

GoDaddy is default registrar for Google Apps Domains - jwildeboer
http://support.google.com/a/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=59184
Maybe Google can rethink their selection and make a change? It is strange to oppose SOPA on the one hand and use the services of one of its proponents at the same time. #justsayin
======
superasn
Is it just me or has the focus shifting from SOPA to GoDaddy (reddit too has
the same trend). I'm as anti-GoDaddy as the next person but let's remember
that calling your representative will help the cause more than punishing a
domain registrar. Maybe if you run a popular website then informing your site
visitors about the evil of the bill (like tumblr) can do much more to help the
cause than moving your domain name to namecheap.

~~~
_pius
_I'm as anti-GoDaddy as the next person but let's remember that calling your
representative will help the cause more than punishing a domain registrar._

Are you sure about that?

~~~
maratd
Bingo. If you take out GoDaddy and a few others who either are or have
potential to donate funds to election campaigns, those representatives will
pay attention real quick. Much more effective than sending letters or calling.

~~~
billpatrianakos
There's not enough of us to take out GoDaddy. I really can't be optimistic
about this. But in all honesty I get the whole boycott as a way to raise
awareness and support that but there seems to be an underlying theme to some
people's comments of wanting to put GoDaddy completely out of business. I
think that's just immature. GoDaddy may be wrong on this issue but they're
free to take whatever stand they want and really they aren't the problem here.
The _real_ problem is this legislation. If SOPA passes then we're fucked and
we'll look back and realize that focusing so much on GoDaddy didn't really
matter. GoDaddy supporting it or not, if this passes its bad either way so
let's be aware of this stuff but stop focusing so much on all the minutia

~~~
_pius
_There's not enough of us to take out GoDaddy._

Sure there are.

[http://www.godaddy.com/newscenter/release-
view.aspx?news_ite...](http://www.godaddy.com/newscenter/release-
view.aspx?news_item_id=378&isc=smtwsup)

------
citricsquid
"benhuh @mattcutts indeed... now, ask Google to pressure GD. GD is Google's
third-party registrar."

"mattcutts @benhuh I think we use eNom too. But safe to assume people has
passed this feedback on."

<http://twitter.com/#!/mattcutts/status/149988873726984192>

~~~
stuartjmoore
They do use eNom as well, that's the one I chose when setting up my account.

------
SandB0x
Let's not pollute this place with hashtags.

~~~
bdg
No kidding. Hash tags need to die, this isn't twitter, and I don't come here
for 100-character-long spam bursts of groupthink and newspeak.

~~~
ascendant
You and all the people hating on hashtags are busy engaging in your own
groupthink. How about you focus more on the content and less on the
presentation?

~~~
pavel_lishin
What content did the #justsayin hashtag add to the topic?

~~~
ascendant
The content is the link and the discussing of Google using GoDaddy. The
presentation is the fact there's a hashtag in the title and everyone with
their underwear in a twist over a # sign.

~~~
iamandrus
Hashtags don't work here. It would be different if he said "Just saying..."
instead of using a tag from a social network. Also, how does it leave
"everyone with their underwear in a twist"?

------
uptown
In a recent SOPA-like proceeding, a judge ordered GoDaddy to facilitate the
seizure.

[http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111129/20471916928/court-...](http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111129/20471916928/court-
effectively-pretends-sopa-already-exists-orders-domains-seized-de-linked-
search.shtml)

------
RexRollman
Personally, I am amazed that anyone stayed with GoDaddy after the Seclists.org
debacle. I switched to Gandi at that point and I have been really happy with
them so far.

~~~
nick007
Seclists.org debacle? Link?

~~~
nknight
<http://seclists.org/nmap-hackers/2007/0>

First hit for "seclists godaddy" on Google for me...

~~~
mahmoudimus
Oh my god, reading that made me envision SOPA passing.

Where a company, like MySpace, deems that one page on a large well respected
website, like seclists.org, aggravates them -- they can just dns block it and
it is no longer accessible.

Holy..

~~~
Natsu
It cuts both ways. What if someone with nothing to lose found some way to take
out sony.com or whatever? I hope that will never be possible, and I bet anyone
trying that would end up in jail, but you never know.

------
VMG
What I don't get about it - what does GoDaddy realistically have to gain from
supporting SOPA?

~~~
maratd
When you get to the top, you want to stay at the top. The problem is that on
the way to the top, you became big. Real big.

Big companies can't maneuver well. An elephant can't do acrobatics. They know
they can't compete head-to-head with smaller companies.

So big companies start to create artificial barriers to entry. They form
partnerships (i.e. Google), they begin to advertise heavily (i.e. Superbowl),
and they start to lobby the government (i.e. SOPA). All of these actions are
there to create lasting relationships that will help a large company like
GoDaddy compete with smaller, more maneuverable firms.

GoDaddy couldn't give a damn about SOPA. They simply want to have a solid
relationship with various members of congress, the senate, and parts of the
executive branch. I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine down the road.

Also, although I don't believe this is a significant motivating factor, SOPA
would reduce legal costs for GoDaddy. Currently, if there's a court order for
a seizure or something along those lines, it has to go through a process in
legal. One of the features of SOPA, is that it would take the process out of
the courts, at least initially. No courts = no court orders to process.

