Mar 2, 2014 / 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 all, I’ve been blogging for a few months now, and now I’m a bit more settled have been getting down to improving my blog – working through some of the ideas from Zero-to-Hero (might get really involved when it comes back around). I’m looking for some advice on my About page – comments, (constructive) criticisms etc.

    About

    Many thanks!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Seems straightforward and gets the job done. I would suggest adding maybe a paragraph of something more specific and personal. Perhaps there’s a short anecdote you can tell about why you love volunteering in Istria.

      Like

  2. Love the pictures and your captions are fantastic. This is a great way to structure a blog; it’s easy to read and makes people want to come back to see what you’re doing next. That said, I’m not a huge fan of the template. the huge left hand side never changes, and it just serves to make the photos (the stars of the show) way smaller and harder to see. I’d look for something that showcases your photos better. Hope this helps.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. My name is Deswayne, I am a newbie at blogging, I love what I do, I want to create something valuable, but I need an overview of my blog, of course I have a lot to learn, but a general overview is what I need, the question I need answered is whether surfers will look and read or pass me over because I wasted their time?

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Hey ! I’ve been blogging for a couple of weeks, trying to get as much experience as I can here at WordPress. The thing that I need the most now is to receive some objective feedback from you, guys; that will help me a lot.
    Please check out some of my articles and tell me what you think. Thank you in advance !

    Here is a link to my blog: http://knowledgeaddiction.wordpress.com/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I think this is great. You keep the posts to a readable length for a blog, but the write is still crisp and gripping. Your subject matter is both profound and personal. I have no critique on this; it’s very good.

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  11. Hello everyone 2 weeks ago I started writing on my first blog, which I am really excited to. I will try to reproduce my way of everyday living through posts of what me and my husband cook and eat, our passion about travelling, photography. In a word, I really want to transmit the appreciation of those special moments in life through positivism. Please let me know what you think! My link to my blog is http://alifemoment.wordpress.com

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I thought your voice and style was really great, and I think the theme works for you. I was surprised when I read down to see you’re an expat. Right now, your blog is mostly recipes, but I think focusing more on your life in a new country (even while giving recipes) could really differentiate your blog. Hope this helps.

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    2. Hi there, I’ve had a good look around. I have one thing that I am a little confused about, and one suggestion for you. In general, I like the theme, and the header you have chosen a lot, it goes well with the rest of your content.
      What I am unclear about is are all of your food posts recipes or are some the photos only? If some are photos, maybe differentiate in the title by saying “Photo: A really Tasty Pink Soup” and “Recipe: Special Chocolate Cookies”. I’d also advise not to make the reader click again to get the recipe, why not have both the image and the recipe on the first click? It will make the reader more likely to stay, read and try the recipes if they are in the same post.
      The suggestion that I have is about breaking up the recipes into paragraphs a bit. The instructions are very clear, but if you are to cook from it, it will be easy to lose your place. I would start a new paragraph whenever you talk about a new ingredient or method. Have a look at almost any food blog out there to see what I mean. Make it easy for your reader to cook from it, and you will soon have a loyal audience

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      1. Thank you very much for your advise, I really need to improve the way of organizing my posts and making it clear to everyone who is looking at my post. Thank you ever so much

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  12. Hey everyone! I would like feedback on the theme and content of my blog.

    I’ve quit 6 different instruments growing up and am currently documenting my journey/struggles of learning and not quitting another instrument. My goal is to be relatable and motivate others who are learning a new instrument… guitar in particular.

    Is the theme or concept of my blog intriguing? Should I post more pictures? How’s the length of my posts? Too short? Too long? Should I change the name of it? I’m thinking about changing it.

    Thanks!

    http://quitquittingmusic.wordpress.com/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I like your content and I think it’s good to go into a “niche”. (I’m also a niche blogger; it’s a good way of staking out your own territory.) That said, I feel like your blog is overpowering and too utilitarian. It reminds me of something people would use to sell stuff; it’s a little too ‘in your face’. Since you write about art (essentially) it feels like a more creative theme with a softer color palette might help.

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      3. Yes, I understood. I meant to say “theme” when I said “layout.” I decided to return to my original theme until I find the time to customize something better. I appreciate you clarifying.

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    1. Love it. LOVE the bright, colorful photos. I think it gives a really good sense of who you are and I wouldn’t change the content one bit. The only stylistic advice is that the second headline is a smidge too big. I actually thought I had moved on to another blog post, instead of another part of the about page. If you shrunk that to subhead size, it would be perfect. But that’s a nitpick. 😉 Overall, it’s great.

