Mar 9, 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. Definitely an interesting idea! Looking forward to seeing more. The one piece of advice that i have is that I’m not a huge fan of the centered text. It does make it harder to read. You do well with spacing and the photographs add plenty of visual interest, so left-justified text would be fine.

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      2. Oh, thanks. 🙂 I know how important feedback is, and I like to make sure people get at least one response, if I can.

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      1. Sorry..hit send too soon. I like the balance of the photographs which do look pretty delicious. You give enough to know what the recipe should look like without overdoing it.

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    1. It’s hard to say with just two posts but your writing looks solid. Your theme is a tad bland, so I might look for something with a bit more visual interest.

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    1. I like your writing and would encourage you to keep going and build more content. I would also suggest maybe finding a nice photograph to use as your header that would pull in some of the countries you mention. That would bring more interest to your blog as a whole.

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    1. Just read your baseball post and your writing style, I don’t really know how to describe it but I was hooked and happily carried on reading. So I think you should definitely write more of your own content!

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      1. Thanks! My style is very much hybrid, and often tongue-in-cheek. I’m opinionated but honest. I’ll reblog posts I find interesting or humorous but I still suffer from an inability to get that initial idea/topic for my own content.

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    2. The best advice I can give is to pick something you’re passionate about and focus on writing about that. Right now, your blog is a little bit of everything, and that’s perfectly fine. But if you want to focus on your own content, you want to find what YOU want to talk about. My blog is very “niche”, but my passion around the subject makes it easier for me to come up with content ideas. Make sense?

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      1. Yes, it makes perfect sense 🙂 I’m just not sure on exactly WHAT to focus on. I have several passions: Sports, history, fitness, the marketing/social media/PR fields, and more…and yet for some reason I almost feel it’s “wrong” to write a little about everything 😉 That sounds silly though, right?

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      2. Well, you have to think about your audience. History buffs and PR folks are two different audiences. There’s nothing wrong with a “little of everything”, but it may be a good idea to delineate it with pages or even another blog so that you don’t confuse your audience. Just my two cents.

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    1. I think it’s a very good post. I especially like the way you incorporated the quote and the photograph. It not only added visual impact, but it tied the post together and provided a good end note.

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  13. Hey guys I’m new to the blogging world and I’m just trying to figure out how to get more traffic, how to appear more witty, and I really just want to know what people in the health and fitness world want to read about. I try to incorporate some daily life and other fun subjects in with diet and exercise posts. I’d love to hear opinions! http://healthobsessedhoney.wordpress.com

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    1. I actually really enjoyed the pace and balance of your posts. Your writing is solid, and I like the way you give your health/eating advice in the context of your life and what you do, and not straight up recipes. It gives people a role model, which is I think what you’re trying to do. I also like (love, actually) the way you use quotes. What is significant of using the days? are you trying to post every day?

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      1. Thank you so much I really appreciate that! The days are each day I have been training for my half marathon coming up in June (see first post and About me page), but I am trying to post every day.

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  14. Hi, i started this year with a 365 days a year blogging project and would like to hear any comments or suggestions. I have not done any marketing or proactive audience building activities on purpose, just to see how it naturally develops, but i feel like i need some inspiration and advise to keep on writing more effectively (i am in no way going to give up). http://365ideasforamazingyear.wordpress.com/

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    1. I actually think you’re right on target on content. You’ve got a good balance of different types of content, and your writing is grounded in your point of view. I wouldn’t really change much, but just focus on keeping going – 365 straight days is a lot of blogging!

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  15. Hi, my blog is more of a website than what most would probably consider a typical blog; are there people on WordPress interested in this sort of thing or should I consider changing directions? Thanks

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    1. While WordPress is typically used as a blogging service, it can be used as a website builder, like Weebly.
      You’ll find that most things are focused on blogging, and Weebly has things like columns that might be more asthetically pleasing for a website.
      It’s your choice though.

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  16. Hi, I’ve just started my first blog post but a had a bit of trouble with the layout. Every time i preview my post it rearranges my layout of content and visuals (is this normal) and I’m also trying to change the size of my title to a smaller font but it does not seem to change every time i save it. If you have a look on hand held the “e” at the end of chocolate begins on the next line (normal?) The content also looks a bit more put together on a PC/Mac than it does on a hand held. Some useful advice would help… Thanks!

