sudirboi

There is a lesson to be learned in knowing your customers, or at least knowing exactly where they generally stand when it comes to politics. First rule of business has always been to try to stay out of political discussions unless its really relevant to your customers, and if you are forced to get into a discussion, avoid picking one side over another. Godaddy’s CEO Warren Adelman learned this past week that he needs to listen more to their customers, as tons of them left GoDaddy because of his outspoken support of the Stop Online Piracy Act.
The Stop Online Piracy Act, known by its acronym SOPA, would basically allow pretty much anyone to block almost anything online based on a simple complaint from, well.. about anyone.
Many Internet companies are adamantly speaking out against this atrocity-in-the-making. An open letter was sent to congress strongly protesting this legislation. The diversity of Internet companies that were signatories to the letter shows just how serious a threat this legislation is to the Internet and online marketers.
Well, for some unknown reason, GoDaddy decided to throw in their support of SOPA along with tons of other large businesses that support this, mainly because it gives them additional unfair competition. As the internet grows, more and more smaller business and marketers are using the enormous reach of the internet to create their own content, their own marketing techniques and bypass large businesses. SOPA allows large content companies (movie studios, music labels) to basically challenge anything online without having to go to court.
Well, GoDaddy forgot that tons of their clients are those small businesses, and loads of marketers who use their domains, hosting and other services. In response, over 70,000 domains have been transferred from GoDaddy.
The lesson here is simple: Learn who your customer is, especially if you are a marketer. If you make the mistake of speaking out of turn, or offending your audience you run the risk of serious backlash. You are selling a product, not making a point, or trying to engage people outside your product sales process.

source : How GoDaddy Lost 70,000 Customers

flaw3d

Now are all 70j domains really godaddy customers or are some just people trying to pick up domains with a discout and before the prices go up?

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1yerrot

I'm glad that people are leaving Godaddy, I left them because they have there website set up to run me in circles and it's a pain to change a service without getting the request blocked for no reason, them intentionally confusing the order or annoyingly upselling me at every turn.

I also find it amazing that Godaddy is dumb enough to openly back SOPA. Anyone who makes a living from IM should be aware of SOPA and how it could bring major damage to our livelihoods.

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faceblogger

70,000 domains (NOT 70K customers) is just nothing for godaddy. Just read more on the internet you will find that the net loss is very much smaller.

I hate GoDaddy, fuck them but this loss is not a big one for them.

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zimok

#1 PR Rule: DON'T SHIT WHERE YOU EAT.

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Gambit

I kinda agree with faceblogger. I mean 70,000 domains is about $700k a year. They probably spent that much in lobbying alone for SOPA. And a former employee was saying GoDaddy's target market is users that have very little understanding of how anything works on the web. So losing these educated customers probably isn't a big loss for them.

HOWEVER, I think the media coverage of this issue has been a great way to raise awareness of the potential harm the SOPA bill can cause. I think anything that leads people to discuss SOPA that otherwise wouldn't talk about it is a win.


TL;DR: The media coverage of everyone leaving GoDaddy was more impactful in raising awareness about SOPA than hurting GoDaddy's pocketbook.

IMHopeful

Yeah, it's a pitance for them... unfortunately! I feel the same as you do, and wish the company nothing but misery.

I can reg a domain on my namecheap account and have DNS set up with my host in the time it takes to navigate the f'ing circle-jerk Godaddy has going on.

Dumbass

I thought I would be seeing a picture of the man himself with a picture of elephant and ivory tusks. Deadbeat.....

louiexism

A $1 coupon will recover all those lost customers. LOL

JZK721

F@ck Gay dady.

If I wasn't such a n00b I would find a way to move to another provider.

Will most likely be moving in the new year!

...!..

pixelo

The perfect go daddy customer...

Napolean

I wonder if godaddy ever fixed that virus on their web hosting.

Last I heard they were still telling customers to install anti-virus software on their hosting.. using only ftp access. Rock solid business.

RaptorJesus

@gambit...it's suprising how many companies operate that way. Car dealerships are the worst. I just bought a replacement key on ebay for my car for 20 bucks and found a guy who could cut it and program it for a fraction of what the dealer would've charged.

Godaddy is a shitty company, and I tell everyone I know not to use em. I'd drop paypal too if I could find a decent replacement.

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AustinP

This is just the beginning. We need to take this to another level and kick start a registrar exclusively made for marketers. Id be happy to invest in something like that.

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natlex

Seriously, I hate godaddy's annoying UI. they really made it a point to make changing anything a pain. And all those emails with their annoying coupons? SIGHHH

dmnEPC

They are going to lose a lot more domains move out day is scheduled for today. In my mind nothing has changed they still support things like SOPA and more than likely wont make this kind of public spectacle again next time it will be private. So with that in mind today is the day to close out those accounts.

gittar1122

Ignoring your customers will always results into such things.

tspesh

for sure

Telboy

They've released a $1 domain code though, Which will probably counter it.

adamx12m

Godaddy just needs to hire the netflix CEO so he can raise prices to complete the mission of losing all their customers..

bricema

Transferred most of my top domains to Name.com, but keep taking advantage of the $1 coupon

djsherpa

Funny Namecheap just jumped all over this...

thehobbster

I just transferred all my domains to NameCheap because, much like the honey badger, I don't give a shit. I just want my free privacy for a year and much cheaper privacy for the following years.

