"Sorry, this user doesn't exist"

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   ExoticHippieQueenposted 12 years ago

   I did look around to see if anyone else had this problem, but I'm not seeing it anywhere.  For about a couple of months now, when I log into my site, instead of it taking me directly to my profile or home page, it says "sorry,this user does not exist".  What's with that?  Now I'm finding out that when friends of mine log in, they get the same message, as if I don't even exist! How can I remedy this problem?

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      wildernessposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I don't have any problem either using the link in your post (your name) or plugging the URL or just the name into a google search and then using the link the search supplies.
      
      Are your sure you are spelling the name right?  Do you have it bookmarked to the old address (before the subdomain change)?  It should still work that way, but there could be a problem with the 301 re-direct.

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         ExoticHippieQueenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I'm putting in "www.exotichippiequeen.hubpages.com.  But it only takes me to that remark. A new friend just went to my page yesterday and had the same message.  Not good for new readers!  I wonder what is going on?

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            Uninvited Writerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Leave off the www.

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               paradigmsearchposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               This

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            Anna Marie Bowmanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I just tried it, just as you said you had typed it, and it worked perfectly.  I am not sure if you are typing something in wrong, or maybe try it without the www at the beginning.

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               ExoticHippieQueenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               I'll go try it again without the www.

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                  ExoticHippieQueenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Hahaha, now it works.  It was the "www".  Who knew?  Thanks everybody!

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   sunforgedposted 12 years ago

   Case in Point ^ If the subdomain owner can so easily make that mistake, imagine how often this may happen to potential visitors and fans.
   
   Why isnt there a redirect in place yet?
   
   http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/83045
   
   Originally brought to HP attention 8 weeks ago (maybe even sooner by other users)

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      QuestionMasterposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      +

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      Pearldiverposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I also know that Kiwis ALWAYS use www. - so for my local users I DO NOT Exist either..
      
      This COULD HAVE / SHOULD HAVE been sorted out as a priority (At least from a commercial perspective!)
      Our Page Ranks have also plummeted since this subdomain 'Devaluation' - I know how hard I had worked to try to develop my readership.. I CERTAINLY DON'T NEED to have all that undermined by telling potential visitors that I don't exist for the relatively Simple task of putting in a redirect.
      
      AND.... You Guys Check Out those Article Thieves - 68 Articles splat com - they are back and stronger than ever!  HAVE THEY GOT YOUR WORK in their site?
      
      I have already been banned here a hundred times in my efforts to help fellow hubbers in regard to these article thieves,scrapping the Hub Pages files, without any HP Intervention... So please excuse me if I am somewhat hesitant in getting stuck into this BS again!
      
      I'm pretty sure these guys just recycle our hubs quite profitably.. Wish I Was Wrong... But I'm Too Honest for that!  GOOD LUCK.. With Both These Problems!

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3. 96

   Glenn Stokposted 12 years ago

   There is nothing wrong. www is used only for top level domains, not for subdomains. You can think of www as a subdomain of the home domain. 
   
   HP properly redirects "www.hubpages.com" to "hubpages.com" and they also properly redirect all our old hubs (prior to subdommains) to our individual subdomain URL's.
   
   It is incorrect to include www in front of a URL that is a subdomain. It's either one of the other. You should not use both www and your subdomain name in front of the host domain as it will become an invalid URL.
   
   I agree that it is possible to include a 301 redirect for all subdomains with a www in front to the correct subdomain without the www. But that would only make it permissable to use incorrect URL's. We'd end up having two different URL's for all our hubs all over the web.
   
   This article should help clarify all of this...
   
   http://content.websitegear.com/article/ … domain.htm

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      SiddSinghposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      This makes sense.

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      sunforgedposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You are confusing the reality of how users interact with the web/a preventable problem  and a (in this case) academic explanation of how things (are supposed to) work.
      
      
      
      The reality is that type in traffic and even Hub Authors WILL and DO make this mistake. As simply as the page currently shows "doesnt exist" it could as simply redirect to the location that the searcher expects.
      
      Period.
      
      But, since you understood that a subdomain doesnt require a subdomain, perhaps you will catch that it is damaging to have "this user doesnt exist" rather than the more traditional "page not found with search prompt" the way it is currently configured it does not appear to the searcher that a mistake was made on their end.
      
