For many years, I hosted my brother-in-law’s website domain. It was a simple CV page to help him get a job. Now, he didn’t need it any more. So I canceled it. Little did I know this cancellation would feel like the beginning of a book rather than its ending.
Godaddy, the registrar company, sent me nine mails about the domain’s termination. Nine. And somehow, I have a feeling they’re not quite done.
Godaddy sent three emails leading up to the cancellation dates. “Your domain expires soon.” Okay, fair enough. Some people forget to auto-renew and lose their websites. It happens. On the day of, they sent another message. “Renew your expired products before you lose them.” Interesting. If my products have expired, haven’t I already lost them? And isn’t that kind of the point of an expiration date?
Of course, Godaddy makes money whenever someone pays for another year of ownership to a domain. And if it’s not an insanely popular address, who better to ask to pay for it again than the person who originally bought it? From their point of view, they can’t send you enough reminders to renew. Any day you take the bait is a good day for Godaddy.
I received three more emails after the domain was gone. The third was a “final cancellation notice,” in all caps of course. But guess what? I got two more notifications since then. “Urgent! Domain has expired! Save it by the end of the month!” Um, it’s okay, I think you can stop trying.
In life, in business, or with people, the problem with desperate moves is that, most of the time, we can tell your desperation is the main reason you’re making them—and that’s never a good look. The best desperation can trigger is sympathy, and while that might get you an extension, it’s not enough to last.
You don’t need to hide your despair, mind you. It’s not about pretending all is well. But whatever you do, you must show us there’s more than just despair that keeps you going. Why did you start in the first place? What was so important it got you into this situation? Make us stay for the story, and perhaps you’ll live to fight another day.
And if not? That’s okay, too. At least most of the time. Sometimes, we must let the old expire to make room for something new. Just try not to send nine emails about it.
