We're being sold. Again. Maybe.

[carnivorousplant]

Originally Posted by Qadgop the Mercotan

She doesn't hate you, but she tells me she thinks you're a bit of a drama queen. that's all.

You think I'm to argue about this? Get Her pissed off again?

[Irishman]

Originally Posted by Rhythmdvl

Are you sure?

Case in point.

Originally Posted by Brainiac4

The only thing to worry about, IMO, is tonal change, and at would be foolish on the pat of the Sun-Times. You don't fix what ain't broke.

It's a risk, but I don't think a high one. We've been through two ownership changes without anyone poking their nose into the board (other that Ed Zotti trying to clean up the Pit). Hmmm, okay, bad example.

The SDMB seems to be a strong asset. It's a community formed around one property, the Straight Dope column. Assuming they wish to keep the SD column running, there's no reason to think they'd want to tamper with the SDMB. No reason to want to absorb it into a different existing online community they may have.

Of course, sometimes business people are idiots, or egotists, or any number of other flaws. Can you imagine what would happen if it were bought out by Donald Trump?

[Giraffe]

Originally Posted by Qadgop the Mercotan

The article didn't even mention the Straight Dope, much less our Message Board. Or more tellingly, me.

You're not part of the sale. You have to stay behind with the broken office furniture.

[carnivorousplant]

Originally Posted by Giraffe

You're not part of the sale. You have to stay behind with the broken office furniture.

Maybe G-d has been watching me like Santa Claus.

[Happy Lendervedder]

I'm too lazy to click on Tuba's link. Can anyone sum things up? Rather, can anyone tell me if "Happy Lendervedder" came up at all in the negotiations? I understand Qadgop wasn't mentioned, but that says nothing about me.

[Shmendrik]

Originally Posted by Qadgop the Mercotan

The article didn't even mention the Straight Dope, much less our Message Board. Or more tellingly, me.

The Tribune article did:

Wrapports, the owner of the Chicago Sun-Times, has closed a deal to buy the Chicago Reader. The acquisition, announced Wednesday, includes chicagoreader.com, straightdope.com and the 41-year-old flagship alternative weekly.

[Loach]

Originally Posted by Marley23

Since we're asking people not to panic and there's no reason whatsoever to think that'll be necessary now or any time in the future, maybe you'd be willing to hold off?

So when it is time to panic will there be some sort of signal? I haven't had a good panic in years.

[Marley23]

Originally Posted by Loach

So when it is time to panic will there be some sort of signal? I haven't had a good panic in years.

Maybe we can develop some kind of button.

Originally Posted by Qadgop the Mercotan

The article didn't even mention the Straight Dope, much less our Message Board. Or more tellingly, me.

You were saying?

Originally Posted by Shmendrik

The Tribune article did:

Emphasis added Message decoded.

[RetroVertigo]

Originally Posted by Irishman

Can you imagine what would happen if it were bought out by Donald Trump?

I'd imagine gold plated statues of Marley in his full glory, everywhere.

[Marley23]

Originally Posted by RetroVertigo

I'd imagine gold plated statues of Marley in his full glory, everywhere.

I am pretty freaking classy. But I don't use a fork when I eat pizza.

[RetroVertigo]

Originally Posted by Marley23

I am pretty freaking classy. But I don't use a fork when I eat pizza.

Barbarian.

[kunilou]

What's with so many people hitting the panic button?

1) All the content on the Message Board is user-generated. It's not like the new overlords can come in and fire posters.

2) I've always understood that the only paid staff is whatever amount of time Ed (and Jerry?) can carve out of their real responsibilities. I suppose if Ed were to leave there might be some long-term changes in the tone of the place, but who's to say there wouldn't be long-term changes in any case?

3) Given that the Board is not exactly free nor is it exactly subscription-based, a change in the business model either way won't destroy the framework of the universe.

4) Creative Loafing went bankrupt. Atalaya has been selling off properties whenever they could. It's not like there was an aggressive, hands-on ownership that has been pumping resources into this property.

5) Even if Cecil's column were to be killed off, I'd bet good money that most of the posters would still come here -- if only to bitch about it.

[Rhythmdvl]

Originally Posted by Marley23

You were saying?

Emphasis added Message decoded.

Don’t rest so easy just yet. Further decoding reveals:

Wrapports, the owner of the Chicago Sun-Times, has closed a deal to buy the Chicago Reader. The a quis tion, announced Wednesday, includes chicagoreader.c m, straightdope.com and the 41-year-old flagship a ternative weekly.
Terms were ot disclosed.
"The Chicago Reader has one of the most distinctive voices in the Chicago news community, and it has cultivated a dynamic and loyal audience," Tim Knight, CEO of Wrapports, said in a statement. "The Reader has demonstrated positive momentum in the last few years, expanding its readership to include new generations of Chicagoans, and the company has strong growth potential."
Atalaya Capital Management, the New York ba ed hedge fund that acquired the Reader in 2009, was shopping it aggressively this year. Crain's Chicago Business reported this month t at Wrapports had topped several suitors nd was poised to purchase the weekly nd its eb sites.
Atalaya took control of the Re der and its owner, Creative Loafing Inc., after the Florida-based company filed for bankruptcy. Creative Loafing also owns alternative weeklies Washington City Paper and Creative Loafing in Atlanta.

BTW, I hear the Giraffe boards have multi-quote. I can't believe those idiots can handle it but not the folks here.

