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Understanding Accounts and Passwords

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Understanding Accounts and Passwords

One aspect of buffscreate.net that users may find a bit complicated at first is understanding the different accounts (and associated passwords) that you can manage as part of your participation in the project. This article outlines the types of accounts that you are likely to have, what they are for, and how you go about resetting passwords on each of them.

Your cPanel Account

When you first sign-up for your domain and hosting, a cPanel account will be generated that provides you with access to your slice of the buffscreate.net web server. Your cPanel account is automatically associated with your identikey username. Therefore, your Identikey username will grant you access to your cPanel account.

Your Application Administrator Accounts

Every time you install a new application in cPanel, an Administrator Account for that application will be created. You will likely use these accounts very often – every time you need to login to your application to manage the associated website, you will use this account.

For example, if you install WordPress to manage your Web site, every time you need to add content to WordPress, change your theme, approve comments, etc. you will use this account to login.

Usually, you will be given the opportunity to choose the username and password for that account. We recommend choosing something that you are likely to remember but that is strong and secure.

Upon installation, you will likely receive an email confirming the user-id/password combination you chose. It will also have information about how to access the login page for that application. You may wish to make sure you don’t delete this message.

Depending on the application you’re working with, managing and resetting the password for this account will vary. If you’ve used Installatron (in cPanel) to install the application, however, you can always review the account credentials:

  • Click the Installatron icon in the Software/Services section.
  • Find the application you installed under My Applications.
  • Click the Edit button (this looks like a blue wrench).
  • Scroll down to find the Administrator Username and Password.

In addition, most applications should have some kind of password reset link on the login page. For more information on resetting your application password through Installatron, click here.

Other Types of Accounts

In addition to the account types outlined above, there are a few other kinds of accounts you may have as part of buffscreate.net:

  • When you sign up for subdomain/top-level domain on buffscreate.net, cPanel will automatically create an FTP account for you by default. You’ll also have the option of manually creating your own FTP account. You can learn about their differences here.
  • Application User Accounts: In addition to the Administrator Account that you set up when installing an application, most applications will also let you set up user profile accounts within each application.

< Privacy

 Signing Up >

Signing Up

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The Sign Up Process

Once you’ve reviewed the guidelines, you can proceed to the sign-up page.

  • Click the “Get Started” Button
  • You will be redirected to login for verification. You will use your Identikey username and password to log in.
identikey login
  • You are now ready to create a domain. To start, you must first sign up for a free subdomain (i.e. yoursite.buffscreate.net). Directions for purchasing a Top Level Domain (i.e. yourdomain.com) will be provided further down.
subdomain bar

Option 1: Free Subdomain

For no cost, you can create a subdomain of buffscreate.net.

To create a free subdomain of buffscreate.net, leave this default option selected and enter the subdomain name you want for your website. When you’ve found an available subdomain, click the button labeled “Continue.”

domain bar continue button outlined

Confirm that you like the name you selected. If you do, click the “signup” button. (If not, click the “start over” button, and repeat the above step.)

Contact Information

You should now see a screen confirming that your subdomain is ready. After a few seconds, you will see the regular cPanel options.

Domain is ready to go

Option 2: Buy a top-level domain from Reclaim Hosting

It is easy to create your own top-level domain. This allows you to select a URL for your website that is easy to remember and share.

While you are at CU Boulder, this is available for a nominal cost (currently $15/year). You can continue to use this domain after leaving CU Boulder, although the cost may increase.

To register a top-level domain log into your newly created cPanel, navigate to the Domains section, and click Register Top-Level Domain.

This panel offers a step-by-step guide to registering and adding a new top-level domain to your new cPanel account.

Option 3: Connect an existing domain to your cPanel

If you already have an existing domain that you’ve previously registered elsewhere, simply point your domain’s nameservers to ns1.reclaimhosting.com and ns2.reclaimhosting.com

< Understanding Accounts and Passwords

 Choosing Your Domain Name >

Choosing Your Domain Name

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Choosing Your Domain Name

Choosing your domain name is the first step in getting started with staking your claim on the web. Your domain name is a unique Web address (e.g. yourname.buffscreate.net) that can be used to build out your own digital presence. As you make your choice, there are a few considerations to keep in mind:

Your Domain Name Must Be Available: Domain names must be unique, which means in order for you to claim your own, you need to be sure that it is currently available (and not being used by anyone else or any company or organization). There are lots of tools to check on domain availability, and when you sign up on buffscreate.net, we’ll actually check the availability of your choice for you. If you’d like to spend some time thinking about your choice and checking availability before you actually sign-up, we recommend using whois.com.

