also, i would like the “comments” link on each post to show how many comments are attached to the post.

finally, what about bringing back the “continue reading..” links to each post to shorten up the content on the main page?

those are just my thoughts… great job on the redesign. keep up the great work.

We will have no problem taking the comments elsewhere–they reside in WordPress! We're using an API that shares duties between our WordPress install and Disqus. You can't imagine the amount of resources a comment system places on a server. With all the spam-bots out there we had to come up with a viable solution. Also worth mentioning, the Disqus terms of use and privacy are good: “We will never share your email address with any third parties. We will not sell or distribute personal information.” I'm actually pretty excited about Disqus because it will only enhance the user experience on ErieBlogs.

I disagree with the thought that the look of the site is generic. It's clean and readable. We have a large amount of content to organize and this look (which we developed in house) gives us the ability to do that. If that ease-of-use makes it boring, then so be it. Our goal is to provide interesting content, not waste a lot of real estate with graphics and flourishes that aren't needed.

We looked at other sites in Erie, especially media ones and they're all terrible. YourErie, Channel 35, GoErie – they are all a mess. With our site, you can visit the page, read the blog post, maybe look at the recently updated list and go about your day.

re: Disqus. First, the fact they can capture emails and websites is no different than what any web spider, Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and so on are already doing. As for moving to another platform, Disqus will move to MT with no problem, but if we aren't happy with the service, exporting our comments out of their system is as easy as a click in an administrative area.

The nice thing about Disqus is the ability to manage and track your comments on a variety of sites across the web. If you post at a lot of different sites, that's a useful feature.

The 'Theme' you have chosed is a little generic as last commenter pointed out.

Not all that crazy about comments handed out to another provider. As they now have ability to capture emails, web sites, etc. Also if down the road you decide to move to another platform such as MT, Drupal you are going to be finding a way to migrate your comments off their site.