GoDaddy lost 72,354 domains this week. It’s not enough.

Despite a massive Twitter campaign and a blog post that claims “Go Daddy no longer supports SOPA legislation” the company and its CEO have dodged questions about opposing the bill. In essence, they are taking a lesser role by not showing support for the bill. They have not opposed it.
This week, they lost around 72,000 domain registrations. At a yearly discounted rate of $6.99 (most registrations are higher), that’s over half a million dollars per year. It is apparently not enough for them to speak out against the bill.
Everyone from large corporations like Google down to small startups like Oklahoma City Dodge are voicing concern about the legislation. “We are watching this subject very closely and looking at what domain changes will need to be made because of GoDaddy’s support of this legislation,” said Mike Chell.
How many domains is the company willing to lose before they oppose this abomination of legislation? Do they believe that when they “step back and let others take leadership roles” we are going to see it as something other than a “duck and cover” public relations move to try to get out of the spotlight and hope someone else takes the brunt of the attacks while they quietly support the bill?
Are 72,354 domains enough? Not even close. It’s a drop in the bucket. They have anywhere from 15,000 to 40,000 domains added daily. Despite cries from the internet, yesterday was a good day with over 32,000 added. Go Daddy has not felt much pain yet. The “PR nightmare” that many of us in the tech industry perceive is happening to them hasn’t hit their pocketbooks in any real form, yet.
Until the effect is more pronounced, they can afford to deflect questions and let the negative PR pass. More must be done.
I keep godaddy closer than any friend. Our toleration is as mutual as our mortal embrace. Blessed be..