Choose a Domain You Can Live With: You should choose a domain name that you feel you can live with for quite some time. You should pick something that you won’t find embarrassing in the future. A good rule of thumb is to pick a domain that you would be comfortable putting on a future job application.

You May Wish to Include Your Name in Your Domain: There is no requirement that your domain reflects your specific identity in the form of your first and last name. However, choosing a domain name that includes your name may make it easier for you to achieve higher rankings in search engines when someone queries your real name.

Pick a Domain you Like: At the end of the day, your domain should reflect you. Pick a domain you like and are proud of. It can reflect your interests, sports you play, or your hobby. Or it could just be your name. The “right” domain for you is the one you’re comfortable with.

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Managing Backups >

Glossary of Terms

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Glossary of Terms

When you begin exploring buffscreate.net, you’ll come across some common web hosting and web authoring terms. For more details and definitions explore the Buffs Create glossary.

Administrator account

Each time you install an application or service, such as wordpress or scalar, you’ll be assigned an administrator account for that instance. Forgot your username or password? Log-in to the Buffs Create Dashboard, choose my applications, and use the admin link or view details to discover or reset.

Backup

A copy of your site. Reclaim Hosting holds onto nightly backups of all user accounts for thirty days. Learn more about backups.

cPanel

The cPanel, or control panel, is your landing page for Buffs Create that lets you easily access and manage the files and applications of your account. You can see your active domains and personal account information at a glance from the cPAnel.

DNS

Domain Name System. The networking system that allows us to resolve human-friendly names to unique web addresses. Learn more about DNS Terminology.

Domain name

A human-readable name that is used to identify an internet resource. Such as: colorado.edu or janesmith.buffscreate.net.

Domain mapping

Domain mapping, simply put, is deciding where visitors should be directed when they visit various pieces of your website. Domains and subdomains can be mapped directly to folders located within your webhosting account, where you may have installed WordPress, Omeka, MediaWiki, or other web applications. Domains and subdomains can also be mapped to some third-party providers.

FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. Learn more at CU Boulder FERPA information.

FTP

File Transfer Protocol is a method that allows you to remotely move files to a Web server from another location – usually your local/personal computer.

Host

A host refers to a computer connected to the internet. Hosting services (like reclaim hosting) provide space on a server that individuals may lease.

Installatron

The script installer that is part of the Buffs Create cPanel, which allows you to easily install Web applications to your Web space.

LAMP server

The environment that Buffs Create runs on: Linux (operating system), Apache (Web server), MySQL (database server), PHP/PERL/PYTHON (programming language.)

Migration

When you are ready to leave CU Boulder, you’ll have the option to take your digital space with you. Migration in this context refers to moving your domain to an individually-owned hosting account.

Open Source

Software, code, or product that is freely available to use, remix, or build-upon.

Reclaim Hosting

The hosting provider that powers buffscreate.net. Founded in 2013, Reclaim Hosting works with educators and institutions to offer domains and web hosting.

Shibboleth

The tool that enables you to login with your identikey in numerous web applications, including buffscreate.net. (Synonymous with the Federated Identity Service)

Sub-directories

These function much like file folders on your computer. These sub-directories are one way to organize your site. Consider sub-domains as well. Learn more about the advantages and disadvantages.

Sub-domains

A distinct, individual site off of your main site that can use its own web application (photos.ksmith.buffscreate.net or blog.ksmith.buffscreate.net.) Subdomains are generally a cleaner, more elegant solution to organizing your site than sub-directories. Learn how to set-up sub-domains.

Web application

Software that runs on a web server, such as WordPress, Scalar, Mediawiki, Omeka or Grav.

Web server

The main computer that is associated with the buffscreate.net hosting account. It is literally a computer that has special software on it that allows it to be accessible via the Web.

WordPress

The most commonly used web application used for website design and delivery.

See also buffscreate.net WordPress Glossary.

