Jun 1, 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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  2. I am a blogger without a specific niche because I wanted to be a versatile blogger. I like a lot of things, including recipes, writing and domestic things, but I feel like the posts I am most proud of do not get liked or seen, and recipes or DIY are ones that get the attention. Is there something I should do differently?

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      1. Engage in the wordpress community more. Use the tag sorter to locate blogs on the topics you write about. When you find them, visit, and genuinely engage. Also participating in writing events can help you grow your community. Even today is a great way to meet others, visit blogs and form more connections.

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  3. Good morning, evening, and night everyone! (I don’t know at what time you’re reading this) I’m trying to get a feel for my blog right now so if you could check out a few of my most recent posts and let me know what you think that would be great! I’m looking for feedback regarding the layout of my blog and the content of my posts, do you find it interesting? Why or why not? that type of stuff. Thanks in advance for you help and keep on blogging 🙂 http://seangreenblogging.wordpress.com

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    1. If I were you, I might replace the gray background. Gray doesn’t seem to match the tone of your blog. Try color 6699FF and see how you like it. Or try some others. Don’t go for something too bold or else you’ll drown out your photography. Black and white are usually considered best for photography but other options exist. (Themes do exist with white text on a black background but it can be hard for some people to read that.)

      Also, I’d edit the tagline. Two adverbs in the front feels a little off even though I like the meaning you’re getting at.

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      1. Thanks for the feedback! I’ll take a look into the colors and see what I can do about the tagline. Hopefully I can find a combination that works.

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      2. Thanks for the feedback! I hadn’t thought of changing the colors. I’ll try to edit it as best I can but I don’t have the color package so I’ll see what I can do. I’ve been changing my backgrounds trying to find a good one the last few weeks so I’ll keep on looking. Thanks again for the insights 🙂

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      3. Here’s a little trick: you can create a single-color background image. Just create an empty Power Point slide and choose a background color. Then save it as a JPEG.

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    1. Love the Infinite Music Universe, and since you understand about Infinite I know you can add more of your Infinite vibe to the page, lol, keep up the great work..

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  6. Greetings to you fellow bloggers, I write about my emotions as a young woman who is looking for love and real connection. I would like to find an audience who likes to think deeply about being alone and looking for their other half. This is my most popular -rather short- post about hugs. I would love to know that there are real romantics out there and I would love to hear if my writing could awake emotions in you or if it is too cheezy:
    http://therecklessromantic.com/2014/03/18/we-need-more-hugs/

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    1. I thought about this quote ” Offer me something I cannot find in myself.” maybe its my high goals or maybe its my ambition and perfection that keep Ms. Romantic away, or maybe it is keeping Ms. Romantic on guard to polishing herself up until it its time to wear the crown. 🙂

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      1. Thank you Casey, this is a great quote – among the others on your blog. You have a new follower 🙂

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    2. Hello! I just read your piece on “hugs.” I thought it was incredible and very touching. I highly recommend it to everyone. It definitely awakes emotions.

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  7. I have a fairly new photography blog, and I do a lot of gig and music photography – so what I’m wondering is if you guys would prefer to see more or less of the music photography things (as in, more focus on that or more versatility)? Also, what do you think of the blog in general? 🙂 Would you like to see writings about the photos or anything like that? At the moment it’s simply just photos!
    http://roosaaliisaphotography.wordpress.com/

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    1. Hi! I just glanced through your blog. I especially liked the post, “LEEFEST 2013.” I do think that bigger pictures and more of the food would be nice (just my opinion). I’ve never been to a festival like that so it caught my eye; and writing about it would give me more of a feel about what to expect etc etc. Overall, the pictures are all stunning!!!

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  8. Hi there, everyone,
    I write fiction. However I do so always using truths of daily life. Our experiences are our truths of life which can sometimes be very exciting to write about. What do you think. How much does high profile media fiction really impact on our daily lives. Should it take it’s role more seriously or in your opinion does it do a more than adequate job in representing real life?

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      1. Thank you so much!! I just read your comment on my page. I really appreciate the time you took and responded to my post 🙂

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    2. Hello! Your blog looks really solid, and interesting. I think what you are doing is important because there are a lot of people out there with great talent, but they can get lost in the sea of anonymity. I loved your “Who’s Who” section.

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    1. Honestly, I think the visual effect is so bad it’s good. It clashes clashes clashes but it’s memorable and it doesn’t get in the way of your writing.

      The link to One Cool Site strikes me as completely random, though. Unless, of course, the blogger is your grandmother…

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    2. Just a heads up – as long as you’re logged in to your WordPress account, when you post a comment folks can access your blog simply by clicking on your username. So it’s actually not necessary to include a link. 🙂

      Your blog definitely looks interesting; congrats on taking the plunge and starting one! Looks good so far.

      As far as what people are looking for – that’s hard to answer, really. Even among people that consider themselves new-age type spiritualists, or pagans, or anything in the neighborhood, there are dozens if not hundreds of different belief systems. That’s the plus and minus of getting involved in such an unstructured spiritual environment. 🙂

      So maybe the better question is (cliche as it may be) what do you want? I’m afraid that if you try to be a blog that satisfies everyone, you’ll just get pulled in too many directions. Instead, I would recommend trying to come up with a “mission statement” or focus for your blog.

      Another suggestion could be to create some pages for your blog that people can reference and get a better feel for what your blog is about. Many blogs feature an “about me” or “about this blog” to orient first time readers. You could create an “about me” page, or I “what I practice” page, or even perhaps post a gallery of your favorite tarot card deck.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi .. i always had a dream that someone can invent some sweet candies like Jelly Beans (of different flavours) which will provide me with all the nutrition and I don’t have to eat and have my breakfast, lunch or dinner. May this help u 🙂

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  14. I’d like feedback on whether my Book Reviews sub-categories work for the casual viewer. I used to have them on one page but with over 200 reviews, the page was getting a bit long! At the moment they are broken down into A-C, D-H, I-P and Q-Z as sub-pages under Book Reviews.

