# We're being sold. Again. Maybe. **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 9, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-being-sold-again-maybe/621426 "2012-05-09T21:09:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![RetroVertigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@RetroVertigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RetroVertigo)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-being-sold-again-maybe/621426/61 "2012-05-23T21:30:10Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I _am_ pretty freaking classy. But I don’t use a fork when I eat pizza. Barbarian. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-being-sold-again-maybe/621426/62 "2012-05-23T21:36:43Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-being-sold-again-maybe/621426/63 "2012-05-23T21:54:45Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > > [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > > > The article didn’t even mention the Straight Dope, much less our Message Board. Or more tellingly, _me_. :eek: > > You were saying? > > [del]Emphasis added[/del] 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\*\* q **uis** t **ion, announced Wednesday, includes chicagoreader.c** m\*\*, [straightdope.com](http://straightdope.com) and the 41-year-old flagship a\*\* t**ernative weekly. > Terms were \*\* o**t 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\*\* b **a** e **d hedge fund that acquired the Reader in 2009, was shopping it aggressively this year. Crain’s Chicago** B **usiness reported this month t** a **t Wrapports had topped several suitors \*\* n** d was poised to purchase the weekly \*\* n **d its \*\* e** b sites. > Atalaya took control of the Re\*\* d\*\*er 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. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-being-sold-again-maybe/621426/64 "2012-05-23T22:09:16Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > What’s with so many people hitting the panic button? Yeah, it’s not like they would shut it down in mid po ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-being-sold-again-maybe/621426/65 "2012-05-23T22:09:20Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > 1. 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. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-being-sold-again-maybe/621426/66 "2012-05-23T22:10:42Z")
> [@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. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-being-sold-again-maybe/621426/67 "2012-05-23T22:12:12Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > What’s with so many people hitting the panic button? Because it pops out a tasty pellet. > [@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. ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-being-sold-again-maybe/621426/68 "2012-05-23T22:19:53Z")
> [@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? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-being-sold-again-maybe/621426/69 "2012-05-23T22:25:31Z")
> [@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. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-being-sold-again-maybe/621426/70 "2012-05-23T22:25:53Z")
> [@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. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-being-sold-again-maybe/621426/71 "2012-05-23T22:37:59Z")
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.) ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-being-sold-again-maybe/621426/72 "2012-05-23T23:07:52Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > The article didn’t even mention the Straight Dope, much less our Message Board. Or more tellingly, _me_. :eek: The official word as told to me is that _The Straight Dope_ is going with the Reader. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-being-sold-again-maybe/621426/73 "2012-05-23T23:14:18Z")
Missed the edit window. Yes I know earlier folks posted the link that says [straightdope.com](http://straightdope.com) is going. That’s not necessarily the same thing as _The Straight Dope._ So I’m being pedantic. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-being-sold-again-maybe/621426/74 "2012-05-23T23:31:49Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > what’s with so many people hitting the panic button? I Can’t FIND THE PANIC BUTTON!!! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-being-sold-again-maybe/621426/75 "2012-05-24T00:01:19Z")
> [@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! ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-being-sold-again-maybe/621426/76 "2012-05-24T00:20:29Z")
> [@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. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-being-sold-again-maybe/621426/77 "2012-05-24T00:43:40Z")
> [@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! ---
**Author:** ![Brainiac4](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brainiac4/32/3534_2.png) [@Brainiac4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brainiac4)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-being-sold-again-maybe/621426/78 "2012-05-24T03:13:56Z")
> [@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. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-being-sold-again-maybe/621426/79 "2012-05-24T04:13:01Z")
> [@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. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-being-sold-again-maybe/621426/80 "2012-05-24T14:02:53Z")
> [@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. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-being-sold-again-maybe/621426.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-being-sold-again-maybe/621426.md?page=5)