Aug 10, 2014 / Community Pool

Community Pool

The Community Pool is now open! Duck-shaped life savers: optional.

Have you just published a new post and are dying for some feedback? Did you recently start your blog and could use some layout or design advice from your more seasoned peers?

Tap into the wisdom of The Daily Post blogging community and leave your question here in the comments. Others can then click through and offer input either on your site, or in the comments here (feel free to indicate which you’d prefer).

To help us make the Community Pool a productive space for discussion, here are some tips you might find useful:

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.

  • While you’re not required to, we encourage everyone who requests feedback to also reply to at least one or two other bloggers who need some help. Spread the love!
  • The Community Pool comments section can get quite big — and starting duplicate threads doesn’t help. Thanks for not posting the same question more than once!
  • If you’re looking for quality feedback, be as specific as you can. Questions about a particular post tend to draw more comments than ones about entire blogs. Questions about specific design elements are more likely to be answered than ones asking for general layout advice.
  • We discourage leaving links without a more substantive message or question. These are often overlooked by other bloggers, and we frequently remove them to make the comment reading experience smother.
  • Please keep all comments civil and constructive. The idea is to have fun — it’s a pool, after all!
  • 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 Brian Cantoni.

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    1. These photos are beautiful! I would make them larger though. It isn’t convenient for viewers to have to click each photo individually to see them. When I did my first fashion post with photos, I did a gallery also and I have since switched to doing one photo per row using the “large” setting so that viewers can simply scroll. I find that more people look through this way!

      See link below- the outfit with white lace is the large photos. The post right after it (in a dark green shirt) is the gallery.
      http://quiteadored.wordpress.com/category/fashion/

      Like

    1. It seems to be the middle part of a longer piece and so I felt a bit lost reading it, it was nicely descriptive though.

      Like

    1. I have to say you are very talented! Is the whole poetry meant to have no punctuation though? It’s dark but dark is my type! Awesome writing!

      Like

    1. I think this post is adorable!! I have never been caught doing this- or at least not to my knowledge, but I have many quirks of my own! You did a great job of illustrating exactly the moment when you are caught in the act! Love it!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. That means a lot! Thanks! I would love to read about your moments and maybe feel less awkward about myself 😉

        Like

    2. I have SO done that! And in a number of inappropriate situations. The post made me want to read others (Tips for Racism cracked me up). The grammar wasn’t bad but there were a couple of missteps. Overall I enjoyed reading it.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Hello Bloggers!
    Keeping my site updated, I have added a new post about a beautiful city in Germany, including pictures I have taken there, as I am an amateur photographer. Please have a look and let me know your thoughts. I will go back to your blog and check it too. Love comments both way! Let’s increase our community of followers.

    Düsseldorf: la elegancia alemana

    PD: I wrrite in Spanish but up there in the blog there is a TRANSLATION link you can use fro English, German, French and Italian.

    Have a nice day! Roberto

    Like

    1. Hola Roberto! No hablo español como nativo pero me disfrutè mucho su historia de Düsseldorf. No tenìa ni idea que era la ciudad màs influyente de moda en Alemnia! Tambièn me encantan las fotos! Ahora quiero que irme jaja. Gracias por compartir eso aquì.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks for you ccmment in Spanish about my post. I use to write one every week and this is the number five. If you go down and check older posts, you can read about Brastilava, Luxembourg, Warsaw and Lyon. I have checked your blog, you have an nteresing Japanese-American culture mix.

        Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks for the comment, I was also checking your blog. Nice stories. Worth reading. I would suggest, if you let me, to use capital letters for “I” instead of “i”. It will look even better.

        Like

  9. Hey everyone! I was wondering if someone could check out my blog and give me some feedback on the menu. I’ve been changing somethings around to make it easier to find posts.

    Like

      1. The picture came from the writing prompt to which I was writing. I agree the picture is a little creepy, which is why I decided to try to write a funny story.

        Thanks for reading my story!

        Like

    2. Hi! I think it’s a cute story. I definitely think you could elaborate a bit more, though! Was it for sure a stuffed bobcat and deer? I like the postcard with it, it’s a nice illustration for what you’re describing 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Actually, I thought the picture prompt (this was written for a prompt) was a little creepy, so that’s why I tried to make it a little more fun and light-hearted. It’s just a quick flash fiction off-the-top-of-my-head post.

        Thanks for reading it. I appreciate your feedback.

        Like

  11. Hello fellow bloggers and colleagues! I have just started my blog- I currently have 6 posts, some of which are about wedding planning, and a few about fashion. Today I posted a fashion post, see link below, and I would love to get feedback on the photos that I used. I do not have a professional photographer- my husband takes these pictures of me- and I am wondering how you think I could improve my photos- angles, lighting, visual appeal, surroundings, etc.

    Can’t wait to hear from all of you! I would love if you could comment on my blog post rather than on here!! Thank you, thank you!!

    http://quiteadored.wordpress.com/category/fashion/

    Like

  12. I’m back after a few weeks of no tinterweb, I have posted 3 new verses and would love some feedback if anyone is into basic, accessible poetry 😀 Please have a nosy and let me know what you think 😀

    Like

      1. Waw, didn’t see that coming! I absolutely loved it. Though, you should pay attention to grammar mistakes: more soft> softer, only if I could taunt her now > if only I could taunt her now. Still, I think you’re really talented. Keep it up.

        Like

      2. Thank you so much , my grammar isn’t all that good . The tips really do help and I will definitely take care of my grammar in my next post . Thank you once again .

        Like

    2. I have just visited your blog. I am into travel and photo, so my blog is mostly about that. Never been to Malaysia yet but tried the malaysian food in New Zealand. It was very tasty and I enjoyed every dish. Congrats on the blog!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you so much! Malaysia is a food paradise, I can ensure you about that 😀 But 2014 has been really tough on Malaysia, considering the plane crashes etc.