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    1. I think these layout issues are set by your theme, which you won’t be able to change unless you pay for for the ability to manipulate the CSS. You may want to try a new theme; you can preview them with your current content to see how it’ll look. Also, on the photographs, it looks like you might be choosing them all in your “Add Media” screen (they’d have the check box on them) and then they’re displayed next to each other. You’ll want to insert them one at a time, with line breaks between them.

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    2. I love them. I actually read the others as well. Like Jenna said more details and pictures of it in different settings would be great too. Maybe on someone dressed up or dressed casually. Looking forward to next sat. 😦

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    1. Overall, it’s really well written and a pretty good length. But I have to say, it’s not very positive. 😉 If you read through it, you have several paragraphs about negative thinking, why we do it, adversity etc. You seem to have lost the thread a little bit and the focus that you set out in your lede and title doesn’t really hold throughout the post. It’s okay to focus on the positivity without worrying about “devil’s advocate” so much

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      1. Thanks, I appreciate you taking the time to give me some feedback! I can totally understand what you are saying. Hopefully it doesn’t detract from the overall message too much, and I’ll definitely bear your advice in mind for the next post!

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    1. Coming out of the left-hand closet are we? I think the message came across. Why should people have problems accepting somebody who’s “born that way”, if “born that way” means left handed or something else?

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    2. I loved the post. You did a great job. I love the idea behind if as well it can be interpreted so many ways with just a few words changed .

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  20. I’ve had a few ideas for original stories that I’d like to post to my blog to switch things up but I’m not sure which one that readers would prefer to read about.

    One idea I’ve had is based off a dream I had where a girl finds herself able to enter other people’s dreams and can take objects from their dream and bring them into the real world. She keeps finding herself in the dreams of a stranger who possesses a gilded, old framed mirror that she takes from him after finding it discarded, only to be confronted by the owner while she is awake. But entering others’ dreams is dangerous, especially when injury or death is subject to happen while asleep.

    My second idea is about two misfits in college – one is deemed a hipster for his appearance reclusive behavior and is briefly contemplating suicide while the other is a transfer student who is trying to shake off the doubts of the naysayers back home while figuring her life out. They are forced to collaborate on a class project and find comfort in each other.

    The third idea is about either a guy or a girl who moves away from the familiar Asian community that they’ve lived nearby for most of their life (despite not being of Asian descent) and is thrust into a community that is stark, cold, and shallow. The only comfort that keeps him/her going is their personal stash of Pocky biscuit sticks, which spurns them to start The Pocky Club to find others like them.

    Which would you prefer to read about?

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      2. It’s just mine, I’m a 13 year old and the internet is a mine field so I have a special browser but sometimes it messes up:/

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      6. It’s weird some times:/

        Go to michaelhyatt.com for GREAT blogging advice. Just search blogging on the site. That’s where I get my tips:) and that’s why I put a photo with each post. http://www.levipierpont.wordpress.com I just posted more, you can go check it out. It’s called “Finding Life Change In Giving It All”

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  24. Hey, I would like some feedback on the content on my blog! I write mostly philosophical thoughts but recently I posted a short story. Should I continue to post short stories or just stick to my deep-thoughts theme?

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  25. Hey everyone! Hope you can drop by at my page. I write flash fictions and short stories. Your feedbacks will be truly appreciated. Thanks a lot, everyone! 🙂

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  26. como dije estoy aquí en Brasil y quiero saber el limite de peso en kilogramos que debo llevar para cuba y si dentro de ese limite se se pueden llevar equipos electrodomésticos y piezas de computadoras

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  27. por otra parte si tengo una motocicleta con una velocidad máxima de 50 kilómetros por hora y hast 1000 wats de potencia del motor la puedo llevar a cuba ?? y como lo haría ?? cual o como seria la vía mas adecuada ??

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  28. So I made a blog because I love reading blogs and felt like I could do that but when I started my blog i made it as like a advice corner amongst other things yet it turned into me writing about a lot of things , so I guess I’m asking if you guys can help me with like ideas on what maybe I should have a blog about because I really love doing it. Also ideas if my name for my blog is good or I guess mature?

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  30. I noticed that during challenges or prompts, some bloggers have a habit of copying all the pingbacks and listing them in their own posts. I feel that the bloggers do so just to increase stats to their page. Do you think this habit should be encouraged?

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