Links using old forum domain are broken

[Gabe Davis]

I'm not sure who should be made aware of this but I wanted to make sure it was pointed out.

After the recent server changes it looks like there is now a new domain name, forums.cadillaclasalle.club, where things are now hosted. Existing links, from search engines or links to other posts, go to forums.cadillaclasalleclub.org. Can requests to the old domain be forwarded to the new domain so all of these links still function properly?

It looks like there is a redirect in place for forums.cadillaclasalleclub.org to forums.cadillaclasalle.club at the top level. But if there is a specific page the 404 error happens.

The 404 message is displayed when clicking them.

[Jason Edge]

Either link works for me but I generally use the forwarded email forums.cadillaclasalleclub.org as it is easier for me to remember.

For technical issues with the main website or our forums, please contact our webmaster. His and other contacts are listed on the main website (cadillaclasalleclub.org) under the contacts drop down. To get to webmaster click on Support Staff. The email address is webmaster@cadillaclasalleclub.org There is also a phone number listed, however, I would use the email contact first.

[Stefan Bartelski (CLC Webmaster)]

Gabe, 
The redirect ought to work for all use of the "old" URL, with or without a specific page. Can you send me the exact URL that you use when the 404 message appears so I can do further research.

Stefan

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

Even using the new domain, a security issue is continuing to block access to the Discussion forum website. Rebooting my modem will restore access only temporarily.

The message I'm getting is the site cannot provide a secure connection. My internet provider is Comcast.

[cadman59]

Gabe,
The redirect ought to work for all use of the "old" URL, with or without a specific page. Can you send me the exact URL that you use when the 404 message appears so I can do further research.

Stefan

This one for example, found by Google when I was searching for 1959 Cadillac Master Cylinder Cap:

https://forums.cadillaclasalleclub.org/index.php?topic=106634.0

I do not have the problems mentioned by others, when opening the forum website in the regular way. But I am in Europe, maybe that has something to do with it.

Feiko

[Clewisiii]

I think he means with a Google search.

I have Google searched a certain part or topic. Google shows a result but has cached the link to the old forum. So when I click the Google result it gives me an error.

[Lexi]

When I search for an old CLC Forum topic on Google, I get the same 404 Error message that Gabe and Cadman59 posted. Clay/Lexi

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

When I search for an old CLC Forum topic on Google, I get the same 404 Error message that Gabe and Cadman59 posted. Clay/Lexi

I've noticed that as well.

[Gabe Davis]

The redirect ought to work for all use of the "old" URL, with or without a specific page. Can you send me the exact URL that you use when the 404 message appears so I can do further research.

As others have reiterated, results from search engines do not work with the old domain.

Here is an example of a link in a post on the forum to another post on the forum. There was a thread about 1960 Exhaust systems that I posted a link to a thread that I had created to try and help with more information. The link to that thread is now broken. The post was made well before the server change.

https://forums.cadillaclasalle.club/index.php?topic=173832.msg551717#msg551717

[Lexi]

Google search for pre-new server topics, not found and with the above noted 404 Error message. When logged in the CLC Forum I can search old topics and locate them. But...there was still a problem. The link below I found through the current Forum. See post #4, which is mine on revised Cadillac alignment specs. At the end of my post, I had a link to an earlier CLC Forum post where this topic had previously been discussed. The problem there is when you click on the link in Post #4, the same 404 Error message comes up! Hope Stefan sees these posts. Clay/Lexi

https://forums.cadillaclasalle.club/index.php?topic=167480.msg513242#msg513242

Note: This situation is what Gabe reported above, as if the link is now broken.

[Lexi]

Gabe,
The redirect ought to work for all use of the "old" URL, with or without a specific page. Can you send me the exact URL that you use when the 404 message appears so I can do further research.

Stefan

Good day Stefan. See Mine as well as Gabe's above posts, #8 and #9, regarding this. Hope this helps in explaining these issues. Clay/Lexi

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

I hope the search issue can be solved as I've always found google to be a more effective search tool than the search bar within the Discussion forum itself.

