GoDaddy revisited

External Since: Sep 29, 2004 Posts: 1

Found this on Google... old news but the subject matter isn't really
irrelevant... thought I'd add some facts to go along with all the
speculation in this post:

On Thu, 18 Mar 2004 09:34:11 -0800, Rex Karz wrote:

> Karim wrote:
>
  >> On Wed, 17 Mar 2004 07:26:01 -0800, Rex Karz wrote:
  >>
   >>>Richard wrote:
   >>>
   >>>>[snippage]
   >>>>I registered my domain through godaddy and have a host that allows adult
   >>>>content.
   >>>>Because of one image, and one complaint, godaddy decided that the
content
   >>>>was objectionable to their TOS.
   >>>>I filed a formal complaint with ICANN and one with the CEO of godaddy.
   >>>>
   >>>
   >>>Consider the ownership of GoDaddy!
   >>>Bob Parsons, formerly prorpietor of Parsons Technology, is the
   >>>owner of GoDaddy. So what?
   >>>
   >>>Parsons is a big time Thumper.
   >>>Anything contrary to his christian superstition is gonna weigh
   >>>heavily on his registrants.
   >>>
   >>>Lesson? ... Know those with whom you do business.

OK, Bob Parsons wasn't the "Thumper" at Parsons Technology, I was. Smile

I
wrote the Bible program that became QuickVerse and approached Bob about
joint marketing opportunities in 1988. We ended up doing a deal whereby
Parsons Technology sold my product and I ran its Church Software Division. I
was there for 10 years before leaving to start my own company.

I'm not sure of Bob's current religious beliefs but I imagine he'd get a
kick out of your thought that his "Christian superstition" would affect his
opinion of who can register at GoDaddy. I do know they have a "no adult
content" policy, but as I haven't violated it, I haven't seen how it's
implemented.

<font color=purple> > I was a customer of Parsons Technology <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.parsonstech.com</font" target="_blank">http://www.parsonstech.com</font</a>>
> a long time ago. Parsons sold the company to Broderbund some
> years ago. They had an adaquate address book application back in
> the days of Win16. See also: <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://tinyurl.com/yuwjs" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/yuwjs</a> and
<font color=purple> > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://tinyurl.com/2olo7</font" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/2olo7</font</a>>
>
> Parsons Tech also published numerous Bible study applications.
>
> Parsons is also a lawyer by training. The story I recall, from
> Parsons Tech advertizing material, was that he practiced law, then
> discovered software technology and changed careers.

Nope. Bob is an accountant by training and was working at a leasing company
while writing a home budget program called MoneyCounts in 1984 or so. He
left the leasing business in 1986 I think to start the software business
full time.

> Parsons Tech
> also had a "legal advice" application that would help with forms,
> dumb user thought processes, etc. That application had a
> rudimentary "pre-nuptual" agreement thingie. I asked, via tech
> support email, waayyyyy back then if there was an option for
> making the pre-nup thingie into a Living-Together thingie. The
> answer was a resounding NO; Parsons was a Thumper. ... I ended up
> with the Nolo Press book; it did what I needed.

The fact that our Bible products had a relatively large customer base may
have affected what documents went into It's Legal. I know we had discussions
about that. But it was a business decision, not a personal religious one. I
didn't object to including divorce papers and the like, but we had to
consider how the customer base might react.

> I think Parsons sold his lawyer application to Intuit, now sold as
> "Family Lawyer". I could be wrong on this topic.

Yes, It's Legal became Family Lawyer. Bob actually sold the entire company,
not just the legal program, to Intuit in 1994. Intuit sold us to Broderbund
in 1996; Broderbund was purchased by The Learning Company in 1998; The
Learning Company by Mattel in 1999.

Mattel discovered that the TLC execs had cooked the books and ended up
giving away TLC to Gores Technology Group (I think that was the name) in
2000 or 2001. They were sued by their shareholders over the lack of due
diligence that went into the TLC acquisition, and the TLC execs were named
in the suit. Mattel and the TLC execs settled with the shareholders last
year. I had the dubious honor of being deposed for two full days by a room
full of lawyers over that one.

> I read somewhere, I forgot where, that Parsons got itchy not
> having a company to run and started GoDaddy. I could be wrong on
> this topic too.

First it was Jomax Technologies, then GoDaddy. It might have been something
else in between.

> This is all from memory. I'm getting old and have a bad case of
> CRS. My apologies to Mr. Parsons if I got the data wrong. I'll
> retract and/or correct anything I said if someone convinces me
> that I goofed.

Hope this helps clear things up.

Craig Rairdin
Former VP Church Software, Parsons Technology
Current President, Laridian, Inc.