Gone Daddy Gone

First, I’d like to say that you’ve got me for yet another year of blogging as I have renewed the holographicmeatloaf.com domain name. And unless I decide to hang them up, simply walk away or am killed in some kind of bizarre gardening accident, I’ll still be here.

Everything will remain the same save for the occasional theme change for when I think things need some refreshing. But the one thing that has changed may not be as obvious.

For years, I had my domain registered with GoDaddy simply because a) they advertised and made it seem easy to do and b) renewing with them was the obvious choice since everything was already done for me. All I had to do is pay.

But this year I’ve decided to move away from them and for good. The reason is simple: SOPA. In case you’re not familiar with the acronym, SOPA stands for the Stop Online Piracy Act which Congress intends to pass and in essence, will cripple the Internet for everybody in their efforts to protect the intellectual rights of artists. And much like DRM on MP3 files, all a bill like this will do is harm the little guy.

Basically, if you love your freedom of speech, you should not like SOPA. There are very few arguments for it and plenty against.

And how exactly does any of this have to do with my former domain host?

GoDaddy supported SOPA. I say “supported” because once it was known that they were on the side of this bill, there was a huge outlast against them and hosts such as Namecheap offered discounts to potential clients for domain transfers.

Feeling compelled to do my part against censorship, I used one of the many discount codes Namecheap was advertising and made the switch. And despite GoDaddy’s later rescinding of their SOPA support (after a mass exodus of users leaving them), I stuck to my guns.

The transfer was completed on December 30, just one day short of Namecheap’s “Move Your Domain Day” promotion. Better late then never, it seems.

If you are currently a user of GoDaddy’s services and haven’t made the move to another domain host, then perhaps you should consider another host for the sake of showing GoDaddy what you think of their one-time support of the bill.

Then  you can be like the many (including myself) who have said, “So long, GoDaddy. I’m gone.”