Sep 22, 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. I recently started a blog called “All That Glitters” for a class project and am VERY new to the blog world. So far I am very intruiged by it but also need some advice if anyone wouldn’t mind helping. A large part of the project is to stimulate conversation as opposed to just posting and pushing only my thoughts out there. So my questions is how to gain followers to get my blog out there and how to then stimulate comments and such. Also, when I am on my blog page I would LOVE it if the URL address could have “all that glitters” in it as opposed to my name. Any advice on either?

    here is a lik to my blog: http://alannaha.wordpress.com/

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  6. My blog is about my life and i dont really have any way to vent so i decided to start a blog to get comfort and to know that i do have ways to get help… Id really apreciate if people could check it out so i know i have someone who cares!

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    1. I loved your blog’s introductory post! Honestly! Very creative! I would love for you to guest post something for me, in fact, I have something in mind. If you feel interested, please do contact me. Thanks!

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  8. I would love some bloggers insight to my conundrum. I have a blog which follows a theme: A unique photographic theme every seven days, each represented by seven images. The overriding subject is Bangkok. http://www.bangkokprojects.wordpress.com
    I am often out of town so I have trouble finding time to shoot my theme in Bangkok. So sometimes I use photos taken while I’m in other places, and sneak them into the blog as a substitute.
    So, my question is: Do I have the poetic licence to post in my blog outside the theme or am I corrupting my own intention and my followers expectations? How true to your initial intentions do you need to be to keep followers happy?

    Like

    1. There is the place to ask them, though for me I would rather know, and being an outsider I would be fine with anywhere in Thailand, possibly anywhere in Vietnam, possibly the Philippines. Though if you started a Northamptonshire blog, I would be peeved if you blogged too much about Bedford.

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    1. I read your post Mindlessness, and I have to say, you have a wonderful writing style. Your writing is brilliant, and luckily, you write grasping beginnings. But I think a little more structure to your blog can help you loads!

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  13. Am I wrong for feeling this way,I had my 1st 3 kids taken by CPS 20 some yrs ago because one of my 7 brothers had it in for me,I was also physically attacked by him on 3 occasions,I ended up on the run with my 4th child because I was determined thet were not going to get her & they didnt,but all I went thru to get my other 3 kids back from a father that didnt want them in the 1st place and then all 3 were seperatedfrom each other to now not having contact with each other much less me,but what really hurts is I dont get to see but one of the grankids & the other 2 are in Calif both by different fathers I met one but not the other,and my sons kids the same way he lived in the same town as me but because I didnt agree w/his disciplinary methods by picking his daughter up by her hair over an expensive toy her parents bought her and she didnt want her cousin tearing it up ,but to shut him up from whining they give him what he wants,,,,Now I have a problem with a daughter that just left her kids in Calif and cant fathom why she would just walk away…she was under No pressure to get a Job,only if she wanted one…what has this world come too….I would never have walked away from my kids & dont understand why they treat me as the bad guy when all I wanted was a family…and I barely have that…. cant wait for Alzheimer’s so I can forget what a Heartache this has been for me,and then I wont even remember why Im sad….RJT

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  16. I’ve always blogged about any and everything that I’m into on my blog, from my outings with friends, to restaurant reviews, to book reviews, to gaming and Pokemon related stuff, and I’ve always wondered if this has the effect of…diluting my blog’s focus. Been thinking of having separate blogs for hugely different topics.

    As a blog reader, would you rather read a blog that covers all sorts of stuff (including some which you don’t like/are not that into) or one that is solely focused on whatever topic that drew you to it in the first place?

    Like

    1. It simply depends on your interests and your way of writing. If you cannot express yourself well on individualistic ideas, and do not have enough content on separate themes, different focused blogs might not work for you. Secondly, I believe there are all types of blog readers. Some like a lot of mental floss, and different stuff put together whereas some like more focused blogs. But it all comes down to which type you can pull off. Hope this helps! All the best!

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  18. hi everyone, I had this idea for a blog but im not sure how to get it out there or even if its a good idea… Please let me know what you think. and then i’ve also done a second post on the beginning of my story – but again i’m not sure if the points coming across or if its a little too vague for a starter, I want the reader to keep wanting more!

    just an intro
    http://latamistry26.wordpress.com/2013/09/21/welcome-to-recoverdr/

    http://latamistry26.wordpress.com/2013/09/23/recoverdr-my-story-starting-with-the-end/

    Like

    1. Well, you typed “quite” instead of “quit” but that aside I think it really will speak to people who are having those types of anxieties. The opening pretty much perfectly details those nagging doubts that one can get and the advice on how to overcome them is sound.

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    1. I like the colour and layout of the blog, everything is clear and concise. I wonder if you could amalgamate the about and street photography pages into one, but that is just a small point, some good photographs in there too.

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      1. Thanks for the suggestion and checking my blog Moi. Yup sure will combine the About and Street Photography. That’s a good suggestion. Do stay tuned for more of my work.

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      2. Cool, I think with both “about” pages begin quite short they would work better together, I started following your blog, look forward to seeing the pics.

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  25. I average about 10-20 hits a day. Is that good for a fiction site or should I try to drive more somehow? (I’m at thedaily400.wordpress.com.) Also, I’m thinking of adding more pages with short stories, then using a different template so that people can find them better. Is that a good idea? People seem to stick to the top page on a blog rather than diving deep.

    Thank you!

    –Matt

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    1. Personally I am not a fan of lots of pages but it maybe good for a fiction site to have if you write in different genres, personally I would rather use tags or categories for that. When you say people stick to the top page what to you mean? when I looked at your site I can see the top post then i’d scroll down to read others.

      One thing you are missing is an about page, the text there is a standard wordpress blurb which should be replaced by something from the author. generally the 1st thing I check out on someone else blog is an about page, if there isnt much there (or nothing) I dont know if i would be pulled into the content of the blog.

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      1. Thank you for the feedback. When I say the top page I mean the page that you see when you arrive. Like you said, people start there, then scroll down to read posts. They generally don’t dig into other web pages within the site. At least I don’t. Maybe I’ll focus on the tags and categories. There actually is an About page — if you look at the top menu, there’s an “About” link. Maybe I need to make it more clear or choose a different template. Thank you!

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      3. That’s really strange! When I click it on my page it goes to the writeup that I did. 😦 !!!!! Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

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  30. Guys check out my blog please! I assure you it won’t be a waste of your time. (: renatookong.wordpress.com

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