May 11, 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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  3. Hello and Happy Mother’s Day!

    I am a college student so my school year has just come to an end. Meaning, I have lots to write about. First I wrote about the ending of the year, but throughout the summer I plan to spend a lot of time writing about myself, my adventures, and everything I usually write about. Stay tuned, and I would love some input! ❤

    Senior Status?

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    1. The content looks varied and interesting 🙂 I’d change the header though, I always prefer it when bloggers have something more personal than the default header…

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    1. Hi there. 🙂 Don’t worry, you’re not alone. It happens with every blogger in the initial stages. As time proceeds you’ll find yourself automatically coming up with ideas! 😀

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    2. I have a posting goal of once a week and once I have any new idea or issue I might want to blog, I create a quick draft I can later refer to. Blog about what you love and are passionate about as it will really show in your writing! Good luck!

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  7. Hi all! 🙂
    I just started my blog today, so I’m not really sure how the whole layout and design aspect works, if someone would be so kind to help I would really appreciate it… As my blog progresses I hope it will deal with school issues like bullying etc. Please check it out and let me know what you think! 🙂 http://www.theblossomingfallam.wordpress.com

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    1. Hi there. 🙂 Don’t worry, you’re not alone. It happens with every blogger in the initial stages. As time proceeds you’ll find yourself automatically coming up with ideas! 😀

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    3. Hi there. 🙂 Don’t worry, you’re not alone. It happens with every blogger in the initial stages. As time proceeds you’ll find yourself automatically coming up with ideas! 😀

      Like

  9. hi all, i’m a new blogger and i must say am finding it hard to get used to it, though i’m managing. thank you for the tips 🙂

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  10. Hey, whats up?
    I’m a brazilian and writer, do you guys know about any brazilian cool blogs here? I’m starting now, my blog is about wording and behavior, but its all in portuguese! What a shame, huh? Thanks

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m leaning Portuguese, so I’m happy that you shared your blog here! I don’t know any Brazilian blogs, but there is a Brazilian WordPress (br.wordpress.com), you might want to look there.

      Estou aprendendo português, fico feliz que você compartilhou seu blog aui! Não conheço outros blogs brasileiros, mas há um WordPress do Brasil (br.wordpress.org), talvez você quer procurar ali.

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    3. Ariadne, meu blog também é brasileiro, mas passei a fazer posts bilíngues depois que uma série de estrangeiros passaram a me seguir. Dê uma olhada no meu blog e me diga o que acha… Vou ver o seu também! Ah, adoro ler e tenho um blog literário também! Estou treinando minha escrita para quem sabe um dia publicar um livro, rs… Beijos!

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    1. I had a look at your blog and I love it! I don’t think there are hard and fast rules as to how to blog but blogging relies a lot on community and making time to leave a comment on someone’s post might make their day!

      Only thing, it doesn’t look like I could Luke or comment on your blog? Is this disabled?

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      4. Absolutely! Best think about blogging is community so my advice would be to get involved in film forums and read and comment on blogs similar to your own! Good luck! 🙂

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      5. @boopandbear.
        It’s the Suits theme. To leave a comment, check the taglist at the end of an article, and find ‘Leave a comment’ (right after the post’s date).

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  14. Hi all,

    I am not new to blogging as I used to be an avid blogger during my student days. 3 years and a few blogs later I feel like I have lost my blogging mojo and my blog doesn’t have a defined theme as yet. What I wanted was your feedback on how important theme is and my blogging style. I’m worried a theme might be limiting and restrict what I can post.

    My latest post is at https://boopandbear.wordpress.com/2014/05/11/merging-with-the-man-cave-10-things-to-love-and-hate-about-cohabiting/

    Thanks!

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    1. The theme looks good and appropriate for the blog post. Precisely what is it you are worried about? Is it the lack of side bars? They tend to annoy me too. If you’re not happy with the one you have, spend a few hours playing around to see what works.

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      1. Thanks for your comment! I think as well as the layout which I am still working on, I mean a theme in terms of posts too. A lot of bloggers have a particular thing they blog about but I haven’t quite got my niche yet :-/

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  16. Hi. I just started blogging a couple of months ago (http://flisswtts1.wordpress.com/) mainly because I had written some stories and I was encouraged by friends to put them out there – I added the longer stories as pages because they seemed too long for a post – I am now wondering what the likelihood is of pages (as opposed to posts) being found and read? Does anybody have any stats or experience on this? Thanks 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    2. Hello flissw, I too am a writer but I don’t post complete short stories. What you might want to do is post them as posts but create a page to link to your short stories.

