# Does SDMB have a manager? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 20, 2017, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sdmb-have-a-manager/789477 "2017-06-20T20:20:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2017, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sdmb-have-a-manager/789477/1 "2017-06-20T20:20:20Z")
Does a single person own this web site and make all the final decisions? ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2017, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sdmb-have-a-manager/789477/2 "2017-06-20T20:23:30Z")
I think the final say used to be ed zotti but the site is corporation owned my I think a com pany that owns most of the papers still alive in chi town ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2017, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sdmb-have-a-manager/789477/3 "2017-06-20T20:31:37Z")
In principle, Ed Zotti has bosses who can tell him how to run this place. In practice, they mostly just ignore the Straight Dope, except for the checks that come in, and let Ed run it how he likes. And of course, Ed doesn’t even do most of the running of the place himself, but mostly lets us moderators handle it. And in turn, we moderators mostly let all of you’uns run it. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2017, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sdmb-have-a-manager/789477/4 "2017-06-20T21:29:59Z")
isn’t ed getting a little long in the tooth ? I mean whos gonna replace him ? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2017, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sdmb-have-a-manager/789477/5 "2017-06-20T22:35:55Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > isn’t ed getting a little long in the tooth ? I mean whos gonna replace him ? Ed thinks he’s irreplaceable. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2017, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sdmb-have-a-manager/789477/6 "2017-06-20T22:37:48Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And in turn, we moderators mostly let all of you’uns run it. You mean the inmates are running the asylum? ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2017, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sdmb-have-a-manager/789477/7 "2017-06-20T23:15:50Z")
[![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7aItpjF5vXc/hqdefault.jpg "Fun Boy Three - The Lunatics Have Taken Over the Asylum") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aItpjF5vXc) "see a clinic full of cynics Who want to twist the peoples’ wrist They’re watching every move we make We’re all included on the list The lunatics have taken over the asylum The lunatics have taken over the asylum" ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2017, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sdmb-have-a-manager/789477/8 "2017-06-20T23:37:27Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > isn’t ed getting a little long in the tooth ? I mean whos gonna replace him ? There can always be a new Dread Pirate Roberts, there can always be a new Ed Zotti. If this happens, we will never know. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sdmb-have-a-manager/789477/9 "2017-06-21T00:32:22Z")
No manager… Instead there’s a goddess, in which we have to sacrifice a goat to every 30 days. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sdmb-have-a-manager/789477/10 "2017-06-21T01:03:34Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > There can always be a new Dread Pirate Roberts, there can always be a new Ed Zotti. If this happens, we will never know. Ed Zotti…I don’t think he exists. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sdmb-have-a-manager/789477/11 "2017-06-21T01:47:39Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Ed Zotti…I don’t think he exists. He’s got a Wikipedia entry: > [@](#): > > Zotti became the editor of the “Straight Dope” column in 1978, with offices located in the building of the Chicago Reader broadsheet. He succeeded Mike Lenehan, who edited the column from its inception in 1973 until 1976, and who was later promoted to Executive Editor at the Chicago Reader, and Dave Kehr, who edited from 1976 to 1978 and who later became a noted film critic for the New York Times. > Zotti has been very cagey about his actual role in the construction of the “Straight Dope” column and the answering of queries, and has been largely responsible for the mythos surrounding the identity of “Cecil Adams”. Several statements give credence to the notion that “Cecil Adams” actually refers to a collective organization of researchers and writers, with Zotti as chief editor: William Poundstone’s 1993 book Biggest Secrets, which exposed a variety of professional, trade, and entertainment secrets, refers to Cecil as “a guy named Ed Zotti”. > **[Ed Zotti](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Zotti)** > > Ed Zotti (born 1951) is a journalist and urban transit planner in Chicago, Illinois. He is credited as being the "editor and confidant" of Cecil Adams, the pseudonym of the writer of the column "The Straight Dope" (published by the Chicago Reader and nationally syndicated from 1997 to 2018). > Zotti is a native of Chicago, Illinois. He attended high school at Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary, where he served as editor of student newspapers. He graduated from Northwestern University, major... ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sdmb-have-a-manager/789477/12 "2017-06-21T01:57:39Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > No manager… Instead there’s a goddess, in which we have to sacrifice a goat to every 30 days. Awww, I don’t really like to let everyone know I’m a goddess but it’s sweet of you to say. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sdmb-have-a-manager/789477/13 "2017-06-21T02:04:37Z")
You’d have to be insane to want to manage this place. That doesn’t speak well for whoever happens to be in charge. ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sdmb-have-a-manager/789477/14 "2017-06-21T02:30:40Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > He’s got a Wikipedia entry: > > [Ed Zotti - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Zotti) From that Wiki Quote “Cecil will be eternal. That’s all people need to know”. Mic dropped, thread closed. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sdmb-have-a-manager/789477/15 "2017-06-21T04:36:52Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > In practice, they mostly just ignore the Straight Dope, except for the checks that come in, and let Ed run it how he likes. And of course, Ed doesn’t even do most of the running of the place himself, but mostly lets us moderators handle it. And in turn, we moderators mostly let all of you’uns run it. And I, in turn, let my Magic 8-Ball tell me how to run it. The answer to who my Magic 8-Ball relies on in is “Reply hazy try again”. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sdmb-have-a-manager/789477/16 "2017-06-21T12:23:18Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > You mean the inmates are running the asylum? Whenever I see that phrase I think of the ending of _The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade_. It doesn’t go well. Marat, we’re marching on! ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sdmb-have-a-manager/789477/17 "2017-06-21T13:40:08Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > In principle, Ed Zotti has bosses who can tell him how to run this place. In practice, they mostly just ignore the Straight Dope, except for the checks that come in, and let Ed run it how he likes. And of course, Ed doesn’t even do most of the running of the place himself, but mostly lets us moderators handle it. And in turn, we moderators mostly let all of you’uns run it. This place really is a fascinating study. It runs amazingly well with mild moderation. I think the valuable lesson here is that the contributors value their place in the social structure enough to conform to basic rules of engagement. The question is what is it exactly that they value so much? I tend to believe that a part of our identity is tied to our online persona, the great diversity here allows ample opportunity to those who don’t often find ample opportunity in their everyday lives to be a valuable contributor to conversations. Once we find a forum where we feel valued we will become somewhat flexible in our interactions in order to protect the position we have acquired. There are some real lessons here to be sure. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sdmb-have-a-manager/789477/18 "2017-06-21T14:01:06Z")
[This gives you a pretty good idea of how things are structured.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Mafia_family_structure_tree.en.svg) Ed [del]G[/del]Zotti is the Capo. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sdmb-have-a-manager/789477/19 "2017-06-21T16:28:37Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > isn’t ed getting a little long in the tooth ? I mean whos gonna replace him ? He is likely just getting his first Soc Sec checks, hardly ancient. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sdmb-have-a-manager/789477/20 "2017-06-21T16:50:37Z")
“Cecil Adams” is like Kenneth Robeson, and like Lester Dent I imagine most Cecil articles were/are written by Ed. Of course **Z** otti , being so very very tired of always going last, would pick **A** dams.😛 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sdmb-have-a-manager/789477.md?page=2)