To configure the system to recognize a domain name, log into your domain host, select the domain and enter one of the following:

• Primary name server: a.dns.clubexpress.com

• Secondary name server: b.dns.clubexpress.com

Then, send an email to support@clubexpress.com with the domain name. We also need to know whether we are handling email for this domain name or whether you will keep email with another provider (an “ESP” – Email Service Provider.) If the latter, you will also need to send us additional information from your provider so that we can configure email properly. (Generally, this information comprises one or more MX and CNAME records, which information you will get from your provider. Don’t worry if these data don’t make sense; just forward it as provided to you and we’ll know what to do with it.)

Note: The system will not allow you to create email forwarding accounts or forum listservers using domain names where another provider handles email. If you want to use forum listservers in this situation, you may need to obtain another domain name specifically for this purpose.

If you do not own a domain name, it is simple to obtain one. Many domain registrars can help you find an available domain and register it. (We use GoDaddy.com ourselves, as do many of our customers.) The instructions for pointing a domain name to our name servers apply to any registrar. Note that ClubExpress is not a domain registrar.

Once we have added your domain name to the system, you can configure which page on the website it points to. Selecting Domain Names / Quick Links displays the following screen:

The Domain Names section shows one or more domains configured to point to your website. Domains will be shown without the “www.” prefix but that version of the domain will also work.

Example: ChicagoCorvettes.org or www.ChicagoCorvettes.org

The grid will show if ClubExpress is handling email for each domain. It will also show which page the domain points to and, if multiple domains are listed, which is flagged as the primary. This one will appear in emails and in the address bar after members log out.

Google and other Internet experts encourage websites to display all pages using https:// (secure). Google is even forcing this in the current versions of Chrome (which is used for more than 60% of web traffic) by flagging website pages that are displayed using http:// with a “NOT SECURE” warning and downgrading them in the Google search results.

They are taking this action to protect users who may not fully understand Internet security (almost everyone!) and especially what they are looking at as they jump from website to website. This change also helps to protect users from “man-in-the-middle” attacks: someone intercepting your web traffic and using it to learn your vulnerabilities.

You have two options for SSL certificates with ClubExpress:

1. Use the ClubExpress.com SSL certificate. Your domain name will continue to point to your ClubExpress website. But when users arrive on the site, they will not see your domain in the address bar but instead, the URL will be in ShortName format (e.g. https://MyClub.ClubExpress.com.) There is also no charge for selecting this option.
2. You can purchase an SSL certificate through ClubExpress and have it installed on our system. Your domain name will continue to point to your ClubExpress website. The public side of the website will now be displayed using this domain and https:// and will be flagged as secure. An additional benefit is that when members login, they will continue to see your domain; the ShortName.clubexpress.com URL will not appear in the address bar, even on the members’ side of your website. Also, this option should improve your position in search results.

If you choose this option, it must be done through ClubExpress, to ensure that only fully trusted certificates are installed on our servers and because this can be done in a completely automated process. Certificate prices vary widely on the Internet; decent 1-year certs that use at least a 2048-bit encryption key typically cost up to $100 per year. However, we have worked out a deal with Sectigo (formerly Comodo), one of the largest and most respected certificate issuers, to provide SSL certificates to our customers at reduced rates: 1-year ($45), 2-year ($80), 3-year ($110), 4-year ($140), 5-year ($160).

Note: Neither Google nor Apple accept SSL certificates with a duration greater than one year, however you are able to purchase multiple years up front, and we automatically renew your certificate for you each year. To learn more about this, see SSL Certificate.

When you click the Enable ‘Always Secure’ Site button, you will see the following screen:

Click the Enable ‘Always Secure’ Site button at the bottom or Cancel to close the dialog without switching to ‘Always Secure’ mode.

For the domain names list, the following options appear in the Maintain column:

Domain Options

Icon	Description
(Edit)	Click the Edit icon to modify the properties of a domain.
(SSL Certificate)	Purchase an SSL Certificate for this domain or update the settings for this certificate. This option is only available you have switched your website to “Always Secure” mode.

When you click the Edit icon, the following popup window is displayed:

The standard option points the domain to the home page. Select the Special radio button to define a different page within the website to which this domain should point. Click Select Domain Destination and you will see a dialog similar to the following:

Specify the link type and select the specific link from among available options. Select Save to save your selection, or Cancel to return without saving.

Check the appropriate radio button for the primary domain and select Save to save your changes and return to the main domain names screen, or Cancel to return without saving.

For clubs without their own domain name, the following naming convention (known as a “Sub-domain”) is always supported:

ChicagoCorvettes.clubexpress.com

Note: You should never specify “www.” with the above sub-domain.

ClubExpress uses the club’s “Short Name” on the Club Information – Name and Description screen to determine which sub-domain will be recognized.

The Certificate icon only appears if “Always Secure” mode has been enabled. When you click it, the following screen is displayed:

The dialog will show which domain name (including the www. version) the certificate will apply to, the request status, and the following options:

• One-year $45.00 (US)
• Two-year $80.00 (US)
• Three-year $111.00 (US)
• Four-year $140.00 (US)
• Five-year $160.00 (US)

Neither Google nor Apple accept certificates with a duration greater than one year. We allow you to purchase multiple years up front and we automatically renew the certificate each year (a "subscription").

Example: If you purchase a three-year certificate August 1, 2020, you are charged $110.00 on that date and have a three-year subscription. Your certificate is valid until August 1, 2021, at which time we will automatically renew your certificate for year two. The process repeats for year three.

Check the "Auto Renew and Charge" option to automatically renew your "subscription". You will be charged the same amount at the end of your subscription and have us continue to renew your certificate automatically and we can use HTTP Strick Transport Security (HSTS) to ensure the best security for your site users.