      Also a simple no-index tag would prevent duplication and still allow for proper navigation. When there is a will there is a way and all that jazz

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   paradigmsearchposted 12 years ago

   "Sorry, this user doesn't exist"
   
   On a separate note, I have started to doubt my existence for years now. I have pretty much concluded that I am a figment of my imagination and that my so-called reality is nothing but a virtual construct. Furthermore, no one else exists either. We are periodically given clues such as "Sorry, this user doesn't exist" in order to help us figure this out; those that do figure it out win the game and proceed to the next level.

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      Glenn Stokposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      paradigmsearch ~ that's an interesting paradox. I can understand if you were a figment of my imagination. Or if I were a figment of your imagination. But if you are a figment of your own imagination then does that imply that you don't exist? And if you don't exist does that mean that you can't have any sought of imagination? Figment or otherwise? And if that's the case then there is no one there to have any figments of any sought of imagination about your non-existence. That being the case, you must exist because there is no one there to imagine the contrary.

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         paradigmsearchposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         
         I EXIST!!!

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            ExoticHippieQueenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            This has gotten pretty darn crazy~ Love the fireworks!

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   msivakumarposted 12 years ago

   I guess we are spending too much time on this sub domain thing. It is widely practiced, accepted convention that there is no www in front of sub domains. Agreed all of us may not be aware on that, but IMHO, we should LEARN and go forward, as far as possible we should go along with the conventions, rather than trying to invent something which may not be that useful.
   
   It may be quirky and annoying (ignoring the www in front of sub domain URL's), but that's the way the Internet is in most of the things and we need to accept that and go forward. IMHO.

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      sunforgedposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You are right there is always a chance to learn.
      
      So may I suggest that with the attitude you expresses you will be screwed n the world of earning online.
      
      You must always take in account the lowest common denominator, your viewers and potential viewers must have as little obstacles in the course of reaching you.
      
      It is a known convention for web developers .. a normal user doesnt even know what the word subdomain is, most wont even know domain and many use an address bar and a searc bar interchangeably.
      
      So as a subdomain user at hubpages I expect HP to predict and react to known problems such as this one, especially when documented openly in their forums. Thats in my best self interest.
      
      I would also expect that they would react to help their own users when these simple issues are brought to light .. a scan of forum help topics shows that many users have had the "user doesnt exist" error
      
      its too easy to ignore

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         Pcunixposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         What SF said.
         
         Unfortunately, most people learn "magic" rather than science.  That is, very few people learn the reality behind the things they do and therefore they sometimes do things that would obviously be wrong IF THEY KNEW HOW THINGS WORK.
         
         But they DO NOT KNOW and most never will know.
         
         It's not a "small number" of people.  Even if it were, those of us who are here for the money should be most anxious that those people be accommodated because it is the least sophisticated users who are apt to click on ads - often because their inept search techniques have led them to an unhelpful result but an ad on the page promises something better.
         
         I agree with SF 100%.

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   msivakumarposted 12 years ago

   Did a bit of search in Google.
   
   The consensus is, it is *NOT* the general practice to have www in front of a subdomain. The convention is to have subdomainname.domainname.tld (tlg - top level domain, can be com, org, edu etc)i.e username.hubpages.com is the generally accepted practice.
   
   However, in case if you want to use www in front of a subdomain (similar to www.username.hubpages.com, you can do it by tweaking the vhost file or something. Details are available in the following URL
   
   http://linuxhostingsupport.net/blog/
   
   Its something done on the server side, so enough precautions has to be taken.
   
   Now, its up to HP to make a call on this .

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      Glenn Stokposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Of course this can be done on the server side. But as you say, precautions need to be taken. Doing so just to compensate a few people who incorrectly enter the wrong URL is not a wise choice. If this is done then search engines may list the wrong URL as duplicate content. This can have a negative effect on ranking for everyone.
      
      To avoid duplicate content, it's best to show a page that says "user does not exist" if someone puts an invalid URL into their browser. Everyone on HubPages has one valid URL for their profile. This is known as the Canonical URL by the search engines and it's the only correct URL for your content.

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