Thread: GoDaddy Messes Up Big Time.

I had a nightmare that this was an April Fool, I guess not?

There must be a lot of good people employed at GoDaddy that need jobs (so we don't have to do those jobs) so I'm keeping my domains that are there, and also in the interests of not putting all of ones eggs in one basket.

Releasing the video was a foolish move on Parson's, but he is well-known for being a bit eccentric. A lot of people do not like the babes that he uses for his site mascots either, or the racy videos that get banned from Super Bowl advertising, or the worthless add-ons that they try to get you to purchase when you register a domain.

This whole thing has been blown out of proportion. Let's bring it down to Earth.

He was there on annual safari, which assumes that the hunt was legal. What was questionable to me was blasting away at a herd in almost total darkness. They probably wounded other herd members. From what I initially read, this was not a one-shot kill, but rather a barrage fired by multiple shooters led by Parsons. The video seems to show two shots by Parsons. Elephants are not killed very easily and it requires a well-placed shot, so if only two shots were fired in almost total darkness, they were lucky shots.

African elephants are not endangered throughout all of Africa. They are only considered endangered because of illegal pouching and diminished habitat in most African counties. They are not endangered in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe has done a better job than most countries with managing the herds and they are abundant there to the point where they are sometimes considered to be an agricultural pest. If you were a villager in a remote area of Zimbabwe, would you feel it is okay when elephant herds destroy your crops? Successful farming is a matter of survival for many African tribes.

African Elephant | IFAW Web Site

The African elephant is listed as Endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) and by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). It is listed on Appendix I of the Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora except for populations in those countries (Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia) which were reclassified to Appendix II.

PETA does not have the best record for doing the right thing, either. Their members have been know to raid fur farms and have released hundreds of mink and other fur animals into the environment, which then destroyed the local wild bird populations. While the organization may have the right intentions, they have a lot of radical members in their ranks who do things that are equally or more stupid than what Parsons did.

I'm both an animal lover and a hunter, so I can see both sides of this issue.

Originally Posted by Shenron

I've never had any issues with Moniker and I keep a few dozen domains with them. I like Fabulous but their interface sucks (it's eventually a bit better with some of the recent changes). Dynadot... I know I keep a few names with them, but I haven't logged in there for a while now.

I recall a few years back, Moniker gave out a free .net domain to their customers. I availed this offer, and they managed to accidentally terminate my account to a point where restore was no longer possible - or at least this was what their support crew told me at the time.

That's a good example, but there were just too many similar stories with Moniker, which is a shame..

@Top Dogger: There's a difference between whats legal and whats ethical. I didn't quit GD because Parsons did something illegal. I quit because it felt unethical to me. Killing an animal and gloating about it definitely falls into the cruelty aspect, irrespective of its population in that region.

Anyways, I started this thread with a 'business' aspect as to what businesses should and shouldn't do and I got carried away. Right now I am looking at other domain registrars apart from NameCheap in order to diversify.

Originally Posted by rome9t9

@Top Dogger: There's a difference between whats legal and whats ethical. I didn't quit GD because Parsons did something illegal. I quit because it felt unethical to me. Killing an animal and gloating about it definitely falls into the cruelty aspect, irrespective of its population in that region.

"Ethical' is somethig that is in the eye of the beholder. I am sure that there was nothing unethical about it to the natives whose food source was being destroyed by the elephants. It is a matter of survival for them. The ethics of someone who lives in a city where they are safe from wild animal attacks and do not depend upon local crops for their survival are different from those who live in the bush and have a different viewpoint.

I agree that posting the video was a foolish move, but I suspect that he thought he was doing a good thing by saving the villagers' crops from a destructive animal. Ethics are not universal nor are they chiseled in stone. It all depends upon your viewpoint. From my viewpoint, putting an intelligent and majestic wild animal like an elephant in a zoo or a circus is cruel.

I am also a wilderness survival instructor, so I understand the mindset of people who live in the bush and struggle to survive against crop destruction and wild animal attacks every day of their lives. I am not blaming the elephants or saying that they should be killed. They were doing what elephants do, which is also to find ways to survive in a hostile environment.

As for domain registrars, you might want to check out http://www.namesilo.com/ . I use GoDaddy, NameCheap and Name.com, but this new registrar has the best systems that I have seen and they are cheaper than GoDaddy. All of my new registrations have been going to them. I have also used network Solutions and Register.com and would never use either of those registrars again.

Agreed ethicality is a personal viewpoint..and that is why I said in my prev post that "it felt unethical to me".. The point is, as the head of a company with customers worldwide one should be careful of his actions. Elephants are revered and worshipped here in India and in some other Asian countries and I believe that his customers living in those countries won't like his actions at all, neither will people from other regions who love animals.

People won't take the trouble to go through articles talking about the over-population of Elephants in Zimbabwe, neither will they believe an elephant-killer who says elephants are in abundance in Zimbabwe when the general perception across the world is that they are endangered/protected.

The customer is always the king and the brand image must be protected. I believe the big investors in his company won'tt be much pleased with this either.

I guess you posted about NameSilo a few months back in the Domaining section, right?? I like their prices but I am just bit skeptical. The are new and I don't want to hand over my precious domains to them. Will wait for some more positive reviews..

Originally Posted by TopDogger

As for domain registrars, you might want to check out Cheap Domain Names-Domain Name Registration-Transfer-Renewal: NameSilo . I use GoDaddy, NameCheap and Name.com, but this new registrar has the best systems that I have seen and they are cheaper than GoDaddy. All of my new registrations have been going to them. I have also used network Solutions and Register.com and would never use either of those registrars again.

Hey Ãœber Hund. I've checked this Namesilo, but unfortunately from second year on (renewal) it's a loss compared to Godaddy:
.com - $8.39
.org - $8.05
.info - $8.29
.biz - $8.44

These are relatively high prices.

I like the free privacy protection. Most GoDaddy coupons do not discount Privacy protection, which costs you an additional $9.99 per year. Even when it is discounted that still costs an additional $7 per year.

GoDaddy's current price for a .com is $11.99. Even with a 30% off coupon the price is $8.39, which is the same as NameSilo's regular price--and the GoDaddy price does not include privacy protection. At one time GoDaddy offered free Privacy for the first registration cycle if you registered 5 or more domains, but I don't see that on their site any more.

I just thought I would toss NameSilo out there as an alternative for people who are dumping GoDaddy. I like them thus far.

@rome9t9, I hear you about the reverence felt for elephants in India. If GoDaddy loses the bulk of their business from people in India, that could really hurt them.

Looks like the video post has been updated:
Domain Name Wire » News » Bob Parsons Updates Elephant Shooting Video - The Domain Industry's News Source