As a result, we have seen a drop in the number of comments to BlueOregon.  Where once 60-70 comments per post was typical and 100+ was a weekly occurence, we now see 8-10 as typical and 40+ happens once a week or less.   But the quality of the comments has improved dramatically.  That's apparent to anyone, and we hear about it from our readers all the time.

Facebook, of course, has its own challenges. They're constantly changing things and some readers (esp. of a progressive political blog) are concerned about their privacy practices.

And it is true that we do miss out on some of the more lively political gossip.

But ultimately we believe that our community is one that should be built on trust. And trust comes from identity.

Good luck with this experiment.