How does the Freeman's new comment system work?

The Freeman is set to unveil a new system for comments, using Disqus as the new platform.

We believe this system dramatically improves the way conversations take place, because it gives you the power to choose how you read the comments, it integrates whatever account you want to use and keeps the conversations in one thread.

Without a thread, you would get something like this:


But the best way to showcase how the system works is to show you how it works, so I've put that very system on this blog.

You can see it at the bottom. It looks like this:

The main difference between my blog's system and the Freeman's is that I don't moderate or require registration. The Freeman will maintain its current system. The sorting system and "Likes" are ways to give you the power to display the comments the way you want to see them. 

In short, you are in control.

So how about using this system and this space to voice your concerns, ask questions and for clarification about. What do you think?

UPDATE: It's live! Go over there and comment away!

The production god is dead. Long live the Internet

As you know, it's been a hard but transformative week for the Freeman, having moved print production to Troy. Yes, our mailroom and press employees were let go as a result. I've know many of them for many years and it has been difficult to see them go.

But along with that difficult move comes a ray of inspiration. Our future is looking bright and I'm glad I get to be a part of it.

If you need a refresher, here's Publisher's Ira Fusfeld addressing our future and an illuminating interview by the Watershed Post with Managing Editor Tony Adamis, which addresses "how to make the transition from being a newspaper – which is a good thing to be -- to being a multimedia journalism company."

I'll let Journal Register Company CEO John Patton explain why we are doing what we are doing.