      I’ve just looked at your blog. The way you have it set out there (with a page and each story as a sub-page) is good but I don’t think the theme you are using is doing you any favours. Perhaps try another where the pages are more prominent?

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    3. Hi flissw. Better make your main content as ‘posts’, not ‘pages’. And you can put the ‘more tag’ on your post so it won’t take up too much space on your homepage.

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  17. I am a writer. Not a very good one, but I do love to write just the same. I always have. I am looking for suggestions on books or websites that can help me re-learn what I learned in school and also how to take it to the next level.

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    2. I think your writing is great! Don’t be too hard on yourself. I’m a published author, and I can tell you that the best way to get better at writing is to write more.

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      1. Well thanks Jenna, I appreciate the encouragement. I will just keep on keeping on.

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    1. A few thoughts:

      1-Can you create a mirror image of your background? If the right part were on the left, the overall look would be more balanced. As it is, the visual interest (header and BG) is concentrated on the right side. I like the images, though.

      2- On the background image selection page in the dashboard, there’s an option for “fixed” or “scroll.” Try changing the option you’re using.

      3- As a first-time visitor, I have no idea what a couple of your category listings mean. Most visitors won’t take the time to find out what “G talk” is, for instance.

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      1. Thank you so much for visiting…I appreciate it 🙂
        I will definitely look into the suggestions given by you…Thank you so much for being honest 🙂

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    2. Out of curiosity I read the G talk section. On the first post about showing skin, I agree that some people should be more mindful about what they where in public, but to go as far as saying you don’t feel bad if they are teased or raped? That seems a little ridiculous. I don’t know how it is in your country, but the clothes you wear should never be a reason to rape anyone in any country.

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      1. Well it didn’t mean the way it sound…actually in our country 80 percent women still wear full body covered clothes…so if anyone wears something totally different…people go haywire…I am not against skin showing my closet is full them but there is right place for everything…I just want these girls to respect the culture of their own country…
        it is just like when you go to Dubai, you know skin show is a total no no…so we try to respect their culture than why can’t we do that for our own country,,,that’s it…

        Thank you for visiting 🙂 ….I appreciate it

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      2. Thanks for the cordial response. To be honest I totally thought you were going to blast me or try to start an argument. I know many cultures are very different and I definitely believe in respecting local culture when visiting other countries.It’s always interesting to see how things work in other countries and get different points of views on things that you wouldn’t have considered. Thanks for visiting my page!

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      3. Hahaha…why would I shout on you…I guess any body might have took it like that 😀
        Thank you for visiting my blog… 🙂

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    1. I think your content looks fantastic! A very good mix that makes me want to visit your area. Love the “Five things” article. I could see you adding in maybe restaurants or such, but I like your focus on places and people. Great job.

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  20. Hi everybody. Only just started on wordpress so if anyone can have a look at my blog at andyqby19.wordpress.com and tell me what you think it would be very appreciated and I will do the same for you. Thanks Andy

    Liked by 1 person

  21. Hey all! If you have a chance, I would love your feedback on my new post / blog. The idea around it is still in the infant stages. The blog is The Eventer’s Wife. THanks so much. D.

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    1. It’s hard to comment on such a new blog, but I do have a couple of thoughts:

      1- It seems like there should be a horse somewhere in your header image. That horses and hotrods image might work if it reflects where you want the blog to go. It would definitely grab people’s attention, which is a good thing.

      2- If you’re writing for the general public, you might want to change your blog title. I have no clue what an eventer is and a lot of other people won’t either. (I say “might” instead of “should” because the title is nice and concise.)

      3- The tagline is missing an apostrophe.

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  23. How’re you all doing?

    I’ve decided to put together a list of Sarcastination’s Top Five Favorite Playlist Picks – they’re five of my most favorite songs. You’ll see the likes of Daft Punk and Clean Bandit taking spots in this list, but what songs achieved what ranks?

    If you’re feeling up for sitting back and listening to songs, let me indulge with my picks and see how you feel. Perhaps we’ve got similar interests?

    http://sarcastination.wordpress.com/2014/05/11/sarcastinations-top-five-favorite-playlist-picks-five-fave-songs/

    (P.S. There are five Youtube players on that list. You might need to let it load – not recommended for mobile devices!)

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    1. Your writing is really good (though the big blocks of text are hard to read; may want to break those up a bit). You should keep building your content. The way you write and your word choice…you’re clearly not an idiot. 🙂 I wish your title wasn’t so self-effacing! Don’t find your post irrelevant, at all.

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  26. Hello Everyone,

    This community is of great help. On this Mother’s Day, I wrote a short story for every baby’s love for their mothers. It is a gift I gave to my mother, and all the mothers around the world.
    Revert, if you like it.

    She Knows Everything

    Like