May 4, 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.
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    1. Nice blog. My main problem would be there seems to be no break between articles. As I scroll down it becomes hard to read. If you could heading each article with bigger text, or maybe underscore the end of an article it would be easier to read.
      But great blog and nice features 🙂

      Like

    2. Are you familiar with the H2 tag (you can see it in the visual editor under ‘Paragraph’ – Maybe you could use that to give a title to each section rather than the bold text titles?

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      1. Hi David, that’s a great idea – don’t know why I never thought of that. I think that has helped space each piece out more and make the page look much more organised. Have a look to see what you think. Thanks for your help.

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    3. Hey Kaley. You’ve got a lot of content. Perhaps creating some categories might help a reader put them in context. By the way, checked out your Bucket List. If you need any advice about number 13 I’ve hit all seven and am glad to share 😉

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      1. Hi Ben, thanks for your advice. My Bucket List is progression very, very slowly. I would love to have visited more countries and continents by now but I am currently at uni so I’m currently bogged down with exams and also don’t have the money to spend on going abroad unfortunately. I did go to Lanzarote last which technically you could probably call Africa, but as it wasn’t mainland Africa I have decided not to count it. But if you have any particular places that are a must-see, I would love to know so that I could visit them one day in the future 🙂

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      2. Bucket Lists come with only one time limit-death. Hopefully yours isn’t anytime soon, so be patient. Your time (to travel, that is) will come.
        As for how to ‘count when’re you’ve been, under my Best Of page there’s a link to my earlier post “You Know Where You Are By Who Comes To Arrest You” that should clarify what does & doesn’t count 😉

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  2. Hello fellow bloggers,
    My request is twofold. The first is for general feedback and interaction. The second and more important is recommendations of other WordPress blogs I could really do with reading,

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    1. Hey Adam. Enjoyed your blog. Couldn’t find a wordpress follow button to get it in my reader (already get more emails than I want) so I’d suggest you get that in there. Liked your about page too. As for a good blog to read, how could I pass on such an easy layup and recommend my own, assuming of course you have even the slightest interest in travel

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      1. Hi Ben,
        Thanks very much – that’s useful feedback. I will most certainly endeavour to add a WordPress follow button. I will also gladly hotfoot over to your blog – having an interest in both travel and good writing.

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    2. Hello. I like your blog in general. I don’t have links to others handy, but if you check out mine you might find one you like. Specifically, judging from what I read of yours, there is a link I titled “world citizenship.” Good luck!

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  3. I’ve changed about the layout of my site. Started using the ‘feature’ tag to highlight some posts in the 2014 theme. Also used the read more button for articles piling up on my homepage.
    Just wondering what people think? Does it make our easier to navigate and feel les clustered?

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    1. Stunning! Of course I didn’t see it before, but this layout is gorgeous! Very alive, moves quickly, it’s clear and easy to ready, feels aggressive, determined and high-energy. Very slick. Kudos!

      Like

    2. For blog post layout – I recommend splitting up your paragraphs into shorter paragraphs and using sub-headings. It’s an art in itself 🙂

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    1. A couple of thoughts on layout:

      1- You have two similar tan colors that don’t quite match. If the header menu color came with your theme, it should be possible to get the exact color code for it in the WordPress forums so you can make your sidebar look the same.

      2- You need to add widgets to your sidebar so that your visitors can navigate more easily.

      3- You need to add an “About” and “About Me” page. These generate reader interest.

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      1. Heyy
        Thank you for your help I really appreciate it.
        One question though: How exactly do you add a widget? {sorry I’m still a bit new to the blog}
        and about the About Me Page I already have one, it’s called “About All of This” on the top Menu, I guess I should clarify that too.
        Million thanks x

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    1. Thanks for posting this Sue. I still wonder at the mysteries of blog stats, so it was comforting to hear (yet again) that it isn’t necessarily a lack of quality content.