      Like

    2. I’m a new blogger, but I just want to say that I fell in love with your “About Me” section. I love your energy! I feel like you’re talking directly to me and automatically became a follower. I wish you muchos success!

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    3. First my credentials…Been in NYC for 33 years. In off-off for 10 of them until I decided eating while less fun, was more satisfying than directing. I wish you well with your career. You never know if lightning is going to strike until it does!
      As for the About section? I feel you are splitting the difference a bit. Too much balance between wacky city gal and “hard ass” New Yorker. Sometimes you throw down with “fuck” and others you censor “f*ck”. Maybe pick one? Just a thought.
      Read several of your posts. You have a very fun blog. But really…I must insist. Commit! See a movie! Any movie! Don’t wait for a boy, grab a pal and go!

      Liked by 1 person

    4. That’s a great About page; witty, tells the story of you and your blog, gives us a little background, and all the links make me want to click through to read the stories behind them. Thank you for sharing

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      1. I love that!! I’m a new blogger and I think my about page could use some work. As everybody else already said, I love the energy that bounces off the page! I also love that it was long, but still entertaining and I didn’t realize it was long until I finished reading it. Breaking the text up with your fun photos was a great idea. I also love that although it is bright and long and has a lot of content, it still looks really clean and polished. Great job!

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  15. I was blogging about how happy my flag counter (who would have thought – flags making me happy. Hahahaha) made me, and someone needed a wee bit of directions of how to install one. Told them, and then did a little tutorial with screenshots. It’s been helpful to a few, but I’m not pleased with the image of where you drag the “Text” box up to the sidebar. It looks like you’re supposed to drag it up to “tag cloud”. Aaaargh. Is it easy enough to understand, or should I redo it? (I could take multiple screenshots, and paste them together, showing the whole page) http://crapiblogabout.wordpress.com/blogging/how-to-add-a-flag-counter/

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    1. Yes, it’s very helpful. I’ve never thought of doing that, but I have a lot of international readers, so it’s a great idea. Thanks!

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      1. Thank you! I never know how far to simplify things (I used to run a forum, I lost count of the times I had to explain copy and paste 🙂 ). It’s irking me, the whole text to tag cloud thing, but I’m not certain if it’s irking me enough to be bothered to take the screenshots and paste them together. 🙂

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      2. I don’t know…I figured out which one I needed and was able to understand the whole tutorial. Maybe use a circle around “text” instead of an arrow? (But then you can’t show the movement of the text box. Hm…)

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    1. I think it’s great! You’ve got a particular niche and audience and you’re keeping your point of view on those. Your posts are a great blend of photos and text, and they’re just the right length. You also have chosen a really great theme that supports your content and fits your point of view and style. I have nothing to add critique-wise. It’s great.

      Like

    1. What kind of feedback are you looking for? It’s a disturbing subject matter and post. What audience were you looking for?

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  20. It’s my life . Nothing special , maybe just a common story with a lot of observations and emotions and feelings . Like a wind … Don’t know , will you help me knowing it ?

    New here and I want some good friends rich of a intellectual mind .

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      4. Don’t worry you’ll learn eventually. Start reading and appreciating others. They say a good reader can be a good writer. So just appreciate others, they will surely appreciate you in return.

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      9. Well that actually depends on what kind of an overall look do you want for your blog. I would suggest choosing a theme that shows your recent posts in a grid way or a short list and then using a custom header.

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    2. Your pieces are very short, so I’m not sure what you mean. Can you give more details on the feedback you’re looking for?

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    1. As always, I love your posts. I think you’ve found a niche that really matches your passion and you bring a good point of view to the subject matter. Love it.

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  24. Always looking for some feedback! A friend of mine told me they had some trouble finding my posts. I would like to know if anybody else has a similar problem in terms of navigating my blog. Let me know? Thanks.

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      1. I think you need to include Recent Posts in your widgets. 🙂

        Browsed through your page. You got some interesting stuff out there but, yeah, it needs a little fixing regarding the navigation.

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      2. I agree with the advice on recent posts. It will be easier to find things. Search is good, but it requires REALLY good tagging/knowledge of SEO. Recent posts and Archives are good, easy ways to navigate a blog. Hope this helps.

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    1. I’m going to guess that the stories posted on the site were originally done in script form? There seems to be more emphasis on the dialogue than on description and when there was description I felt like there wasn’t that much effort put into it.
      The project itself sounds really interesting, you’ve clearly got brilliant drive and the some of your details are rather attention catching. I really liked the Monsters and Villains page and there does seem to be some really interesting plot ideas scattered across the blog. The quality of the prose is the only thing that really turns me away from reading more.