~~~
bradleyland
This whole thing is like the plot of a bad movie (based on an Ayn Rand novel,
no less).

------
loso
I don't think Google will be changing their business dealings with Godaddy
anytime soon. Google has a business relationship with KKR (the new owners of
GoDaddy). They are investing 94 million on a KKR solar farm project.
[http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/google-kkr-
invest...](http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/google-kkr-invest-
california-solar-project-15196825#.TvTr9PlLPex)

------
DiabloD3
Given the number of Google people who regularly read HN, I suspect this is
already in the process of being fixed.

~~~
billpatrianakos
Fixed? You know, I get the whole backlash against GoDaddy and it's totally
justified but these posts that basically demand all businesses switch
registrars or imply that any company using GoDaddy as their registrar are
somehow sympathetic to them is nuts to me. I know they don't outright say it
but that's the subtext I'm getting.

I hope everyone boycotts GoDaddy and transfers to another provider but we have
to understand that something like this may not be feasible for some companies
right now. Google may have a long term deal they have to finish out. In
addition transferring the thousands of domains they have costs money for not
just the transfers but they also have to get people to work on it and provide
customer support as there will be many people who will need to know why this
is happening and how they'll be affected.

GoDaddy has sucked even before they came out in support of SOPA, there's no
doubt about that and the transfer/boycott movement is justified but let's
please not put the entire focus on GD and remember the situations some
companies are in can make it harder to transfer their domains. Also, using
GoDaddy != support for SOPA just as using a gas powered car doesn't
automatically make you a global warming denier. Circumstances just don't
always allow for people to be idealists.

~~~
sunchild
Google really ought to distance itself from GoDaddy. It reflects poorly on
them, and I'm quite sure that Google has enough leverage to do whatever it
likes in this case.

~~~
grandalf
Why did Google ever do a deal with GoDaddy in the first place? Godaddy's UI
alone should have been reason enough not to.

------
davidw
I long ago got rid of my directly registered GoDaddy domains, but the Google
Apps registered ones... can you switch to eNom?

New domains I get through name.com and they offer you the option to set up
Google Apps for your domain.

------
stuartmemo
Is there any reason for Google not to become a registrar themselves?

~~~
rmc
Hassle? What's the benefit to them?

~~~
steventruong
I could think of a few reasons out of the massive number of reasons why. For
starters, its another service that ties user to the brand. While it probably
won't be a huge money maker for them, there are tiny things that may be worth
doing to help them leverage growth and not to mention more analytics.

~~~
coob
Here is one reason why they will not:

Larry Page is trying to focus the company, not make it do everything under the
sun.

See: Almost every extraneous service being cut.

~~~
steventruong
I agree but arguably, you could say one of the focus is the cloud. Building an
AWS competitor isn't necessary something they wouldn't consider in the future.
They do have a DNS service, and they already do 3rd party registrations with
Google App integrations for various things. None of those have been on the cut
list. And I'm sure they have plans to continue pushing things forward for
cloud services. Being a registrar and having services integrated with each
other (see AWS) is an added benefit. I could be wrong and this is purely
random thoughts out loud, but not everything should be viewed so narrowly or
direct that you miss the big picture on where the focus is at and how you get
there. It's still a possibility and none of us knows what Google has planned.

------
irunbackwards
It's also the default registrar for SSL certificates on Windows Server 2011.
:/

------
Tallguy181
I was going to switch to Google Chrome. Just changed my mind. Please try not
to do business with companies that support SOPA and their affiliates.

------
ctman
deleted my G+ account. Will not be buying another Android phone.

~~~
JVirissimo
Really, you're not going to wait a few weeks and see if Google fixes things?

~~~
billpatrianakos
What if they don't "fix" things? Is it then okay to go ahead and boycott
Google? I would say no. I would still say even if they did nothing about this
that dropping all Google support would still be throwing the baby out with the
bath water. I'd honestly be happy if they put out a simple statement
explaining why they're going to sever ties or continue doing business with
GoDaddy and just honestly explain why. As a business owner I know that you
can't really control some of the people you do business with and you really
need to pick your battles. Google dropping GoDaddy because they hold an
unpopular opinion, however wrong it is, would actually look sort of bad for
Google. The guys who are fighting censorship (Google) just severed ties with a
business partner because they have a differing opinion actually seems a bit
like censorship itself. "If you don't agree with me then I'm going to punish
you" is what that sounds like. In any case, its unfortunate that Google ended
up doing business with them but Google couldn't possibly know this would
happen when they first partnered with them and severing ties now just feels
wrong to me.

~~~
wnight
Why do you love GoDaddy? You're in an absolute tither about people exercising
their right to deal with a merchant of their choice.

As for your argument about censoring the censors, it's daft.

