain ownership verification "CNAME" Alternately, you may just be adding the base DNS "A" or "CNAME" addresses.

There are syntax conventions, for both "Name" and "Destination".

Every blog owner needs to realise that the zone editors have conventions for entry of both the "Name" ("Label" / "Host"), and the "Destination" ("Target" / "Points To") values in the DNS address records ("Zone Entry"). The conventions used will vary, from zone editor to zone editor - and the differing conventions will affect the success of your domain publishing attempts.

You may see the results of an error immediately, or later.

In some cases, the zone editor will immediately reject your entry, if you mis enter the value. In other cases, the entry will be accepted - but Blogger will reject your attempts to publish. Either scenario can be caused by mis entry of either the "Name" or "Destination" value, and your overlooking the differences between "absolute" vs "relative" addresses.

GoDaddy adds the trailing ".", automatically!


This problem is observed by some as the mysterious "period" / "full stop".

• If you omit the period, and it is required, the Zone Update may take place - but the Blogger Publishing wizard will overlook or reject the resulting DNS address.
• If you add the period, and it is not allowed, the zone editor will reject your attempt.

This can happen for either the "Name" or "Destination" value.

The problem cannot be resolved by Blogger / Google.

Here, I will note that this problem is one which neither Blogger nor Google can resolve. Whether you purchased the domain using "Buy a domain" - or directly from the registrar - if you use the DNS dashboard / zone editor wizard provided by the DNS Host / Registrar, your understanding of the conventions observed by the zone editor are your responsibility.

You, the domain owner, must determine the syntax requirements.

There are requirements for entering the "Name" and for entering the "Destination" values - and you have to find out, and adjust to, each requirement.

For some zone editors, with a domain of "mydomain.com", you will probably enter the published address - "www.mydomain.com" - as "www". This says that the "Name" value is "relative" to the domain URL.

You can't enter the domain root, "mydomain.com", as "mydomain.com" - as this would give you a DNS address of "mydomain.com.mydomain.com" - and yet another "Another blog ..." error. You will probably need to enter the domain root as "@" or a similar special character. This, too, is your responsibility to verify.

With other registrars, "mydomain.com" is entered as "mydomain.com". Nobody but the registrar can tell you which case affects your domain.

If you require assistance, be prepared to provide details.

If you are asking for help in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, and I am advising you, I'll be asking you for three essential values.

1. The BlogSpot URL.
2. The domain URL.
3. The "Name" / "Destination" values provided by the "settings instructions" document, or "Error 12" et al display.

None of these values are optional - and strict attention to accuracy and detail, in your reply, is essential.

If you redact any portion of what you provide, I'll only ask you again, to not redact details. And I'll repeatedly advise you to always copy and paste - never type by eyeballing - both the long and short tokens ("Name" / "Destination") in the "Error 12" et al displays.