Aug 25, 2013 / Community Pool

Community Pool

Community Pool

The Community Pool is for those of you looking for input, whether on post ideas, writing, blog design and layout, or anything else. If you have a post, page, or idea you want to bounce off someone, leave a comment. Your fellow bloggers can then click through and offer input either on your site, or in the comments here (feel free to indicate which you’d prefer).

Read on for the ground rules and to leave a comment . . .

  • You’ll get the best feedback if you can be as specific as possible about what you’d like people to respond to or where you’re struggling.
  • Please keep all comments civil and constructive. We’re here to help and support one another, not to beat anyone down.
  • If you haven’t looked at our Commenting Guidelines in a while, now might be a good time.
  • To keep from losing your place in the comment thread while you visit others’ blogs, right-click on a link to open it in a new tab or window.
  • No running on the deck.

Photo by t_a_i_s.

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    1. hey, that was a fun read, thankx for sharing, the whole thing is pretty well written but there are some moments in particular that just send it up a level and if you could capture a few more of those you would raise the level of the piece to new heights… so keep at it but you definitely have some great style and ability to capture moments…

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      1. Hey! I like how you’ve customized the appearance of your theme. It’s fun and unique and sets a strong personality for your blog. The appearance does contrast a little with the seriousness of some of your posts (mainly some of the “Spotlight Sunday” posts), but it fits well with others, so I figured I’d just toss the comment out there and let you decide what to do with it. 🙂 I like your Weekly Series posts and advice on college life. It’s great to see good, straight-forward content from someone currently living the college life.

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    1. I love your writing style! The mix of writing and photography is nice, too. I like the purpose you outlined in your About page – that you’re blogging so that you don’t forget. It’s a great way to give purpose to your blog without confining yourself to one topic or style.

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    2. hey yeah, About page is great – short and simple and to the point – i would maybe bold the first line just to bring attention to it and make it stand out – loved the lists especially the Twilight hate [what the heck?] and you have some really great photos and the photo plus explanation works really well – good combination of writing and picture… and your writing style is fun – this is a blog people will want to read i think, and return to… keep at it!

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      1. Thank you so much! I like the idea of bolding the first line so I’ll make sure to do that, thanks! 🙂

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  5. How do I enjoy the wonderful warm waters of the Community Pool? I have tried diving in – ended up as a bellyflop! I have tried paddling – and the water was sucked out! Never mind, for the moment, about asking for my blog to be looked at. How do I actually – and when you get right down to it – get on here?! Alienora

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    1. I don’t know if I’ve seen your other posts on the Community Pool. I’m not on every week, so I may have missed your other attempts. However, I tend to respond to posts that ask specific questions for me to answer, requesting feedback on a specific post, or in some other way giving me an idea of what kind of comments their looking for. It also helps to post a link to your blog in your actual comment, instead of hoping people will click over just your name. Finally, I notice the earlier you get on the Community Pool, the more likely people are to respond to your post. Comments near the top get more responses. Again, I haven’t seen your other posts, so maybe you’re already doing all those things, but I figured I’d toss out my observations!

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      2. Great, vivid imagery and an engaging story. My only hang-up (which I know came from the prompt itself) was the image of the little girl somehow “remembering” her parents’ lust… Taken outside the frame of the prompt, the story itself was great! 🙂

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      3. Thank you very much for the feedback. I know exactly what you mean! It was one of life’s little ironies actually: for some reason, the Daily Prompt appeared initially without the photo, so I wrote the bulk of the story before realising there needed to be a child, a merry-go-round and so on! Ah well! Alienora

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  7. Hi everyone, newbie blogger here. I am documenting my experiences as a young woman teaching in a high security, all male prison in the South. I would love ANY feedback regarding my layout, posts, how to expand my blog, and any questions or requests on material. I appreciate any help I can get! Happy blogging 🙂

    http://prisonprincess.wordpress.com/

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  9. I like your theme. You’re a new blogger so it may take some time for people who like what you write about to find your blog. If you haven’t already, figure out who your audience is, that’s who you’re writing to. (For example: teenagers who like fashion) What do you know the most about or are passionate about? What you write has to be something that your audience is interested in. Also use social media tools to promote your posts. Figure out which tools benefit you the most. That would be where your audience hangs out. Maybe it’s Facebook for you while for someone else, it may be Pinterest. There are so many other things, but try these and see how they work.

