MARCH, 2011 – A few months ago, I decided to leave GoDaddy as host and domain registrar of AmberUnmasked.com. With the generous help of JAMIE FICKES (from the N3rdcast) and DAMIAN SMITH (from LordShaper.com) the site found a new home with Dreamhost. The great migration began. Below are reasons why I hate GoDaddy and other venting about my bad week. However, things are back and I did have a few lovely things peppered in so let’s celebrate with some of my old pictures that were previously only available in the VIP area.

Some of the old posts have funky symbols interspersed in the text. When I can take the time, I go in and edit them but it’s not a priority as I’m always more focused on new content. WordPress has not exactly been my friend either. There are a number of bugs including the RSS FEED not working and a lot of trouble embedding videos no matter if they’re from YouTube or Flash code.

If you do find a bug, please let me know. Unless it’s a stink bug. I have plenty of those fuckers here as it is.

Among my problems with GoDaddy was their atrocious web design of their own site making navigation damn near impossible. There are multiple ways to get pages (ok, that’s fine) but all of those detours should work. So when Customer Service would send me instructions, I’d try to navigate and things would not work.

My other major gripe with them that they charge fees for every single thing including domain registry which other hosting companies work into the cost. Yes they are separate services but if Dreamhost offers me registration for free because I’m hosted there then I do not want to pay GoDaddy.

Here’s where this week’s clusterfuck began. As I stated, I don’t really know my way around the bells and whistles of site administration. I just learn as I go and when I fuck up, I text Damian with many frowny face emoticons. I thought the domain info was already successfully updated with the new Dreamhost info. My registration expired 28-Feb and the site was not accessible. I tried to get them to send me the transfer code. Should have been easy. Get code > update information in my new Dreamhost control panel > continue on with my life.

Once again, I could not figure out their navigation to get the transfer code for myself. Followed the steps for contacting Customer Service which were extremely unhelpful. Emailed them back and forth for days only to be directed through steps that landed in a Shopping Cart and an item for $98 called a “Recovery Fee” for the domain I own and for the rights to my url just so I can leave their shitty company.

I wrote several scathing emails (received more stupid instructions that didn’t help) and eventually got a response from a manager who was willing to charge me only half. I took the deal just to be done with this bullshit. I felt like I had been blackmailed into paying for what’s already mine.

My week has been plenty stressful for other reasons. Due to my even more hellish nightmare with PayPal, I still can’t send anyone money for anything like my classes, workshops… literally anything because everyone uses PayPal. Their permanent ban has virtually crippled my ability to have a financial transaction (yes, I’ve researched everything, so save your comments because there’s nothing to be done about it or for finding other services; I’ve been rejected by them too or simply cannot afford them).

BUT, here’s a nice thing that happened during this craptastic week: I had heard about the Alternative Living Expo taking place in Philly this weekend which will feature all kinds of steampunk lifestyle objects from home decor to bridal fashions. It will be steampunk heaven. I tried to purchase a ticket and couldn’t due to PayPal. The organizer Jeff Mach saw my frowny face post and offered to have a ticket waiting for me. That lovely bit of generosity means after my modeling session on Saturday, I will don my corset and goggles, drive two hours south and delve into the fantasy world of brass and gears. Now I have to figure out what to wear!

Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AmberUnmasked.com and Vodka O'Clock Podcast. Author of The Farrah Wethers Mysteries, comic book short stories, prose, and non-fiction. Cosplayer and figure model.