Note: For technical info on HSTS, see Wikipedia and Mozilla.
For an extra measure of security, if you have selected auto-renewal, you can submit your site for HSTS preloading. Go to https://hstspreload.org and enter your domain name. Please refer to the links above and to the preload site for more info.

Example: Continuing from the previous instance if you checked the box to Auto Renew and Charge, you will be charged $110.00 August 1, 2023. You will have a three-year subscription. The same process repeats, where we automatically renew your certificate each year for three years.

Click Request Certificate to initiate the process, or Cancel to close the dialog without requesting an SSL Certificate.

Certificates must be purchased from ClubExpress; we cannot install certificates that you have obtained from other vendors. When you request a certificate, we will submit the request to our vendor who will run basic background checks on the domain name. These checks may take a couple of hours. Once the request has been approved, the certificate is issued to us and we automatically install it on our hosting environment.

If you checked “Auto Renew and Charge”, your certificate will be renewed 30 days before it’s due to expire. If you did not check this option, you will receive an email 7 days before the certificate is due to expire and you will have to login to renew it manually. If an SSL certificate expires, your website will still be displayed in “Always Secure” mode but your domain name will not appear in the address bar. Instead, we will display the website using the subdomain format: https://YourClub.clubexpress.com.

With an active SSL certificate, you will see the following grid listing your certificate(s):

Under Current Certificate you can see when your active certificate expires. Under Certificate Subscription you can see when your total number of purchased certificates will end (depending on the number of years you purchased at once). ClubExpress will automatically renew your certificate each year covered by your subscription until your subscription expires. If you also have your subscription set to auto-renew, we will continue to renew your certificates and your subscription until you cancel the auto-renewal of your subscription.

Quick Links allow you to define a simplified URL which points directly to an event or a special page on the website.

Example: You can define a link such as:
www.ChicagoCorvettes.org/Auction

Quick Links are intended to be used in emails and printed documents where the actual long and ugly link to a specific page, event or document cannot be hidden by “nice” HTML or an image.

The system includes a number of built-in Quick Links that cannot be modified. To create a new Quick Link, click Add Quick Link. You will see a dialog similar to the following:

Specify the name of the Quick Link. Click the Select Quick Link Destination option to display the Build a Link dialog.

Click the standard Edit icon to edit an existing link or the standard Delete icon to delete a link. Once it’s deleted, it can no longer be used.

Clubs and associations often move to ClubExpress from another website. This website will have pages and special functions that members may have saved as browser bookmarks. When they click these links, the browser attempts to open these pages on their new ClubExpress website but of course, the links won’t work since every vendor uses a different format for URLs.

The Internet provides a standard method, called a 301 Redirect, for mapping an old URL to a new one. When you click the Add Redirect button, you will see the following popup dialog:

Specify the original URL from your old website. Do not include the “http://” or the domain name, or the leading slash immediately after the domain name. Include everything after this slash. Then click Select Redirect Destination and follow the prompts to specify the page or module that performs the same function on the new ClubExpress website.

Click Save to save this redirect and return to the main page, or Cancel to close the dialog without saving.

When you access a secure website, your browser will typically display a padlock icon, or some other indicator that the site is secure. All communication between your browser and the site is encrypted, so that important personal information is protected from those who would try to listen in on your connection and steal it.

To keep up with the bad guys, we must strengthen the encryption we use for secure connections. (For the techies reading this, we will no longer accept connections using the TLS 1.0 and 1.1 protocols; only connections using TLS 1.2 will be accepted.)

Most websites (such as Amazon and Facebook) are making the same changes in the near future. We are required by credit card processing companies to make this change so that we can continue to accept credit card payments on behalf of your organization (aka PCI Compliance.)

This means that some users with older computers/devices and browsers will no longer be able to access secure parts of the website. If you have one of these old computers or browsers, we suggest you upgrade as soon as possible, both to allow you to access these sites, and to improve your protection against threats such as viruses and other malware on any website you visit.

All modern browsers can handle this change. Just be sure you keep your browser and operating system updated. There are some restrictions based on the operating system of your computer/device.

Windows Users:

You must have Windows 7 or newer to access the website (Windows XP and Vista will not work). In some cases, your browser might not be configured to use the strongest security. Follow the instructions below if you have a problem.

Mac Users:

You must have OSX 10.9 (Mavericks) or newer.

Browser Support:

• Google Chrome - version 30 or higher
• Mozilla Firefox - version 27 or higher
• Microsoft Internet Explorer - version 11 or higher If you are using IE 8, 9 or 10, TLS 1.2 may be available, but not enabled by default. Follow the instructions below.
• Microsoft Edge - all versions Apple Safari - version 7 or higher

Android Users:

Version 5.0 ("Lollipop") or newer will work. Versions 4.x may be able to access secure areas, but we cannot tell for your individual device. ​

IOS Users:

You must have version 5.0 or newer. ​

Linux/Unix/Other Users:

We do not have enough info to determine your ability to access the site. We assume that most of you keep your systems up-to-date, and will never see this message. ​

Windows Configuration Instructions

1. To enable TLS 1.2 on your Windows computer, follow these steps:
2. Open Internet Explorer
3. From the menu, select Tools -> Internet Options Click on the 'Advanced' tab
4. Scroll down to the 'Security' section Uncheck the boxes that say 'Use SSL 2.0' and 'Use SSL 3.0' (these are unsafe and should never be used)
5. Check the box which says 'Use TLS 1.2' (you may check or uncheck the '1.0' and '1.1' boxes as you see fit - some sites may still require these earlier protocols)
6. Click OK until each dialog closes.

Note that if you do not see 'Use TLS 1.2' in the list, you will not be able to access the secure areas of the site on that computer.