The LGCU website committee manages the lgcu.ca domain name, which offers free lgcu.ca subdomains to LGCU members.

On this page

What’s an lgcu.ca subdomain?

A domain name is the base name of a website (e.g., “lgcu.ca”, “utoronto.ca”). A subdomain is a domain name that is one level below a base domain name. It appears before the base domain name and they are separated by a period (e.g., “labov.lgcu.ca”, “chomsky.lgcu.ca”). The LGCU website committee offers free subdomains for LGCU members that you can use to point to your website.

Note that the subdomain is just the address that people go to to access your website. You will also need some kind of web hosting to actually host your website. Popular free options that allow for custom domains include:

Note that some hosting providers (such as Squarespace) require a premium plan to use a custom domain.

Why would I want an lgcu.ca subdomain?

Aside from it just being kind of neat, having a custom domain for your website tends to look more professional and makes your site more memorable and discoverable. Domain names cost money, but once you have a domain name, you can set up subdomains for free. Because the LGCU already owns the lgcu.ca domain, it doesn’t cost us anything to set up subdomains, so you won’t have to pay anything either.

How many subdomains can I have?

Each LGCU member is currently entitled to one subdomain. If you need additional subdomains, let us know and we’ll consider it on a case-by-case basis. The soft limit of one subdomain is to keep the workload of the Website Committee manageable; we may consider removing/increasing it depending on uptake.

What will my subdomain be called?

You can name your subdomain whatever you want (subject to availability and the discretion of the website committee). You could use your full name, your surname, your favourite pasta shape, etc.

What can I put on the website my subdomain points to?

We suggest using it for your personal/academic website (you can put it on your May Monitoring form as a professional activity!) but you can put whatever you want on it (aside from anything illegal or hateful), as long as it’s clear that the website is yours and not the LGCU’s.

How do I set up a subdomain?

Follow the instructions provided by your web hosting service for setting up a custom domain. At some point in that process, you will be asked to add DNS records. At that point, contact a member of the Website Committee and let us know what DNS records you need added, and we will do that for you. Then you can finish setting it up. If you have any questions, contact a member of the committee.

Note that for some providers, the process for connecting a subdomain is different from connecting a domain.

Instructions for common hosting providers:

How long can I keep my subdomain?

Once your subdomain is activated, you can keep it indefinitely for as long as we continue to operate this service (which we make no guarantees about). This includes once you are no longer an LGCU member.

What if I don’t want my subdomain anymore?

Let the Website Committee know and we will deactivate your subdomain. That said, if you are moving your site to a new domain, you may want to consider having your subdomain redirect to your new domain instead of deactivating it. If so, let us know and we can set that up.

Current LGCU subdomains

(if you don’t want your site listed here, you can opt out by contacting the Website Committee.)