Apr 27, 2014 / Community Pool

Community Pool

The Community Pool is for those of you looking for feedback, 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 . .

TIP: 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.

  • 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. If you simply leave a link to your blog, it’s likely to be overlooked.
  • 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.
  • No running on the deck.

Photo by t_a_i_s.

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    1. Hey Lucy! I think you’ve got a great start for what you’re trying to do! The theme seems to match what I think your style will be and you seem to have access to the widgets and things you want. I would say that, for now at least, the pages you have are good. So far, it seems, you’re focusing on Thailand right now, though maybe you mentioned other countries and I overlooked it. When You do add another country, maybe a page on each country will be helpful, especially as you blog more and have more posts, but for now, what you have is good.

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      2. Your welcome. 🙂 It’s fun, and I think it’ll be awesome to read about your experiences with the animals and elephants, particularly since you are clearly passionate and educated about animal rights, which is not something that a lot of people think about, frankly.

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  3. Hi, I am in a portfolio class at school. I just completed my “eportfolio” which is due this Friday, May 2nd. I would interested in some input, insight, and suggestions as to whether my portfolio is professional and understandable or not. Thanks. Have a great day.

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  5. Hello my fellow bloggers!! I recently started a blog a couple of months ago, writing daily has been super challenging being a busy Mom! I would love some general feedback on my page…what you like, don’t like, maybe something you want to see more of ?

    Thank you and happy writing to all my bloggers! :DD

    You can see my blog here @ http://honoringthelight.wordpress.com/

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    1. One suggestion is to set the limit on the number of posts that will show on your home page so that the visitor doesn’t have to go down the “scroll of death”

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  10. Hi everyone! My blog is kinda new, and need some input. It’s about programming languages, mostly Java and JavaScript. Even if you are not into it, any comment is valid, like English grammar, should i write more/less in my posts, more pictures, theme, anything!

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    1. Hi, thiagoponte! Just checked. I like its simplicity, the no-nonsense layout etc. And the most amazing thing about your blog (or your wording) is: I don’t find it ‘distant’ or intimidating, for a non-programmer like me (the fact that I still don’t understand any technicalities you said is not your fault, it’s just not my thing).

      But just to pretend that this comment has any value (if at all) for you, I’ll say this: consistent writing will assure your readers that you’re still around. 😀

      PS: Be warned, though. I don’t do modern stuff like facebook or twitter. So you got yourself an ancient here. :mrgreen:

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  12. I just started a blog to display my postcards. If anyone is interested, please check it out, and let me know what you think! It’s still a work in progress, but I’d love suggestions on how to improve. Samanthareneepostcards.wordpress.com

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    1. Hi Sam. I think you have a clever niche and if you tag it well should draw those with similar interests. My only suggestion would be perhaps a little more info on the cards you display. While its obvious where they’re from, a little context or backstory would make them more interesting

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  13. I am writing a book (a work of fiction – canine superheroes) on my blog. I intend to present the chapters of the book as posts, but these posts would be interspersed with other general posts (short-stories/anecdotes etc. about dogs, cats, and other animals.) The problem that I am facing is – how should I present the chapters of the book? I want to maintain the continuity of the Superheroes story – but the other non-story posts act as speed-breakers. You can view the blog at: http://bobbyshideout.wordpress.com. I’ll be thankful for your suggestions. – Bob.

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    1. You appear to be using a category for your chapters – that’s good. I would also suggest creating a page of chapters with links to each of the chapters published so far. Keep it updated regularly so that people don’t have to trawl through your history to find the earlier ones (as you put up more content, that’ll get harder for them).

      Good luck with it!

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      1. Thanks mgm75. I’ll follow your suggestion and a page with links to the chapters. I was wondering if there was a method to select the Chapters from the posts and display a column with the chapter-links (only) on the sidebar.

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  14. Blog is mainly a method to keep fans updated on my musical work. The site is mainly for the music, but it would help to see if it is actually interesting to read. I appreciate any input and will give input back to anyone who helps me out! Thanks again guys!

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      1. Thank you very much! And I am in love with your blog mate! Phase two of my music career is to actually do exactly what youre doing! Blog about where I go for additional traffic. But back to yours, I love the concept, youve got a fan!

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  18. Wassup, everybody? Opinion DEMANDED!! (That’s right, I’m not even asking. Consider this to be like a census – if you don’t pop by and leave me a comment, you’re all going to JAIL!)

    Heh heh – just kidding. But do you know how hard it is to not only post every day, but actually conceive of, draw, photograph, scan, and / or write all my stuff? Eh, I guess it’s not so bad if you enjoy it. Which I do. Anyway, I start work at 7:00am and it’s currently…1:00am. So basically what I’m saying is, it’s going to be a shit-show tomorrow because I suffer for my art. And I would genuinely LOVE to hear your thoughts in comment form. Deal?