[carnivorousplant]

Originally Posted by kunilou

What's with so many people hitting the panic button?

Yeah, it's not like they would shut it down in mid po

[Musicat]

Originally Posted by kunilou

5) Even if Cecil's column were to be killed off, I'd bet good money that most of the posters would still come here -- if only to bitch about it.

Don't look at me. I'm only here to grovel at the hem of Cecil's coattails.

[billfish678]

Originally Posted by RetroVertigo

I'd imagine gold plated statues of Marley in his full glory, everywhere.

Can I see his gold plated "package" a natural or is he just wearing gold plated shorts? These sorta details are important ya know.

[Inner Stickler]

Originally Posted by kunilou

What's with so many people hitting the panic button?

Because it pops out a tasty pellet.

Originally Posted by Rhythmdvl

BTW, I hear the Giraffe boards have multi-quote. I can't believe those idiots can handle it but not the folks here.

It is one of the sadder comparisons, yes.

[Gukumatz]

Originally Posted by Rhythmdvl

BTW, I hear the Giraffe boards have multi-quote. I can't believe those idiots can handle it but not the folks here.

Er, we do have that feature? The little quotation button with a "+" imposed?

Or am I being whooshed here?

[Musicat]

Originally Posted by Gukumatz

Er, we do have that feature? The little quotation button with a "+" imposed?

Or am I being whooshed here?

Rhythmdvl is referring to the ability to multi-nest quotes, I think, without hand-coding. We tried it not long ago, and it went down in flames and sarcasm.

[Giraffe]

Originally Posted by Gukumatz

Er, we do have that feature? The little quotation button with a "+" imposed?

Or am I being whooshed here?

He means nested quotes. Since we operate on the "million monkeys at a million keyboards" model, nobody gets too hung up on formatting.

[BigT]

I think it boiled down to them being willing to try a hack that limited the number of nested quotes to one (or maybe two), but us being unwilling to try it after the first hack failed.

Both boards had problems when nested quotes were allowed to be infinite. (Another board I know of makes such "quote pyramids" a bannable offense. Seems to work.)

[Una Persson]

Originally Posted by Qadgop the Mercotan

The article didn't even mention the Straight Dope, much less our Message Board. Or more tellingly, me.

The official word as told to me is that The Straight Dope is going with the Reader.

[Una Persson]

Missed the edit window.

Yes I know earlier folks posted the link that says straightdope.com is going. That's not necessarily the same thing as The Straight Dope. So I'm being pedantic.

[Loach]

Originally Posted by kunilou

what's with so many people hitting the panic button?

I Can't FIND THE PANIC BUTTON!!!

[carnivorousplant]

Originally Posted by Musicat

Rhythmdvl is referring to the ability to multi-nest quotes, I think, without hand-coding. We tried it not long ago, and it went down in flames and sarcasm.

Yeah, it was cool.
You could see the back of your head!

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

Originally Posted by carnivorousplant

You could see the back of your head!

You can do that without mirrors if the universe you're in is very, very small.

[carnivorousplant]

Originally Posted by Qadgop the Mercotan

You can do that without mirrors if the universe you're in is very, very small.

On this message board, we obey the laws of physics, Mister!

[Brainiac4]

Originally Posted by Marley23

Then again, nothing about the forum changed (or was ordered to change) as part of any of the previous sales.

Yes, and no particular reason to fear it would change. It is, however, the only vaguely-possible bad thing that I could think of offhand, so I mention it for the sake of completeness and some vague idea of "balance" in my writing.

[Freddy the Pig]

Originally Posted by Loach

I Can't FIND THE PANIC BUTTON!!!

Try the pedantic button instead. That's what we hit most of the time around here anyway.

[Exapno Mapcase]

Originally Posted by Freddy the Pig

Try the pedantic button instead. That's what we hit most of the time around here anyway.

All of the time, if you're going to be pedantic.

[smithsb]

Dear new Sun-Times overlords,

Please invest some programming time to colorize, flash, italicize, or something the damn zombie threads. I waste enough time/bile/adrenaline/spooge here as is. It's a real torque to find out that I'm worked up over some ten year old thread.

Thanks, yes it is all about ME.

PS, we need more emoticons as well!

[Siam Sam]

What's my share of the loot come to?

[Czarcasm]

There seems to be a major misunderstanding here.
When y'all signed up for this venture did you notice the word printed on page 16, paragraph 8, section D, subsection 6, item f(4)?

Tontine.

[Inner Stickler]

Originally Posted by smithsb

spooge

Please, I'm begging you, don't go into further detail.

[silenus]

Originally Posted by Czarcasm

There seems to be a major misunderstanding here.
When y'all signed up for this venture did you notice the word printed on page 16, paragraph 8, section D, subsection 6, item f(4)?

Tontine.

There can be only one!

[Irishman]

Originally Posted by RetroVertigo

I'd imagine gold plated statues of Marley in his full glory, everywhere.

You gotta be kidding, you think Trump would waste a gold-plated statue on anyone less important than a "Trump"?

I would expect "the world's smartest human" to immediately be renamed "Donald Trump", and the column would probably renamed "The Straight Trump" or "The Trump Dope" or something.

And then the quality of the columns would immediately go down, because while the sarcasm, self-importance, and derision of the questioners would remain, the humor and the quality of the factual content would decline rapidly.

And then Ivanka, Don Jr, and Eric would be named administrators.

[Czarcasm]

Celebrity Moderator

The horror.