    Does it work? Does anybody have a better suggestion to list all of my reviews?

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    1. Hello! I just checked your blog. The section on book reviews looks pretty clean cut to me, and I think anyone can easily navigate through them. Furthermore, your whole blog looks very inviting. Great job.

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      1. Hmmm, I had thought about genres but as I read mostly sci-fi and historical fiction, I would have had one or two sub pages with a lot of reviews on and four or five sub pages with just a couple of books on.

        Again, with age groups I don’t read a lot of YA material and most of what I read could probably be considered for adult readers.

        Thanks for the ideas though, it’s given me something else to think about!

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  16. Hello kind wordpress people, I’m currently doing some comedy poems and they’re great fun to make.

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  17. Hi everyone!

    I’d really appreciate some feedback on the content of my blog, i.e. were you engaged by the writing style?

    Any comments (please leave them on my site) are greatly appreciated. In return, I’m happy to check out your blog and let you know what I like about it.

    Here’s a link: barefoothuman.wordpress.com

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hey there! I’ve just taken a look at your blog and i really liked it. I like that there are various quotes and some videos and photos it really adds to it! Keep doing what you’re doing i think your blog is great 🙂 xx

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  19. Hi,
    I would love some feedback on my blog, it’s relatively new 6/7 months) and is a lifestyle/ beauty blog…
    Please Let me know what you think…
    Thanks
    Janetennet.wordpress.com

    Like

    1. Overall, it looks good.

      However, it’s odd to see your blog stats in the sidebar AND footer. I can understand that for your archives but not so much for your stats. Also, the bright orange header (which I like) and blue footer (also good) seem a little weird together. It just seems a little disjointed.

      Quack quack. 🙂

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      1. Hey, thanks for the feedback.

        I understand completely. I am yet to really rearrange a lot of my widgets and such because it’s a new theme. And as for the header, I need to dull it down but was waiting to download Photoshop on my new laptop. Nevertheless, I think I might import it into GIMP and get it done straight away.

        Thank you a lot!

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  21. Hey everyone! I started this humor blog not too long ago. I would really love some feedback about my writing style (what works and what needs improvement). Check it out!
    pennythoughtless.wordpress.org

    Like

    1. Thoughts:

      It’s kind of hard to read the text on your header image.

      The layout is good but I’d suggest replacing the beige background color to something that will contrast a little more with your posts. Pick any color you like; the rest of your blog is relatively neutral and can handle almost anything.

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  24. Hi everyone, I host my own music blog, freshly launched and am still working on more material. There are only two posts so far but I would like everyone to take a look and give me their opinions. I admit I had some help setting it up and launching it but would like to have an outside opinion. I would like to add some complexity and hear other people who are not involved with the blogs point of view. Break Down the Sound

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  27. I am having a horrible time setting up this blogsite for my photos. I can’t even find the site easily just by using the website link. Has anyone else had this much trouble?

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  28. I’ve been writing a blog about my experiences with mental health and would love a bit of feedback if anyone is able! / if anyone would just like a read I shall leave it here. I’m not a writer by any means and it has more been something to get my voice out
    http://youdontlookill.wordpress.com
    Thanks!

    Liked by 1 person

  30. Hi guys

    I’m really pretty new to this whole thing, first post went up on Friday! So far friends seem to like it and I’m pleased apart from grammatical errors that I didn’t spot..aaaa

    I’d love any views from fellow bloggers about my writing. I want to try and make this not another single female blog and would be interested in your views! Any criticisms, advice or otherwise welcome. How often would you blog? How can I increase my audience?

    Thanks in advance

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    1. Well, since you have over 300+ hits and only one entry, it’s safe to say you’re doing very well by beginner blogger standards – most of us remember the day we passed the single digit hit hurdle, haha.

      Let’s see, as far as increasing your audience, I would recommend what I usually recommend: 1. blog for yourself (the followers take time. no seriously, repeat that like a mantra and you’ll be much better off). 2. take the time to leave thoughtful comments (sincerely engaging with other bloggers is one of the best things you can do). 3. try to advertise in unexpected ways (we all get a little numb to the constant “share this on the wooblybooktwitterface”, but casually mentioning you have a blog without followup pressure does make people curious).

      In terms of how often you blog, I would say no less than once a week if you want to remain on people’s radar. Most folks do a few times a week – I do 2x a week myself, which I consider a nice happy medium.

      But honestly, don’t post just for the sake of posting; people are savvy and can tell when you’re stretching it. If you find that you’re struggling to keep the pace, keep in mind WordPress has a great scheduling tool that automatically posts for you at a time of your choosing. I love it; I queue up 3 or 4 posts at a time so I’ve always got material ready in case something happens, like a computer crash or sudden blackout.

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      1. Thanks Burlywoods I really appreciate the advice. I am currently trying to decide how often to blog and will definitely take on board your suggestions. I agree that I don’t want to blog for the hell of it, I’d prefer to do it less frequently but be more interesting. Love the idea of queuing up blogs as that will really help.

        Will definitely look into the comments thing. I have come across so many amazing blogs in the few short weeks I have been on WordPress and it is great to get feedback from other newbies and pros alike.

        Had a pop onto your blog – I love it! What a great concept

        Thanks again xx

        FYI of the 300 views I think approx. 299 of those were my dad!

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