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MSTeacher

GoDaddy not only helped write #SOPA they are also exempt from it. Scumbags. |

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rish3

Just the excuse I needed to move the 60ish or so domains I still have over at GoDaddy.

FYI, they make it a giant pain in the ass to move away.

- You can't do a bulk "email my me EPP code". You have to start the domain manager, click on each domain one at a time, click "send via email", then click not one, but two confirmation pop ups.
- Too add to the frustration in #1, you can't open the domains in a new window because of javascript madness. You have to select the domain in domain manager, which opens in the same window. Oh, and do the next one? The back button doesn't work. You have to click on Domain Manager and scroll down again to find your place.
- Any domain you've either bought, had pushed to you, or otherwise changed contacts for ( say by paying their inflated privacy protection fee) in the last 60 days cannot be moved.

Farking madness. Oh well. At least I can cobble up a perl script to scrape the EPP codes using IMAP. Then it's off to internet.bs

imiq

First Off GoDaddy has legitimate business reasons to support SOPA.. that's it... they will PROFIT from it when it passes. And it will likely pass.

Why? Because whether you like them or hate them they are a legit business who owns their own software and servers.

Contrast that to NameCheap who is nothing more than a Reseller and has no infrastructure. They even use a Regus HQ mail box in Los Angeles as their Business Address. It's a Cyber Corporation who has invested nothing in themselves. Their primary business model involves poaching GoDaddy Customers.

NameCheap can be horribly slow to respond to the simplistic questions and you often get a complete FUCK TARD who isn't smart enough to do anything other than read a script. Then you end up explaining the problem over and over because you almost never get a response from the same person. NameCheap is a joke.

Real business requires SUPPORT so they won't do business with NameCheap... GoDaddy is one of the few legit options for them. Along with the more expensive "Real" registrars.

So when SOPA passes (whether you like it or not) there is going to be a shitstorm of sites that go down. Who do you think joe nobody with his scraped content is going to host with then? Not NameCheap... because they will be gone. Register Fly gone!

And while GoDaddy will also take a big hit, hell everyone is going to take a big hit. Companies that run the Internet i.e. Google, Micrsoft, and the Bandwidth Providers don't give a fuck about your little Affiliate Business... they are just going to shut you off.

I personally have been in this business since 1995, I own a lot of sites... a lot of sites. And every year I have to deal with some Corporate FuckTARD claiming I am somehow violating their copyright. The last one from a Hotel Chain because I had them listed on a Page with their name and address. Not even a single advertisement on the page. Nothing more than a listing of their company and contact info.

And it doesn't matter... because just like Monsanto Chemical does over and over to Farmers... you don't have to have a valid claim, you only have to have a shit load of attorneys and you win.

SOPA is going to destroy affiliate marketing. Your only hope is to be in bed with the big boys promoting their shit programs and cutting and pasting their shit code exactly as they spoon feed it to you.

If you are doing ANYTHING "smart" to make money you will be shut off.

The internet is about to take a step 15 years backwards.

You can thank Congress for that too!

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imiq

You are correct it is bullshit, but where do you think you should move too?

NameCheap? Right.

They are not a legit business. Just a front for Enom. Shitty pathetic slow service. Sometimes you get somebody who can help sometimes not. Try and give them a call when you get some FUCKTARD who can't answer your question or fix a simple problem? What then?

GoDaddy is supporting SOPA because they will PROFIT from them. NameCheap is nothing to them... just some shit little pathetic reseller.

And as soon as SOPA passes NameCheap is toast. Because they have no real infrastructure or clout. So when the attorney requests start flying in and your stuff gets shut down who you going to call? NameCheap? Right... they don't have telephones!

And when your domains are shut off with 1,000's of others and you are waiting for Joe FUCKTARD at NameCheap to write you back... well good luck with that.

Business is Business. If you react based on Emotion you get fucked.

Is GoDaddy doing the right thing.... hell no. But who EVER in the Corporate World Does the right thing? No one. Everyone in the Corporate World would fuck over their own mother to make another dollar.

That's not how I want it to be, that's how it is.

So go ahead and move all your domains to a company that will soon go under. That's good thinking.

When Corporate America owns the Sandbox you either play by their rules or get the fuck out. And NameCheap isn't part of Corporate America. They are a joke registrar whose sole selling point is price. Epic Fail coming soon.

Oops my apologies... you want to move to Internet.bs, a NameCheap wanna be. Good luck with that.

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imiq

IM in this context doesn't mean shit. The real money comes from the big players not the guy sitting in his home office with 50 domains.

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rish3

Not sure I understand the "good luck with that" part. The move is done. Wanna be or not, they don't charge for domain privacy, so overall, it's the least expensive option for me. Their tech support was good ( needed it for the bulk xfer, had a few questions ).