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GoDaddy

GoDaddy is a privately owned, Internet-based company that provides a variety of services including domain name registration, web hosting and e-business software sales. The company, which is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, was founded by Bob Parsons. Parsons previously owned a financial services software company, which he sold in the mid-1990s upon retirement. He came out of retirement in 1997 to form Jomax Technologies, the predecessor to GoDaddy.

Since it’s inception, GoDaddy has risen to become the largest domain registrar in the world, with tens of million of domains registered to its clients. The company ranks as the world’s largest ICANN-accredited registrar; it’s approximately four times larger than its nearest competition. Recent corporate acquisitions include Outright, Locu, Afternic, and Media Temple.

GoDaddy has redefined Internet hosting services, and it has been the recipient of numerous industry awards and accolades. Among these awards are the 2001 Arizona BBB award for Business Ethics and the 2011 SC Magazine award for Best Security Team. In 2011, it ranked number four in the Phoenix Business Magazine list of “Best Places to Work in the Valley” and it made the 2012 Forbes list of “Best 100 Companies to Work For.”

Known for its sometimes controversial commercials and interesting spokespersons, GoDaddy also sponsors a number of charitable causes in support of domestic violence and child abuse awareness, and sports events, including NASCAR and the Super Bowl. In 2013, the company shifted its advertising strategy to focus more on small to medium sized business owners (SMB). Reflecting this change, its commercials and advertising materials shifted from “sexy” to smart.

Video: How IndyCar Driver James Hinchcliffe Got the Go Daddy Car

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I’m not a car racing fan, although any watchable event or “sport” where the crowd drinks heavily seems at least somewhat appealing to me. Anyway, a friend sent a link to this video of Go Daddy IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe, who humorously discusses the events that led him to take over the wheel from former IndyCar driver Danica Patrick (who now drives Go Daddy’s NASCAR car). I have no idea if Godaddy is behind the video or not, but it’s humorous.

Go Daddy Reports “Significant Surge” in Whitney Houston Domain Registrations

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I was saddened to learn about the death of Whitney Houston. I think her performance of the national anthem before Super Bowl XXV was probably one of the best renditions in recent memory.

Unfortunately, it’s being reported that many people have taken to hand registering Whitney Houston related domain names. Although some might become memorial websites, I would bet many will end up on sites like Ebay where people will try to hawk these worthless domain names.

According to Go Daddy:

Go Daddy has seen a significant surge in domain name registrations containing the words “Whitney Houston.”

Hundreds of related domain names have been registered in fewer than 24 hours since news of her death hit the media.”

The report mentioned that over 325 domain names were registered in the hours since Ms. Houston’s passing, and in the weeks prior, only about a dozen domain names were registered. This type of thing is frustrating to see because people think they can get rich with these names, and not only is that almost unequivocally false, but it also makes domain investors look bad.

So why am I giving attention to this? Well, frankly, I think if people read this and are tempted by the proposition of possibly making money by buying morbid names like this to sell them, I hope they will see that this is foolish and tasteless.

Did You Sell Any Go Daddy Premium Domain Names During the Super Bowl?

Domain Name News reported that Go Daddy planned to have their premium listings appear during the Super Bowl. This was big news because GoDaddy spent upwards of $10 million producing and airing its two Super Bowl commercials, and as a result, the company always experiences a huge traffic surge to its website.

Since domain names listed on both Afternic DLS  and Sedo MLS  are shown on Godaddy searches, I was wondering if anyone saw an uptick in premium domain purchases on Sunday night and/or yesterday. I don’t have a large enough list of domain names that  utilize  the Godaddy premium sales channel, but I am sure some of you have enough and could indicate whether there was an uptick.

Additionally, I was curious if you received more interest than normal in your domain names, whether it came from direct inquiries, form submissions, aftermarket sites, or other sales channels. Anecdotally, I’ve heard that there tends to be an increase due to the attention given to domain names during this busy time of the year.

Last week was a busy week for me for domain sales, but all of them were procured through my efforts rather than through inquiries for my domain names. I don’t think I received any “Godaddy bump,” and I was wondering if you have.

Willis McGahee in Name.com Spoof of GoDaddy .CO Super Bowl Commercial

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The tradition of spoofing Go Daddy’s .CO commercial has continued in 2012. Name.com posted this humorous video of Denver Broncos star running back Willis McGahee in a spoof of Godaddy’s “Body Paint” Super Bowl commercial.

With all due respect to McGahee, I prefer the Godaddy commercial starring Godaddy girl  Natalia Velez.

What Go Daddy and Sedo Partnership News Means for You and Me

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SedoHere’s some big news heading into DomainFest conference week. According to a press release distributed this morning, Sedo and Go Daddy have entered into a new partnership allowing domain names listed for sale at Sedo to be shown to potential buyers at GoDaddy.

The obvious reason this is important is that people looking to register domain names will be shown domain names that are listed for sale at Sedo. A person registering a name may have an interest in upgrading to a far superior name if given the opportunity, and I believe Sedo has the largest domain marketplace.

Over the last several months and maybe even years, companies like Sedo and Afternic have been stressing that domain owners who want to sell their domain names need to have them priced. I would imagine that only domain names that are available with buy it now prices at Sedo will be shown to buyers at Go Daddy, enabling them to buy the domain name right away. Afternic domain names have been listed at Godaddy since October (coincidentally announced at the last major domain conference).

The questions I would have for Sedo and Go Daddy are:

  • How long will it take to be paid after a sale is made?
  • Will domain names that don’t have buy it now prices be shown?
  • Will domain names need to be registered at Go Daddy to be shown in this channel?
  • Is there additional commission taken out for a sale in this channel?
  • Will Go Daddy be lowering its commission rates to list names in its premium sales channel?

Congratulations to Sedo and Godaddy on this big news. The press release is below.

Go Daddy Nominated for Stevie Awards

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I learned that Go Daddy was nominated for two Stevie Awards in the Customer Service Department of the Year – Computer Services category and the Best Use of Technology in Customer Service – Computer Hardware, Software, Services, Electronics, or Telecommunications category.

According to the award website, “The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service honor and generate public recognition of the accomplishments of sales, customer service, and call/contact center professionals worldwide.”  There are dozens of categories in which companies in different industries and of different sizes are competing. Judges for the awards come from some of the largest companies in the world, like Microsoft, AT&T, Marriott, Canon, and many others.

Just yesterday, I wrote a comment about Go Daddy’s customer service team. Although I think it’s sort of tacky to quote myself, I wrote “for people without reps at Godaddy, the company has great 24/7 US-based customer service. I can’t recall ever being dissatisfied with an issue at GD.”  

Companies also competing for the Customer Service Department of the Year award are: Reputation.com,  BUMI, CenterBeam, Datapipe, and and Rosetta Stone. Companies competing for the  Best Use of Technology in Customer Service – Computer Hardware, Software, Services, Electronics, or Telecommunications include CrunchTime! Information Systems, L-com Inc., OnStar, Rosetta Stone, and VIZIO, Inc.

Congratulations to the company on this honor and good luck to them. It’s nice to see the company honored with these nominations.

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