by Vea Terrie

Created on: June 17, 2008   Last Updated: July 03, 2008

I have been a GoDaddy Customer for the past ten years and own several websites and blogs. Whenever I decide to launch another website, I try to come up with a .com domain name that includes the primary search term for the product or service I will be offering. In addition, I purchase any alternate spelling or possible typo for the name I have chosen for my new site. For example, several years ago I owned a domain that contained the word "mama". I also bought domains with mama spelled as follows, "mamma, momma, and moma", to accommodate any misspelling of the word. If a site is successful, I will eventually buy the corresponding .net and .org domain extensions.

A couple of months ago I had an idea for another website and purchased a domain name that not only included the best search engine term for my new site, but also contained a humorous trigger to help people remember the URL. As I prepared to purchase the only alternate spelling I could come up with, a family emergency called me away. When I returned home three days later, I logged on to GoDaddy to purchase the additional domain, but it already taken. Out of curiosity, I decided to check out the site. As the page opened, I was unprepared for what I was about to see. I shot back in my chair in shock as my monitor filled with naked bodies engaged in a variety of unconventional sex acts. I quickly closed the page, thankful that the children were in another room.

All of my websites are kid friendly. I had posted announcements in reference to my new site in a number of places online and offline, including spreading the word locally via friends and neighbors. Settling back into my chair, another image suddenly burst into my mind. I pictured the parents and children who heard about my new site accidentally typing in the alternate spelling of my URL and I watched as they sat innocently before their computers, their mouths popping wide open, their eyes bulging in horror as they witnessed "freedom of speech" in the flesh. I immediately took my website offline, and contacted GoDaddy to cancel my purchase. GoDaddy's customer service is the best you will find on the net. They issued an immediate refund.

If you value your credibility, reputation, sense of decency, and your bottom line, I suggest you check all misspellings, typos, and any other variation of the domain name you are considering before making your purchase.

I may be digressing from the topic, but I truly believe I had no choice in making the decision to view

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