If you’re getting ready to launch your participation platform, you’re probably thinking about what web address you want to use. The web address, also commonly referred to as a URL, is the link that you’ll send to people to join and participate on your platform, so it’s important to choose one that’s easy to understand and remember.
When setting up your participation platform, you have three choices:
Use the Go Vocal web address (Recommended for Quick Setup)
Format: yourname.govocal.com
Examples:
hello.govocal.com
cityname.govocal.comPros:
Easiest out-of-the-box solution
No additional configuration neededHow it works:
You choose what goes before ".govocal.com"
Go Vocal handles the rest
All participation platforms come by default with a govocal.com web address.
2. Use a sub-domain of your organisation’s website for your participation platform (Recommended for Brand Recognition)
Format:
subdomain.yourwebsite.comExamples:
participate.cityname.gov
engage.cityname.gov
What is a subdomain?
It's the part that comes before your main domain
In the example, "participate.cityname.gov", "participate" is the subdomain
Pros:
Consistent branding with your main website
Shows the platform is part of your organization
Important to note:
Your participation platform will still be a separate website from your main site, even though they share a domain
This option requires more technical setup
3. Use a custom domain of your own choosing (Advanced option)
Format:
yourcustomdomain.com
Example: participatecityname.com
Pros:
Complete control over your web address
Ideal for unique branding
Note: This option requires more technical setup. You’ll need to register the domain name that you’d like to use (there are a number of websites that help you check if the web address you want is still available or is already in use) and we can help you get it set up.
Choose the option that best fits your organization's needs and technical capabilities.
Setting up a sub-domain or custom domain*
*Please, involve your technical team in this step.
If you want to set up a non-Go Vocal web address, there are a couple of steps that you'll need to go through to set it up. This process requires a bit of coordination between your technical team and us, and can take up to 10 days, so do plan ahead!
STEP 1: Register your sub-domain or domain
STEP 2: Link your sub-domain or domain to the Go Vocal name servers
STEP 3: Have your technical team contact Go Vocal to let us know what your registered sub-domain or domain name is. We’ll then set it up for your platform.
Please have your technical team send this information to support@govocal.com at least 10 days in advance of your launch (more advance notice is always appreciated), so that we can make sure that your domain is properly set up.
STEP 1: Register your sub-domain or domain
Once you have registered your sub-domain/domain please communicate to the support team what your chosen sub-domain/domain is and continue to step 2.
STEP 2: Link your sub-domain or domain to Go Vocal
You can choose if you prefer to link using NS records or CNAME records in your DNS management. NS records are the preferred method, which is much faster and easier to set up. This gives us full access to the domain at the name server level to make sure that we can offer your platform under an encrypted SSL connection (and thus protect your platform data). Also in the future NS records give us flexibility and control to install different settings for you more easily (such as custom email address).
However for security reasons or due to limitations of the DNS management system you are using you may need to use the CNAME method instead.
NS Method
Add the following name servers as DNS NS record(s) in your DNS management system. Please, note we used to be called CitizenLab, so the below name servers are correct:
ns1.citizenlab.eu
ns2.citizenlab.eu
ns3.citizenlab.eu
ns4.citizenlab.eu
You can check if the NS records have been successfully added by opening your computer’s terminal (on Mac, or in Windows) and typing the following: dig NS +trace “your new url” (remove the quotations)
Hit ‘enter’, and the 4 NS records should appear in the resulting output. If not, please try again to add the DNS NS records.
CNAME Method
If you choose to go with the CNAME method you will need to contact our support team first, we will need to create and send you 2 unique CNAME records to add to your DNS management system.
You can check if the CNAME records have been successfully added by opening your computer’s terminal (on Mac, or in Windows) and typing the following: dig “your new url” (remove the quotations)
STEP 3: Let our support team know that you have added the records
Once you've added the records of your choice let our support team know so we can activate your new domain/sub-domain on our side. Once we have activated it on our side, you will be able to use and communicate the new URL!
STEP 4: Optional redirect from old.govocal.com to your new domain/sub-domain
If you have already communicated your old.govocal.com URL and need a redirect to your new domain/sub-domain we can set this redirect up for you. You need to let our support team know to add this.
FAQs:
Can I use multiple domain names (for example, one for each project)?
A platform can only be linked to a single domain. If you really need to have multiple domains, you could create the domain and then set up a HTTP redirect to the platform URL (contact support@govocal.com to create this redirect).
How do I add NS DNS records?
Typically, they can be found in the online admin panel of your DNS management system, where the domain names are controlled. If possible, we’d advise asking your internal technical support to help set up the records.
My DNS management interface only lets me add 2 name servers, is that a problem?
Add as many name servers as your DNS management systems allows you to and we’ll take a look to make sure it’s ok.
Why can't I use a A record instead of NS records?
Our platform is served through a CDN (content delivery network) with many different local data centers to deliver a fast response time. This implies that there are multiple, changing IP addresses. Unfortunately, as a consequence, the use of an A record is not an option. Instead, we use NS records for our (sub)domain names.
Why can't I use a CSR file?
If you are obliged to use a root certificate we can generate a CSR file for you that you can sign. So it is possible, but requires some extra work and time. Let us know if this is necessary to set up the right records in your domain.
Note: Make sure not to externally share the ‘old’ url if you still plan to customize it.