    Hell, link me to your blog when you comment and I PROMISE I’ll visit and offer you my vast expertise. I just like meeting people and stuff. And I’ve been into the wine, so this is already too rambly. And…apparently “rambly” isn’t a word. You can’t see it, but it’s underlined in a little red squiggle. Twice.

    So yeah. Enjoy. It’s about a freakin’ cat, this comic, and a guy who wants to feed her shit food in bulk. Based on a true story. You’ll see. You’ll see.

    Econo-Feed

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  19. I started this blog a few weeks ago hoping that writing more often would improve my writing. The content is generally just whatever’s on my mind, but I would love comments on the writing style/technique/possible improvements! daydreamsatmidnight.wordpress.com

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    1. I looked at some of your work and could tell right away that you have an intuitive sense of human emotion and many reactions described (in what I saw) will definitely resonate with readers. I would suggest fleshing out your about page. Let readers know more about who you are, perhaps with a well-chosen picture, and I think they’d be more inclined to empathize and follow

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  21. Hi everyone! I’m a newbie but would love some input on my first two posts! Just writing daily thoughts to get the juices flowing. I’m an aspiring writer and figured keeping my own blog would be a perfect start.

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  22. Hi, we’re rookie bloggers, so any feedback on our blog will be helpful. We get a few likes with each new post, but need help getting conversations going, Feel free to add any other impressions you have.

    Sidetracked

    Thanks

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    1. I’d suggest changing the background image. It’s a car’s rear end that’s repeated and repeated; I know there’s a car hidden behind your posts but that’s the problem. The car is hidden.

      Choose something that will create a more positive visual impact. Depending on what you choose, you may need to alter that yellow color.

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  23. I’d love love LOVE your opinion on my blog: http://theelusiveemdash.wordpress.com/ because I’m really struggling to find what I should be sticking to in terms of content – whether I should do funny, personal, serious – at the moment it is a real mixed bag!! I would love comments on which ever post you’d like to give feedback on because that is the most easily accessible for me. Thank you in advance!

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    1. Hi! In my experience, you can only find your ”blogging voice” with time. For the moment, do whatever you feel like and in a couple of months you will see patterns emerging. You’ll see not only what you write about most often, but also what tone you usually take, and what your readers react to. At that point you may even go back on previous content and edit it. I first created a blog, to then turn it into a community blog, delete several more personal posts and then create a personal blog where I could put them. It’s a process!

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    1. I have two minor suggestions:

      1- I’d recommend using varied categories for your posts and adding the categories widget on your sidebar. Most of your older posts are currently inaccessible without a ridiculous amount of scrolling.

      2- I wish there were a line under “day” in your header. (I don’t know whether it would look good to extend it farther left…) I’m thinking something handwritten to match your overall style. There should probably be some visible separation between that header and your menu instead of the sea of white; a handwritten line is the only thing I can imagine that wouldn’t mess up the minimalism you’re obviously going for.

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      1. Thank you for your feedback! I definitely agree with the categories for older posts! Ive been trying to think of a little something to put between my header and menu too but I just havent been quite sure where to go. Thank you!

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  27. I finally summoned enough courage to start my own blog. I was first worried about what the content will be forgetting that I have sufficient stories to write; my experience and that of many other African women in my shoes. I opted to write short stories, fiction and non-fiction with a view to motivating people all over the world. Moreover, blogging helps me to forget my sorrows and fit into the characters I portray who live a positive life in-spite of the inherent limitations. I also write to expose the ill of the society with a view of solving it. My latest post talks about the corruption of the police, etc. You can find the full story here:
    http://www.storieswithoutborders.wordpress.com. Please share your your opinion regarding my stories, what I got wrong and how to improve my subsequent posts. Thank you.

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  28. Hi, I recently started a travel blog and I’d love feedback on the design and the content (ie. the sort of content I’m offering as well as the writing itself!) Thanks! Oh, also, feedback on the name ‘Wander Studies’, because I’m not confident it’s any good 🙂

    https://lutravels.wordpress.com

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    1. Hi Lucy. Congrats on the blog. There are lots of travel blogs out there (like mine, for instance) and I believe that what separates them all is the ‘voice’ and viewpoint of the blogger. 10 different people can visit the same place but leave with 10 different impressions. So figure out your ‘voice’, tag your posts well, and definitely add more pictures. I have a whole photo gallery dedicated to my travel pics and often visitors will take a virtual stroll through them while at my site. Hope this helps

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