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.

Show Comments

533 Comments

Comments are closed.

Close Comments

Comments

  4. Although my blog is fully written in dutch, I’d love to have some feedback! otterlygood.wordpress.com 🙂

    Like

  5. Hey All, I recently wrote my first blog- something I have been thinking about for a while. I work in the international development/humanitarian field and would love your feedback. Honesty is the best policy- so let me know what you think- thanks! bit.ly/1iixOEt?

    Like

  8. Morning. Doing some last minute touchups to 34Kiwis.org before I call it a night. I would like to share this site with you. I’m noticing that this theme works well with the kind of content we post.

    Question: If you were following my blog, what kind of content, topics, would you expect to see? This site’s audience is 3rd to 8th grade students and their family. Please feel free to email as well. Thank you. info@34kiwis.org

    Like

    1. It’s a good start but it seems incomplete and kind of barren. I like the “to the point” entries but I think you might need to add a touch of color. Good job though.

      Like

    2. I think the “thought for the day” concept is a clever one; you’ll need to post a lot though to make sure that the blog is meaty enough for people to return. I agree with Sue on the visual elements; definitely could use more color.

      Like

      2. Right now you pretty much just have a grey block. You can look in the dashboard for different themes and try them out with your content for free. You might also want to consider adding images or photos to your posts to make your overall blog more visual. Take a look at my blog to see a very highly visual theme.

        Like

    2. I think your content is solid and your writing is good. I would love to see you have more visual interest on your blog, though, whether it’s just a more creative and colorful them or the addition of some photographs or other images. Your great content deserves to look good!

      Like

  16. Hey there, everyone! 🙂 I’ve just begun blogging and am in dire need of suggestions pertaining to the showcasing of the little work that I’m on to and advice on better networking on wordpress. Please help!! Also, I’d love your comments on my work. ^_^ Cheers!

    Like

    2. I think you’re doing a great job and everything you need to. Your blog is visually gorgeous and has great content. You just need to keep building your content. As for networking, I think there are a lot of blogs that you can visit, and you may want to consider the blogging events or the daily post challenges. They don’t work for me and my blog, but they might for you and will introduce you to even more people who could become readers. Good luck!

      Like

      1. Thanks a lot for your comment and advice, Jenna. Will definitely try to make it work 🙂

        But what I’m really glad about is having checked out your blog! I am a lover of football as well! I mean, isn’t it the most beautiful game on the planet!! 😀 I’m so excited about following your blog and hearing from you from time to time! Woohoo!!

        Like

    1. First of all, I’d love to see a nice header for your blog. You have plenty of visual interest elsewhere, so I’d love to see you find a nice image or at least have some color up there. As for the topic, I’d just gently remind you that when you’re writing about yourself, not to be too hard on yourself. I found myself wanting to know what you thought was good and not just bad, so don’t hesitate to talk about the positives, too.

      Like

  18. Hello there, I’m looking for feedback on my page titled Sierra Leone. I’m hoping to make it more attractive at some point because at the moment it’s just full of photos. Any advice would be appreciated and let me know if you want me to check out your work.

    Like

    1. Oh, my gosh, I love this page! I LOVE the colors, all sepia-toned and golden. In fact, I think your background could be warmed up a little to support the photos. Overall, I think it’s very attractive as is.

      Like

    1. Your blog has a really nice concept. It is beautiful, funny, humorous and light. For posts are short, it engages the reader and catch their attention beautifully. You have done a great job. Your blog left me smiling like a child. Good luck and all the best!
      I would love some feedback on my blog as well! https://biswalnikita.wordpress.com/ Thanks! Cheers!

      Like

      1. I am guilty of reading your posts before and not commenting. Something very self-conscience-y (It’s a word…) of me not wanting to appear disingenuous. (which I am not)
        I like how you flesh out abstract ideas (I think much more linear) and put to words ideas that I couldn’t. But say it how I would if I did. I think you are talented writer. All the best to you as well.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Your blog has a really nice concept. It is beautiful, funny, humorous and light. For posts are short, it engages the reader and catch their attention beautifully. You have done a great job. Your blog left me smiling like a child. Good luck and all the best!
      I would love some feedback on my blog as well! https://biswalnikita.wordpress.com/ Thanks! Cheers!

      Like

  21. Hello beautiful people from everywhere! I am from Cambodia. I love to write but my English is so limited. Please kindly correct me and give me some more feedback. Thank you in advance!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Since that first post was short, I figured it would be easier to just repost it with the most obvious corrections. What you were trying to say I actually perfectly understood. It was just a matter of changing prepositions and a couple of words to a different form which can sometimes have different meaning (like relations to relatives). I retained the original post without rewriting anything as much as possible. I’m hoping by seeing this and comparing it to the original it will help you. 🙂

      “It has been almost four days now since an aircraft went missing. Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared about 90 miles south of Tho Chu Island in Vietnam known as “កោះត្រល់” in Khmer. CNN states that nearly three dozen aircraft and 40 ships from 10 countries so far have failed to find any sign of it. Among the 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board the plane, five are under five years old.