[Highwayman68]

I had the same problem with a link from a Google search for our forum.

[Lexi]

I hope the search issue can be solved as I've always found google to be a more effective search tool than the search bar within the Discussion forum itself.

Exactly. The Forum's search engine has always been iffy at the best of times. It is not very intuitive. Clay/Lexi

[Roger Zimmermann]

I'm experiencing the same issue. I kept some links to the "old" CLC forum; when I try to activate them, I'm getting the 404 error message.

[Jason Edge]

I have never used Google to find anything on the CLC Forums and have always used the internal search engine.
With that said and jumping the gun a bit before we hear back from Stefan I did a little research and and think I have at least a generic idea of what is happening & a quick fix: 
- Google uses these previously built indexed searches and is pointing you to the old URL.
- In time, I think Google refreshes it's indexes but can take up to 90 days!

==> I stopped with that little bit of info as that sort of confirmed what I thought was happening.
==> Then I thought if we kept the URL name structure at the right that includes the message #, perhaps we can just change the URL to the new name format.

So I did a search on "1941 Cadillac Engine CLC" and came up with the following and the 404 error you are all getting:
https://forums.cadillaclasalleclub.org/index.php?topic=136423.0

The Fix: I then simply deleted the .org and put a period between cadillaclasalle & club to give the following URL:
https://forums.cadillaclasalle.club/index.php?topic=136423.0

This seems to work, at least with my first search, and would be an interim solution until Google updates its Indexes or Stefan works some other type magic.

Some of you have indicated you have saved links to the old forum before moving to our current host, and would suggest plugging them in and making the change to the URL name.

[Clewisiii]

To me the only issue is for new people who have not found us yet.

They go to Google to research something on their new classic car purchase and get send to a broken link thinking it is a defunct forum.

Normally when I look at the page statistics on the bottom of the home screen there would be 6-10 members using the forum and a hundred guests who found us on Google. Last night when I looked there were only 6 guests. I should have checked how many there were before I started this post.

[Clewisiii]

17 who have found us without being members. I think this is lower then traditional numbers.

[dn010]

Unfortunately, the number of guests doesn't reflect "new" people visiting the forums. I am on here constantly without being logged in unless I need to post something, so before I logged in and typed this message, I was included in the number of 17 guests.

[Stefan Bartelski (CLC Webmaster)]

I have never used Google to find anything on the CLC Forums and have always used the internal search engine.
With that said and jumping the gun a bit before we hear back from Stefan I did a little research and and think I have at least a generic idea of what is happening & a quick fix: 
- Google uses these previously built indexed searches and is pointing you to the old URL.
- In time, I think Google refreshes it's indexes but can take up to 90 days!

==> I stopped with that little bit of info as that sort of confirmed what I thought was happening.
==> Then I thought if we kept the URL name structure at the right that includes the message #, perhaps we can just change the URL to the new name format.

So I did a search on "1941 Cadillac Engine CLC" and came up with the following and the 404 error you are all getting:
https://forums.cadillaclasalleclub.org/index.php?topic=136423.0

The Fix: I then simply deleted the .org and put a period between cadillaclasalle & club to give the following URL:
https://forums.cadillaclasalle.club/index.php?topic=136423.0

This seems to work, at least with my first search, and would be an interim solution until Google updates its Indexes or Stefan works some other type magic.

Some of you have indicated you have saved links to the old forum before moving to our current host, and would suggest plugging them in and making the change to the URL name.

Jason, thanks for posting this, I had also discovered the work around and was about to post.

I did bring this issue up with the Support Desk at our new provider, before finding this partial solution. They could not help as there are no entries in the error log for this problem. It obviously has something to do with the redirection, which, in theory, should work for all pages and posts. As it is not working as expected, I will continue to dig and see what I can find. In the meanwhile, I will also modify the link on the main site to go straight to the .club URL