This glossary was adapted with permission from Plymouth Creates Terms to Know.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Frequently Asked Questions

What do I need to know about using BuffsCreate?

Once you sign-up, you’ll have a digital space of your own to design, build, and cultivate as wish. BuffsCreate is all about you and your choices— What would you like to build? Consider it a possibility space! Start imagining.

All users of BuffsCreate are expected to abide by the Terms of Use and CU Boulder acceptable use policies. BuffsCreate domains are hosted on Reclaim hosting (learn about their privacy policy.)

Get started!

What can I do on BuffsCreate?

With BuffsCreate, you may go in many different directions. The primary limiter is your imagination. Some students may create a professional portfolio, a personal blog, a digital project or text, a community wiki, and so many other possibilities. The creations are as numerous and diverse as is our community at CU.

Some classes may use BuffsCreate for course related contributions.  

Please do keep in my mind your work on BuffsCreate is subject to the policies of appropriate conduct and web authoring as detailed by the University, learn more.

What does BuffsCreate cost me?

CU Boulder learners will receive a free subdomain that looks like [yoursubdomainname].Buffscreate.net.

If you choose, you may purchase a custom domain like [customdomain].com (can also end in .org or .net)  for $15/ year.

What is a domain/ sub-domain?

Domain names are simply addresses to websites. For example www.Buffscreate.net is a domain name.

A subdomain is a component of the larger domain, for example: myname.Buffscreate.net. You may also create subdomains of subdomains.

Subdomains organize the site from a technical perspective, but they also serve as indications to the users that they are in a new/different space.

In practice, this means that you may create as many subdomains as you’d like– in other words, perhaps, you’ll create a blog (blog.myname.Buffscreate.net), a photo gallery (photos.myname.Buffscreate.net), and a portfolio that lives on your main domain (myname.Buffscreate.net.) In each subdomain you can actually create a distinct site that runs on different applications (wordpress, omeka etc.).

What happens when I leave CU?

You’ll have access to BuffsCreate throughout your time at CU. When you leave, you’ll have a few options.

  1. Transfer your creations to Reclaim Hosting, which is the hosting provider for Buffscreate. This will cost approximately $30.00 per year. It’s easy and we can help you do so in just a few steps.
  2. Transfer your creations to another web hosting service.
  3. If you’ve built only using wordpress, you can transition to wordpress.com.

Have more questions? View all of our migration guides here.

What is the Domain of One’s Own Project Beyond CU?

A Domain of One’s Own grew out of an initiative started at the University of Mary Washington and was largely spearheaded by Jim Groom, Martha Burtis, and Tim Owens. The initiative is now over five years old and includes a robust community of institutions and advocates.

At the core, the initiative rests on the belief that there is enormous learning potential in granting individuals ownership of their own domain space and digital identities. Drawing from Virginia Woolf’s notion of a room of one’s own as a necessary construction in order to write and create, the domain is a space through which learners will find “time, creative license, and a space to express oneself freely (Schleef.)”

The initiative also grows from an understanding that in digital spaces we often forfeit our own data, control, and representation to commercial sites. Woolf took issue with social imbalances that disempowered women. Similarly, this initiative works to readjust power and control of commercial sites and institutional structures that limit learners agency and control.

It is a simple project in that it simply grants domains to learners.

It is a complex project in addressing digital and information literacies and ownership of one’s own digital identity.   

Campbell, G. (2009). A Personal Cyberinfrastructure. Retrieved from https://er.educause.edu/articles/2009/9/a-personal-cyberinfrastructure

 

A Domain of One’s Own. (2012, July 27). Wired. Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/insights/2012/07/a-domain-of-ones-own/

 

A Brief History of Domain of One’s Own, Part 1. (2016, September 21). Retrieved September 27, 2018, from http://umwdtlt.com/a-brief-history-of-domain-of-ones-own-part-1/ Schleef, D. (2016, June 3). Who’s Afraid of Domain of One’s Own? Retrieved July 26, 2018, from http://umwdtlt.com/whos-afraid-domain-ones/

NOTE: Please note that each account owner is solely responsible for the information posted and/or stored on the web space and subdomain. Any views or opinions expressed under BuffsCreate are those of their author/s and do not represent those of the University of Colorado Boulder.

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