        Just followed your blog btw. I think I’ll let the pictures speak themselves since I can’t read Spanish 😀
        Amazing photography!

        Liked by 1 person

  17. I wrote this http://odonnellgrunting.wordpress.com/2014/08/10/the-art-of-poncing/
    Then I thought you better add tags (as an afterthought). I’m not really sure what tags do, but they sound good. I imagine someone researching Shakespeare and delving into my post.

    Anyway, get to the point. When I change or edit the article does it resend it to my twitter and facebook account? I see duplication and I hate to bore people (more than I have to).

    Like

    2. No it doesn’t. Or it at least it never has for me and I routinely ‘update’ publish posts and have publicize turned on or everything (except twitter, but when I had twitter on that was fine too)

      Like

  19. Hey there, fellow writers? I’d love to get some feedback on a couple of articles I’ve written. And a couple of tips to get out of this mechanical style wrtiting funk?

    Thank you!

    Like

    1. Hi Kevin — next time, I’d really recommend adding a link to a specific post (you can just copy and paste the URL) — it will make it easier for readers to go directly to the piece you’re on which you’d like to get feedback.

      Like

    1. Hey Siena,

      I love your short stories. They’re absolutely intriguing and novel. Your latest post aroused my suspicion and was evident that your use of language was very effective.

      However, when I initially saw “short story blog” I expected a really short short story. But to my amazement, it was quite a long one actually. But nonetheless, your works are great! Keep on writing the good stuff!

      I’m definitely following you! 🙂

      Like

      1. Thank you so much! I try to keep my stories shorter since typical blog posts tend to be brief but I just get carried away sometimes. 😀

        Thanks for the follow!

        Like

    1. I’ve always found that as a reader, I am hooked in more by pictures before I start reading properly so perhaps a few more pictures of what you are doing would help people feel more involved as they can visualise what you are doing.

      Like

      1. Hi, thanks for your comments, I think I have done this on a few of the days, but agreed, not all of them. On some of them I feel the stories I have linked with the event lead naturally up to why I’ve done the new thing that day. I feel if I explain what the new thing is straight away it’s like giving away the ending to the story.

        Like

  23. Hi all! I’m trying to break into journalism and would love some advice on this rant. If you would, also check out my other posts and please give feedback or structural criticism. You may comment in the posts itself (preferred). Thank you.

    Like

    1. Hi – I enjoyed reading your writing.

      You asked about your use of language – I suppose the one thing that strikes me is that you use quite a lot of latinate words. I don’t know if that’s your personal vocabulary when you speak, but sometimes it felt as if it put a distance between me and you as I read. Not because the words weren’t understandable, but more because they didn’t feel very close to your heart. If you see what I mean.

      Some words I didn’t understand – you talked about gantries – which I know as something like cranes, but I think they can also mean road signs or medical imaging. I didn’t know what lorh meant either.

      You write very fluidly, so I hope you keep writing.

      You could try doing postcrossing – writing postcards – as an exercise to break through your writer’s block. It takes the pressure off writing and you can focus on writing small things. http://www.postcrossing.com/

      All good luck with your writing and with your blog.

      Like

      1. Hi. Thanks for the constructive feedback! I really appreciate your honesty.
        Btw, “lorh” is a vernacular in my country.

        However, I have a query:
        By having this “distance”, do you mean that the vocabulary employed seemed forced?

        And thanks for the suggestion – will check it out! 🙂

        Like

      2. It didn’t feel forced. Raymond Chandler and HP Lovecraft both mix long, Latinate words with colloquialisms in their writing! They’re not alone.

        I don’t know if the Latinate words are words you use every day or whether you’re looking them up to translate something. If you’re looking them up, to express something that you’re translating from your mother tongue, then you might want to use George Orwell’s words about writing as a filter, to make sure that the Latinate word is the best word for the job.

        It’s your voice. If your voice, when you’re talking about things close to your heart, is what you’re putting on the page, then that’s all that matters.

        Good luck with your blog. By the way – is ‘walnut’ an insult where you come from? It’s a horribly evocative one.

        Like

      3. By the way – if you like English words, you might like Wordsmith, if you don’t know them already. They send you a word a day by email. The words are grouped into a week’s worth of meaning and they give an example of each word in use. They explain the roots or history of the word too.
        http://wordsmith.org/

        Like

    1. Lizzie,

      I truly enjoyed that piece and I definitely agree with your point on how we are constantly evaluating ourselves. We are so much greater and far more capable than a scale of 1 to 10. We shouldn’t reduce ourselves to such a simple scale because we’re much more complex than that; a number doesn’t encapsulate all that we are. Well written piece!

      Like

      1. Hiya,
        Thanks for your feedback, it truly means a lot that you liked it. It was hard to put into words as is any topic that can be perceived as controversial, and it makes me happy to know that the you were able to gain the message.

        Lizzie

        Like

  29. Hiya I have recently started my blog and being new to the whole blogging world I was wondering if you could give me a bit of feedback on some of my posts as I am always unsure as to whether they relate to others as much as they relate to me. Thanks Billey 🙂

    Like

  30. Hello all!

    I’ve been wavering all week between having a minimalist/portfolio theme or a more traditional (front page shows large photo & some/all text) theme for my origami website, http://gabigami.wordpress.com

    Are the current thumbnails inviting enough to entice you to click on them and view the whole post? Or would I perhaps be better off with a main page that shows larger photos?

    Thank you for your time and feedback!

    Like

    1. Nice theme to show your work Gabrielle! I thinks it is a good option in order to show a portfolio. There are others you could try -it took me a lot of time to make a decision on Ryu for mine- but keep this and wait to see what others say.

      Like