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  10. Which sidebar widgets do you use and which ones do you like to see on other blogs? I have played around with them, adding and subtracting, changing order, but I really only put them in order of how they look. Do you have a preference? I’m over at http://waldina.com/ Thanks in advance.

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    1. For me, it’s all about using widgets to easily access the blog’s content. I like seeing a list of either most recent posts or top posts (or both!), so that I can quickly click around to get to content that catches my eye. The Archives and Categories widgets are nice for that reason, too. And obviously, the “Follow Blog” widget is a must.

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  11. Hi everyone. I would love to have your feedback on my blog. It’s a blog specifically for poetry and stories—I’m thinking about adding essays, too. I don’t think I have established a clear focus (I’ve heard so many times that it’s important). I’m quite new, so you could say I still don’t know my way around. Your feedback, even criticism, will be much appreciated.

    http://eliabintang.me/

    Thank you very much 🙂

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    1. I can only really comment on your Addiction piece, Andrew – and that DID impress me. Left me wanting to know more, which is always a good sign! Alienora

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  15. I’d like you guys to check out my blog and give me feedbacks. I am diverse in my posts and I blog stories from all over the world. liking my blog won’t hurt. Thanks

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    1. Thanks for the share. Is your first question meant to be ‘How do we life on?’ or ‘How do we live on?’ Not sure if you were playing on the word or if it was simply a mistake but if it is a mistake then you will want to correct it as it is your opening line and what you want to use to grab people’s attention…

      i like your ‘About’ page [i think the second paragraph may be out of alignment but that’s an easy fix] – not to long and really shares the heart of what you are about and comes across as really friendly and inviting.

      but ja from a brief look it looks like you are doing a good job – i like the variety of pieces on your blog – some short and insightful, some longer, sharing life and giving a challenge – i think you have a good thing going…

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    1. It was a fantastic read. I loved all the little details, like the rain, and the wind making her cold. And yes, I think you did a great job getting the child’s voice down.
      Would never have interpreted the photo that way, so kudos for creativity!

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    1. From one person who likes words to another, I have learned to cut down my sentence length. I limit my clauses and cut down on the verbiage. When I get a tad more academic I will ramp up. But, most of the time I try to stick to a more informal, opinion piece tone. I think since I am not published in the Atlantic, I am not portraying myself that way. I feel the need for more public credibility before I write quite like that. I might be overthinking it. I kind of do that.

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      1. Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Andrew. Yes, I have to remind myself sometimes to keep it simple. My aim is to find a balance. Not too verbose, not too stark.
        Interesting point about public credibility.. P.S. Great blog!

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    2. Great post! You present some really thoughtful ideas. Achieving great things takes work! I’m glad you know that, but it is true that the “believe in yourself” message does often downplay the need for endurance, resilience, and persistence.

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    1. Good question! I have only re-ignited my own blogging in the past couple of weeks. In the past I did two things: Find where my writing niche is (then it was a small group of progressive theologians, now it is educators and the intersection of spirituality and education), and then post and share others’ writing. Find other traveling blogs. Who else is writing about Pakistan? Etc.

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  24. Fashion with glimpses of my life and an insight to the world of Singapore (where i’m from).

    Would love some feedback as I’m new to blogging.

    e.g. more fashion / more style / less stuff about me no one cares about etc. haha.

    Also whether people would be interested to follow me based on my posts so far.
    Thanks(:

    http://saisosexy.wordpress.com/

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  26. Hey blog world… I just started blogging last night. Please go to my page and please help me out! I don’t know if I am doing something wrong, but not one person read my blog 😦 Where do they go when I post? Please help me out y’all.. And I will follow you as well. thanks guys!!

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    1. In order to get people to see your blog, it helps to “tag” your posts. WordPress uses those tags to put your posts in the Reader, which is how other bloggers find them. It does take time to build a readership, though! Just keep blogging, tagging your posts, participating in the writing prompts, and the community pool!

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  27. Hi everyone, I’m from Austria so my Blog is a mixture out of english and german posts. I’m actually blogging about everything it’s sort of a lifestyle blog. Maybe you could have a look at it, tell me what I can do better or if I should specialise and stuff like that. Thank u! (:

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