      There are some conspiracy theories about this mysterious event. Some say it may be the cause of terrorism. This could be possible because they have found two stolen passports according to airport records. Meanwhile, some people believe that the crash was the pilot’s responsibility. Since the pilot has more than twenty years experience, he did not give any signals to the experts before the disappearance. According to the radar, the plane was turning backward. However, they don’t really know what the exact problem was. Lastly, the most common complaint is technical problems (machine related). It’s most likely to happen to large planes when flying across continents.

      To my concern, I feel really sorry for the victims’ relatives who are waiting for a miracle.”

      Like

    1. Your writing is great and you use imagery sparingly but very effectively. Your theme supports your concept, and I love your custom header. I honestly don’t have any critique to give. It looks great!

      Like

    1. I think you have a very distinctive voice and your writing is both fun and heartfelt. I can’t wait to see what else you do.

      Like

  25. This is my first post in the Community Pool. I would appreciate some guidance from more experienced bloggers as to how to define the remit of my blog or whether I even need to keep to a strict remit.

    I started blogging in October 2013 when I relocated to the US from Scotland. Essentially I am blogging about my everyday experiences of living and parenting as an immigrant and of finding my feet and adjusting to a new life in a new location. However, recently I have been wondering if I am straying from the strapline of my blog – or at least am being tempted to – since it is quite hard to find that line between my experiences as an immigrant incomer and what are just my experiences of life that just happen to be lived here, somewhere new. Does that make sense? As a specific example, one of the strings to my bow is that I am an artist. I have written about joining an art journal group on my blog because that was a new experience and I was trying to meet new people since I know nobody here. But so far I have only shared art journal pages where they relate to my experience as an immigrant and adjusting to my life here because I have worried that sharing other pages I have created – or indeed the other works of art I produce in my home studio (ie spare room) – would be straying from the remit of my blog.

    So do I stick rigidly to only blogging about my experiences of being an immigrant, settling into a new area, adjusting to my new life or do I expand my blog entries to include other aspects of my life since technically my whole life falls into that category of life experiences in a new place?

    That was rambling. I hope you got the gist of my query.

    Thanks in advance for any guidance / feedback / opinions.

    Cheers

    Laura

    PS Here is the link to my blog if perusing it would help you answer:
    http://pictinpa.wordpress.com/

    Like

    2. Why do you have to make a choice? I think your experiences are yours, and I find them very interesting. I think you should just write without judging yourself and see where it takes you. 🙂

      Like

      1. Thanks, Jenna. I suppose since I’m new to blogging I’m unfamiliar with what the expectations are for a blog. I enjoy blogs that are free-form and I also enjoy blogs that have a tight focus. I’m just not sure where mine falls between the two. Thanks for your input. I appreciate the feedback.

        Like

      2. You might want to just see where your writing takes you. With my fiction, I always thought I could only write sci-fi/fantasy, but the best thing I ever wrote was a rom com (?!). Maybe just blog for a couple of weeks and then stand back and see what patterns start to emerge.

        Like

    1. I’m very surprised that English is not your first language. If you’d not told me that, I would not have been able to tell from your writing. Your content is balanced and your voice is fresh and fun. I think you should keep doing what you’re doing.

      Like

    2. I agree with Jenna, I wouldn’t have even noticed either. It’s scary how many people whose first language IS English can’t even formulate a sentence in text format yet it’s considered a second for you and your skills are far better.

      I think you are doing perfectly fine!

      Like

    1. It looks great so far! You just need to keep writing and building your content. As for tips, remember to try and keep a good balance of types of posts: you might want to mix dieting, exercise, news, etc. Throw a “just for fun” post in there every once in a while to keep it light.

      Like

    1. There’s a ton of information here on WordPress. I think they took down the Zero to Hero blogging challenge, but I used that to build my current blog. I think they’re doing it again in a month or so.

      Like

  30. Hello everyone,

    First of all I think this is a great initiative. Since I’ve just started blogging and came across this article I though; Why not comment?

    I’m a startup writer working on the same project on and of for the last ten years, but it is finally starting to get more serious so I want to spread the word. One goal is to get others to check out my work, but also to get more motivated through their comments etc.

    So here I am and I would love you guys to check out my blog at:
    http://timvandeleur@wordpress.com

    Like