Aug 17, 2014 / Community Pool

Community Pool

Don’t forget the sunscreen: it’s time for this week’s Community Pool!

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 smoother.
  • 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. Hey, I really like your blog! It’s short and to the point, which I like. I don’t have time for really long blogs, but this one gives short and fun advice. 🙂 Following! 😀

      rachsthoughts.wordpress.com

      Like

  2. Hi all very new to the blogsphere so any tips, tricks or advice on my posts would be really really appreciated 🙂 Especially advice on inserting media/ images. Thankyou 🙂

    Like

    1. I liked your tag line “Escapism Through Craft” and the photos you posted – it felt like a step by step guide. You have a very focused theme and followers who like craft will find your site a gem. I’d perhaps shrink the photos a bit and space them between words/paragraphs, because right now it feels like the photos are dividing your post in half. A personal choice – but I’d use smiley faces sparingly – but that’s also due to my stoic Asian culture!
      My two cents. Keep it up 🙂
      Website for image manipulation: https://wordpress.com/forums/tags/image-alignment

      Like

      1. Thank you for your feedback. I am still figuring out adding photos – they seem to load huge when I post from my phone lol. I seem to be addicted to smiley faces right now 🙂

        Like

    1. Firstly, your about page has a photo of the galaxy that looks rather out of place. 😦 (okay at least choose a photo with a subject in it, no?) okay maybe I’m just picky 😛 Secondly, I read the post on Steve and what I think could be improved on would be more elaboration on Steve’s personality– it would definitely make readers sympathize better. 🙂 Other than that, very fluid writing! Enjoyed your post on ‘Laughter’ 🙂 Keep writing! 😀

      Like

    2. Your writing is wonderful. I want to know what happened with Steve. Your images make sense with the stories you are telling.
      I’m a big proponent of being able to access or see what blogs you have posted and the style you have set up only allows me to scroll down the page to see them. With only a couple blogs not a big deal.

      I would also look at “categorizing” your blogs especially because your headings are very generic and don’t provide me with any information about what I’m about to read.
      Although having read “Steve” I now know that title says all 😀

      I agree that your “about” page doesn’t pull me in as a reader. When I browse a blog I like to know a little about the person whose work I’m about to indulge in. Although if the picture speaks to who you are than I say keep it.

      Best of luck!!!

      Liked by 1 person

    1. I like your blog, especially the design of it. It looks professional. I’m only sorry about your most recent post and about what you had to go through.

      rachsthoughts.wordpress.com

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Hello everyone! A noob in the blogger’s world. I just write random thoughts. Could someone please look into it and give some constructive criticism? Thanks!
    therealfoofie.wordpress.com

    Like

    2. Your optimism level is incredible and certainly contagious. Keep this up and people may even visit your blog for a daily dose of happiness. 😉 One thing though–maybe you could change your theme? Make it more cheerful perhaps by using brighter colors? