Tuesday, March 20, 2007

GoDaddy - Prince of Thieves

I offer a challenge to anyone reading this. Go to www.godaddy.com and do a search on some random URL. The stranger, the better. In a week, go back and do a search for the same name. My money's on the fact that in that short amount of time, someone mysteriously had the same idea you had, and grabbed the URL. So now, instead of paying the $8 you Could have spent on the initial purchase, you now get to pay $18 for the backorder, wait a year or so, and Hope it releases. Or... you can pay the $60-some dollars (PLUS Commission), and have a third party try to buy it back for you - but there's no guarantees - and you're out a chunk of change.

Whether GoDaddy is directly responsible for this or not, it matters little. Don't do a search at GoDaddy unless you want to buy that URL right then and there. I used to love them. Now I think they're a bunch of thieves. This is not a good business model, GoDaddy!! BAD DADDY! ... or is it "HoDaddy"? meh. Either fits.

And The Winner Is....

After much debate and deliberation with myself, I left my position at my full time place of employment. I am now a stay-at-home mom.

I have a trip to California for my grandmother's 95th birthday next week, and me and baby will be driving there while hubby works. He'll be flying there and back. This gives baby and me a chance to take all the stuffs we need to take, and be able to bring back stuffs as well. While I am not comfortable with the idea of me and baby alone on the road for two days there and again coming back - it makes the most sense financially and logistically.

It's ironic, that the same day I sent in my letter of resignation to my former employers, another girl there quit because she got a new job elsewhere. It really shook up the company. Not only was it the same day, but at almost the same time. We couldn't have been more than a half hour apart. To some, it probably looked like a conspiracy of two disgruntled employees. It would be an easy leap - since the company has recently been putting on greater demands on the employees without compensation or assistance from additional hires. While the owners are very sweet gentlemen, they got greedy, and are now breaking the company by trying to grow too fast. Oh well. "Whatever will be, will be."

In any case, I have finally had time to complete my major contract's website, and to begin some others. Shortly, I'll be redoing my business's website completely (with a blog of its own, even). It's about 3 years overdue.

Baby's grandfather bought her first dragon! (The package says for ages 5+, and she's only 4 mo. But she can still look at it.) It's a Frost Dragon by Dragonology. Very cute.

Thursday, March 01, 2007

New Look

I thought I'd try a new look - as baby decides to christen the design with a goopy line of drool on my shoulder. Well, I guess that means she likes it.

Impasse - Remains

So it's been a week or so... and the few potential customers we had, didn't pan out as we had hoped. One wanted everything for nothing - something we've experienced more times than we can count now. They see ads for $100 websites, and think they can get a year's worth of the works for that. *sigh* What they don't realize is these cheap websites don't bother to update their site, maintain it, or offer anything more than a business card online - and 'when' you decide to use a better service, they've hijacked your URL with no hope of return.

So that makes my decision even harder. We're not comfortable being without that extra money. Since my husband is a contractor, there's no telling if we'll make enough every month.

We did find a daycare center near the house that seems acceptable to our standards. But, still - it's over a half hour away from work, and if anything happened.... Plus, I'd be away from her all day.... But I'd only be losing about a third of my pay every month, which would go towards all the comfortable things in the house. We'd be pinching every dime otherwise, and I'm also not sure I want to do that to our daughter.

With that said... It's highly tempting to take up d.b. Echo's offer. LOL (see comments on Impasse).

Work is getting worse. They are piling on more work, and still refraining from hiring - yet want to grow as a company by 10 times in a matter of months. Impossible. They'll break the company before that happens at the rate they're going.

Then I get a call from our auto insurance that my husband got in a tiny fender bender at a whopping 2 miles per hour, but the other person filed a claim already. Sheesh. Maybe if they didn't drive like jackasses by darting in front of a laden work truck and expecting it to be able to stop on a dime.... such incidents wouldn't happen.

I don't get people's fascination with getting around one car, just to get off at the next exit 1/4 mile away. Or my favorite.... weaving like a madman in and out of traffic, to gain no more ground than the one staying in one lane.

Men in Black had it best:
"A *person* is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it."

But I digress. In any case, I still haven't made my decision. Though, as much as I fear the idea, I may have to turn my daughter over to strangers to raise - at least for as long as it takes to get more business coming in.

*le sigh*

On the upside (i guess), my website will be getting a major makeover in the coming months... including a corporate blog (as opposed to this personal one), a new gallery, a sample shopping cart, and a few other goodies. Then I'll get to work on my husband's site so he can start publishing his writings.