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      1. Okay, thank you very much for you feedback, I’ll take on board every word. Self-assessing my work, I’ve also noticed that the quality isn’t as good as I’d like it to be and I’m aiming to correct that for my second batch of extracts in autumn. Again, I thank you very much for your feedback, I needed some constructive critism!

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      2. You might benefit from having someone else go through one of your extracts and basically pull it apart. Do you have anyone you’d trust to do that constructively?

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      3. My friend is a fellow blogger, English student and she’s read them all start to finish. She’s very trustworthy so I’ll ask her to do that. Thank you for the advice

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  26. My question for today is: What makes you decide to follow a blog? Similar interest area? Completely different area? Just well done? Beautiful images? Great writing?

    I went “live” on 2/1/11 and have posted everyday since then (http://quotidianhudsonriver.com/about/ ). In my first year I made it to 100 followers and by 1/1/13 to about 250. Suddenly in mid-July I started picking up followers at a much more rapid rate. Including Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter I am now well over 800. Small beer compared to some of the blogs I follow but good enough for me. What I can’t figure out is why the surge? I know they don’t all visit everyday (people do have lives) but…My curiosity is piqued and I am hoping the collective brain power here can come up with a theory.

    Shameless plug for a friend! A blog I strongly suggest you all visit is the “The Accidental Cootchie Mama” (http://andrawatkins.com/). She is a newly published author – “To Live Forever An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis” and a GREAT blogger.

    Cheers and keep blogging!

    #toliveforeverbook

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    1. I’m no professional photographer, but I really like this. The colors really pop. I like how you framed people in the photos as well. I do understand what you’re doing with the watermark, but I have to say that it’s really distracting. May want to get something a little more sheer or cut down the words. You don’t want it to take away from your lovely photos! Hope this helps.

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    2. It looks like a lovely vacation and you brought back some great memories which is one very serious purpose of photography.
      I did find that you talked about how hot it was and I didn’t feel the heat coming through. An issue in landscape photography is always between simply showing what is there and pointing the viewer to the reason you are making the photograph and I was not always sure where you wanted me to look. But good blog and a good job.

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      1. Thank you so much! I always wonder if my posts are too short, this helps to know I am on the right track. 🙂

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    1. I think this is a good post. It’s well written and keeps the reader’s interest. It was not too long. Overall, good job.

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    2. You are clearly a good writer and your story is very relatable which is always good for keeping readers’ interests. I like that you switched up the length of your sentences to emphasize certain feelings or aspects of the story. If I could offer a piece of advice, it would be to let loose a little bit as you are writing. You are telling a story that is very personal and clearly very emotional for you as well. Your style is very well developed and your voice and feelings come across to the reader, but you could work on making your voice sound a bit more genuine and in the moment.

      Like I said, you are evidently a naturally gifted writer, but don’t be afraid to let go of traditional conventions once in a while to make the story more real – more about how you really felt. I got the sense that as you wrote the story, you were really concentrated on writing well and impressing your readers, and you lost sight of the real passion and emotion that originally fueled you to write about that particular experience. Try using the present tense, especially at the very end when you are explaining how writing is something that is still really important to you! Beware of passive writing!

      The piece of advice that I gave you is something that I struggle with too, but it helps to remind myself that my writing is first for me, second for my readers. I try to think – can I read this in my head and hear my real voice as if I’m talking to my best friend, or does this sound like I’m trying too hard to impress a teacher? I only started blogging very recently, but I think it is a great form of publication that pushes us writers to develop a unique voice and try to hone our writing skills at the same time. Overall, your post was good and this is just my humble piece of advice as a fellow improving blogger! Best of luck!

      Like

  30. I’m curious about what you think about this post (http://awkwardlaughter.com/2014/03/02/know-your-target-audience/) in the context of appearing on my blog titled “Awkward Laughter.” I wrote it with the intention of it being humorous, just not laugh-out-loud funny. Is it too real life and depressing?

    And believe me, the irony that it’s called “Know Your Target Audience,” but I’m asking for feedback on that topic isn’t lost on me. Thanks – Kim

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I think it’s a great post! I was drawn in and read the entire thing, and I think the way you wrapped it up in the end was just perfect. This is really well written. You also used line breaks and spacing really well to make it easier to readers. I have nothing critical to say; it’s great.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. It is certainly not too depressing and, Jenna’s right in saying it’s a great post and it does have a humorous tone. There is certainly a serious theme throughout and that cannot be avoided, but it doesn’t overwhelm the piece and the realism just add to the piece. It helps to invest the reader.

      Like