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  7. I have my own domain at wordpress.com http://bizzimummy.com
    I have been considering moving to a self hosted site and using the guided transfer offered at approx £80.
    Does anyone have any experience using this service?
    Also which is the best to go with – bluehost, dreamhost or hostgator.
    I’m confused as I havey domain at wordpress. So do I sign up to a web host and then just let the techies transfer or is there other things I need to do.
    Thanks

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  12. I am interested in feedback, as well. Either on the blog; or here. Whichever is most convenient as the reader. I am wanting to allow organization. Easy access. Also, I want to know if my writing, in itself, is consistent. It is faith-based.. inward journey, outward experience, reflection… Thanks so much!

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    1. Hi Sabina. First, I really like your header graphic, very clean and attractive. I would recommend including more photos with your posts (after all you ARE an amateur photographer :)) My blog is rather theme-specific, so I don’t face your same challenge of drawing readers to a blog about my everyday life and thoughts, which while unique to you, is hard to differentiate from so many others who use this platform to share the same thing. I’d suggest that when you publish a post that has a specific theme, tag it well and it may draw more readers. And keep reaching out to interact with other bloggers by visiting their sites and commenting on their posts. You just might find them reciprocating. Hope this helps. And if you have any spare time to critique my own blog I’d welcome the feedback as well. Best wishes.

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      1. Hi Ben, thanks so much for your feedback! I’ve been working on including images with my posts to break up the text, but it’s true that photos > clip art most of the time. I’m definitely working on community engagement, but I plan to be better about it in the future!
        As for your blog, I absolutely love your background and all the photos you add to your posts. I also like the variety of experiences you mention. Perhaps even more specific recommendations of things to see in order to “travel informed.”

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  16. I just created this new category which is basically to be used to explaining techniques and writing skills (mainly focussed on poetry and creative writing). I only have one post in it so far (how to write a haiku). I’m looking for some ideas and suggestions for this particular category. What do you think would be some high demand topics of discussion? What would people be interested in learning?

    Liked by 1 person

  18. Wow, this is a great opportunity to get your blog noticed and reviewed by your fellow bloggers ! I have posted a few articles recently, mostly funny, and based on some random thoughts over a wide range of subjects like life, philosophy, culture etc. I invite you all to check out my posts and would really appreciate if you leave your comments regarding the writing style, content etc. at the blog itself.

    Here is my latest post – http://idlesunday.wordpress.com/2014/05/03/of-lions-and-human-beings-countries-and-differences/

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    1. My friend, that is one confusing handle you’ve go yourself there. I will comply: I will try not to enter your world. Although, I think that is NOT what you are wanting, is it? Maybe try again – this time with your blog address and perhaps a different name? Just saying’…

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      2. How about just dropping the “not” part? Or..
        itrynotenteringmyworld

        Maybe just something slightly more welcoming to those of us who want to drop in but don’t want to intrude?

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    2. Sorry to hear you’re so dissatisfied with your life. While these sentiments may be true, it may be hard to draw readers who have their own problems and might not be interested in hearing more about yours until they know you better

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  21. Hello, I’m have a couple or three books I am working to revise and I could use some feedback on which to focus on. I have the first chapter of each on my blog.
    http://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/2014/05/04/the-marxin-chronicles-hell-souls-chapter-one/
    http://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/2014/05/04/the-twelve-revelation-chapter-one-the-sacrifice/
    http://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/2014/05/03/morgan-and-millhouse-mountain-of-a-problem-chapter-one/

    Any feedback on preference as in which one you like would be appreciated. Thank you.

    Like

  22. I really need some help on setting up pages. I was able to set up my photographs page, but now I can’t seem to post any of my pictures on it since the first one. Can anyone help me with this?

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    1. I’m also a newbie but where you insert media, you will first download the pictures that you want to post into your. like closet or something, and then pick out which pictures you want to use at the time you want to insert it. Does that make sense? So, you click on “insert media”, then go to your hard drive, download (or upload, whichever it says) the shots that you think you might want to use, then click the shots that are now downloaded and they will be placed into your blog. When they are, You will see on the upper left-hand corner of each photo, a pencil and an X. The pencil lets you edit the photo and, obviously, the X lets you delete it.
      Did that make sense? If not, perhaps you should ask the Support Team. They are really very good and can see for themselves what’s going on on your page.
      Good luck!

      Like

      1. Giving Credit Where Credit is Due
        I posted this in a couple of places and on my blog because I want to be sure to spread the word about using other people’s work. Whether that is writing, photographs or whatever. I messed up and I want to be sure to spread the word so others don’t make the same mistake.

        I want to publicly apologize to lovehappynotes for using her photograph in my header without permission. I did not see her copyright and I did not remember which blog I saw the photograph in and just used it, but gave credit for the photograph to “another blogger”. She has copyrighted her blog and I did not see that. It is Important to be sure that you ask permission before using another person’s photograph or work. It is their time, talent and inspiration you are looking at. It is important to give them credit for that. It is important to acknowledge another person’s work. While I really love the photograph, I have some of my own that I am going to use instead. Here is her website. She has some wonderful stuff in there and I really enjoy her work.

        http://lovehappynotes.wordpress.com/

        Like

    1. Widgets are features (like a search box, a list of recent posts, etc) that sit outside the main post content – on the side or in the footer of your blog.

      Your theme is a one-column layout, so there is no ‘side’ to put the widgets in.

      If you want widgets, you need to change to a two-column layout, of which there are many. In fact, most themes are two-column.

      Pages are outside the stream of the normal posts.

      The advantage of them is that people can find them easily.

      For example, readers like to know something about the author of the blog, and an About page is the place to put that.

      Make a new page, give it a title, write the content, and then look at Appearance / Menus and look at how to set up a menu so that the link to your About page can be seen in the navigation bar.

      Ask me if you need more direction on this.

      Like

  24. Hi everyone! I would love to know what you think about my blog. Design and content.
    I have been experimenting with posts with more text then photographs, the opposite of what I am used to. Take a look at my posts and let me know what you think. There’s a link to my Reader Survey on the sidebar, which takes just a quick moment. Thank you for letting me know what you think!
    -Mariska

    http://CoralynxBlog.com/

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    1. It’s a very pretty blog, visually appealing and easy to get around – IF you start from the beginning page! I tried to do your survey but none of the radio buttons would activate. Amazing that you can afford to just travel around and have fun. Lucky girl!
      Good luck!

      Like

  25. Hi y’all, My name is Wren & I have a blog at https://principledduff.wordpress.com/ . I love to post pictures I take, share quotes of inspiration and write thoughts that I have or things I am learning. My main interests are creativity, alternative living, inspiration, homesteading & soul work.

    I find that people “like” a lot of my pictures and a lot of people “follow” me, but no one seems to engage much with my written content- most tend to “like” the pictures or the short quotes. Is this common in the blogosphere? If you can speak to this situation, please let me know what you have found. And, if you want, I welcome you to check out my blog and provide some feedback on how to engage “followers” or attract people for discussion on my posts~ or on how I can improve the blog in general.

    Thanks for your time~ I appreciate it! In exchange, feel free to leave a request for me that I can serve some way in your blogging efforts. ❤ wren

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    1. What you’re describing is very common. People can like your short quotes and photographs in the WordPress Reader by clicking a single button. It takes people more time to open a longer post and/or comment on something.

      Of course, I’m sure you want people to read your longer written posts. Your best course of action is to create headlines that are more exciting and unique. Remember that your headline has to stand out alongside dozens of others that people can choose to click on and read. It doesn’t matter how good the post is if the headline doesn’t draw people in.

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    1. I liked your post…it was from the heart, I think that much is obvious. Having said that I would suggest a couple of things…dig deeper! Trust yourself and most importantly do not edit yourself…I think you have a lot of potential, but open up what’s really inside you and don’t be afraid. I think a lot of people would find your story inspirational (including me) but I think you can push yourself even further. This is a great start and look forward to reading more!

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      2. You are absolutely right, and I did not say it lightly…but if you want to have that kind of blog you will have to…scary can be good! And don’t forget, most of us whether we write about personal stuff or not are afraid of opening up and talking about what we really think/feel…you have support, you are not alone.

        Like