#1, Disqus has only gone down once that I know of, and it was for about an hour. #2, all services have some level of risk, but Disqus is looking to get strong import/export capabilities. Your comments are no more at risk with Disqus than they would be with Haloscan, Blogger, TypePad, etc.

Thanks for clearing that up

You can keep all your existing comments in Wordpress and install Disqus for your future posts. However, there isn't a way to export the comments back to WordPress, yet. I beleive that IntenseDebate does export comments back to WordPress.

Both systems can be linked to FriendFeed. Whatever system you choose, if they go down, your comments go with them. So far I have only heard of minimal disturbances in service and nothing too serious.

I also believe trackbacks are still an issue for both.

You'll need to do some research on your own before you choose one, but I do recommend that you install one of the two. It has definitely increased the amount of comments on the blog and makes it very friendly for both users and authors.

Thanks Shay, i was wondering about trackbacks

All valid points, Gordon.

We're under a lot of (rightful) scrutiny for these issues, but we're incredibly conscious of it every day at work.

That said, there's a lot coming.

Hi Gordon,

I'm a member of mediabistro (requires a password) and just found out in order to leave a comment on their site I needed to join Disqus.com (another password). Why would a blogger want to create another step (another roadblock) to comments? I didn't leave my comment on the site, because I would have had to register with Disqus. It already required me to log in as a member of Mediabistro, but then I need another log-in password for another comapany?! I don't think so.

Technology people keep piling on more technology that doesn't simplify the process. Just my opinion - Daniel Ha at Disqus did write back to me, so point in their favor. But, why make it hard for your readers?

See! You won't lose your comments.