My network admin has decided that all DNS changes should go through him. That is fine. I don't really have a problem with that. He had shown me how to update DNS, both internally and externally, and I had written down detailed documentation so that I wouldn't have to pester him when I needed a new virtual host added. I will have to add a bunch of new v.h.'s soon with changes in our web policy about department websites being hosted on their own v.h. I warned him about this. He still wants to handle it centrally, and, again, I can't say that I blame him. HOWEVER, that won't stop the number of requests that I get and that I generate.
The problem comes because we have a difference of opinion about the various domain extensions. We own the .com, .edu, and .net for our domain name. I believe that the .com and the .net should just be a permanent redirect to the .edu site. In my opinion, visitors just want to get their information and go. His opinion is that we should educate the public that the .com and .net sites are not the proper URL for our main website, and thus when someone reaches www.ourdomain.com, he/she should see a page that says something along the lines of "Please update your bookmark to www.ourdomain.edu." instead of just simply redirecting to the .edu site. I say, the more impediments to information, the greater the drop-off rate of visitors to our site. Its not like we aren't ALWAYS going to own the .com and .net domains so, from my point of view, there is no reason to educate. Visitors should just always be able to reach our website through as many means as possible.
The netadmin is concerned that if people aren't educated, then if they can reach us by typing "www.ourdomain.com" that they'll try to email their son/daughter at jgeneric@ourdomain.com. Now, here's a question. How hard is it to maintain the jgeneric@ourdomain.com and jgeneric@ourdomain.net aliases to jgeneric@ourdomain.edu? Is that a problem for sysadmins? The last place I worked, we had four aliases to our main email account AND if a woman got married and changed her last name (such as occurred with me) then I had 8 aliases (four aliases each for my married and maiden names).
He just won't see it my way and I'll certainly never agree to a landing page with a redirect. I think that makes it look like we don't know how to update DNS to properly and discreetly direct people to where they want to go. I don't think you can ever educate visitors, and certainly not by force as with this method. What do you think? What is your experience? Am I off base or is he? What arguments can you provide pro and con to not have visitors to the .com and .net sites automatically redirected to the main .edu site?
I say do a permanent redirect from the .net and .com to the .org, and don't bother with multiple exchange aliases. Chances are, the great majority of emails with either come from a.) Links on a webpage, b.) Staff members business card, or c.) Saved email address in contacts list/address book.
That's how I would handle it, anyway.
