Is there a plugin or setting I can use that will automatically truncate or cut all posts, so that readers must click the post or a link to read the rest on another page...that may or may not be on the same blog?
In Admin->Presentation->Theme Editor Open index.php file and locate the_content() and change it to the_excerpt(). That shoud fix it for you Alex
you can then also control how much the user sees in the excerpt by using the custom excerpt part of wordpress (look for it when posting/editing post)
the problem when you use post excerpt is the url and colors doesn't function. I am using this plugin: http://www.thunderguy.com/semicolon/wordpress/evermore-wordpress-plugin/ so my summary will have colors and also functioning url.