Dec 1, 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. Hi, I’ve just started a blog to tame my own spending habits and share what I learn about eating organic on the cheap.

    I’ve done self-hosted sites but not really familiar with wp-hosted blogs yet. I’m wondering if you have suggestions for design, widgets, etc. Please visit and let me know what you think.

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    1. I love what you’re doing with the content of your blog! And the design is clean. I’d like to suggest the Recent Posts widget set to maybe 10 posts so that people can see and select what to read that most meets their needs/interests. That could go right under the signup widget. Another idea if your theme allows it is maybe to put a food picture in the header, something that looks yummy or visually arresting. If I had a kitchen, I would definitely follow your blog (but I live in an SRO without a kitchen)!

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      1. Thank you — I added Recent Posts set at 10. It makes me think some of my titles are too long! Good to have the perspective.

        I’ll see what I can do about posing some food for a picture 🙂 I also searched on food that doesn’t need refrigeration, came up with these cool links and started imagining guacamole and tomato-onion salad:

        http://lifehacker.com/5849074/what-foods-dont-i-need-to-refrigerate
        http://gardeningjones.com/blog/2013/07/05/13-fruits-vegetables-that-dont-need-refrigeration/

        Thanks again!

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  4. I’m actually only 9 years old, I love to blog and it’s so interesting. Some intentions of mine are to capture the audience’s attention. Yeah….I don’t really want to change the title into something really crazy

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    1. Hi good to see your blog again – I love to see beauty products and a scientific outlook paired in your content! Is there some way you can make the font in your right hand column bigger and more contrasty with the background? I only have presbyopia and I find it hard to read, think it may be completely inaccessible to someone who has worse vision.

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      2. Hi! Being an techno illiterate, theres not much I could do abut the font. So i changed the theme of my blog. I hope that helps. I will come up soon with a ‘science of beauty’ blog post. thanks for the help

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    1. As someone who often writes posts over a thousand words, I certainly don’t think you were using too many. But if I might suggest – to get your point across, you need more signposting that shows THIS is what your point is in this post.

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    2. I like to balance my posts… Long post one day, short one another. Maybe even a day with just a photo! Keep ’em on their toes! I know as a reader I get bored quickly from long posts, which I try to keep in my mind with each post! As hard as it can be 🙂

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  10. Community Pool. Great idea. I was wondering whether an article about “to what extent the economic crisis is over” would be a good idea for my website?

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  16. Hi. What a great idea. I just started blogging a couple of weeks ago. Just working things out as I go along. Any thoughts greatly appreciated on style, posts etc. Anything you guys want to say and help me with. Please post here so I can see what others are doing. Thanks.

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    1. Do you intend to space the lines of your poems so far apart, double-spaced? I personally find it hard to read when it is not more compact and single-spaced. Just a thought.

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    1. 1. I read your blog posts! So anyway, only write on topics that are interesting or compelling to you. How else could you entertain your reader without entertaining yourself by writing it?
      2. It doesn’t matter if you write formally or not–but you should pick one and stick with it. Your blog should have a consistent voice.
      3. For more views and comments, make sure you give it a Facebook plug!!!! If you put it out there for people in real life, it will give them something to talk about the next time you see each other and inspire you to keep writing because people you interact with regularly could ask you about it (and you don’t want to end up saying “Oh yeah my blog…I kinda forgot). And make sure you tag your posts!!!! I’ve gotten a few random views thanks to google. Other than that, you should remember that you should always write and publish for yourself first.

      Happy blogging!

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  20. ok so am new to blogging and it isn’t something you’d find many my age doing in Ghana (that’s where i live by the way), but am loving it! I am a very aesthetically oriented person and am lost as to where i can source great pictures to augment my blog. Can anyone help?!…Anyways, this is the link to my blog solomonotoo.wordpress.com

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    1. I love the idea of creating a blog to hold yourself accountable! That’s absolutely why I started mine as well. Keep it up 🙂 that’s basically the premise of mine as well!

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  22. Hey everyone! I’ve had my blog going for about two months now and would appreciate any feedback you deem necessary! I’m still developing my favorite side project, please feel free to take a look! laurenelysecan.wordpress.com

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  26. Hey everyone! I just started my blog and it would mean the world to me if just one of you checked it out 🙂 I’m really hopeful that people will start to notice my blog, it’s about fashion so hopefully there’s some bloggers reading this who are interested in that! If you have any tips or ways you think I could improve, please let me know, thankyou! 🙂

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    1. Hi there. Congratulations on your new blog. I’d suggest to add a recent posts widget on the sidebar somewhere, so people can quickly see what you have written so far. I’d also suggest to write a few words about yourself on the about page.

      If you have suggestions on the content/look of my blog, I’d be happy to hear. http://formidabulous.wordpress.com

      Like

  27. bonjour,jai pas une grande idée sur les blogs, je sais pas meme comment je vais utilise et comment poceder pour faire ma conception et la mise en page .

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    1. I definitely like the design, neatly organised and the colours are complimentary. one little suggestion is for the yellow you have used for font in your side bar. Its a tad bit difficult to read. maybe try another contrasting colour? Good luck

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  29. I’m having a problem that I didn’t used to have. After I’ve written my post and inserted photos, and then publish it, I go to look at the post and see that there are a series of computer-type codes that print out on the post. This happens 2-3 times on every post. What can I do to eliminate that?

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    1. I have had the same problems, and I can’t figure out why. I have had to go back and delete those. I would like to figure our how to stop that as well! I hope someone can answer it for you, sorry I am little help!

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      1. Thank you so much! I enjoyed your blog very much! I hope you can post more pictures of your experiments with the microscope.

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    2. Hi Tanya,
      I enjoyed your blog and look forward to reading more (you have a new follower!). I really appreciate your direct style of writing–just descriptive enough to get a clear picture/visual of what’s happening without so much that it turns into “fluff.” Can’t wait to read more!
      P.S. I loved your one-line ending. I like to do that in my own writing 🙂

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      1. Thank you very much! I thoroughly enjoyed your posts under the “little more serious” section. They are very entertaining!

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