up vote 8 down vote favorite

http://askdifferent.com is registered, but it redirects to http://apple.stackexchange.com instead. Why is that?

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2 Answers

up vote 6 down vote accepted

All of the non-trilogy sites use .SE domains. In a post on the SO blog, these reasons are listed (emphasis mine):

There are a lot of benefits to being associated with the Stack Exchange network! That’s why Arqade, Ask Different, and Seasoned Advice (among others) all redirect to a _.stackexchange.com subdomain, even though they have their own brands.  For one, search rank is improved for our entire network.  Additionally, many people recognize Stack Exchange as a brand, and might be more likely to visit some of the smaller sites because of that.

That said, I don't think that having the established, uniquely-branded sites on their in domains would necessarily be a bad idea.

Also see:
New Domain: Redirection vs New Location
Please change name of site from "Apple" to "Ask Different"

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Thanks. I didn't know there even was a back story before. – Tanner Jun 27 '12 at 12:20
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askubuntu.com, as well as answers.onstartups.com and stackapps.com are not a .SE site. I do realize that OnStartups and StackApps are a little different, but AU is not any different and it *isn't a trilogy site. – daviesgeek Jun 29 '12 at 21:43
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@daviesgeek AskUbuntu is also special, see ubuntu.com/support/community – Nathan Greenstein♦ Jun 30 '12 at 3:39
@NathanGreenstein Ah. I see. I didn't know that... – daviesgeek Jun 30 '12 at 3:46
up vote 2 down vote

I believe the canonical sites that are not on the trilogy (and the newly promoted arquade) all are intended to be branded with the stack exchange name for several reasons.

  • less work (there are like 82 sites all told)
  • better cohesiveness in search engine eyes as well as overall site traffic
  • less cost for software / naming that goes by domain

Search on the main meta and here for more of the back story...

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Minus Ask Ubuntu. – Jason Salaz♦ Jun 27 '12 at 17:06
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Yes - I don't know how I forgot that - the ubuntu site was partnered rapidly with the owner of the ubuntu name and I believe they were extremely happy and accommodating to get a short vanity URL as part of the site brand. – bmike♦ Jun 27 '12 at 17:30

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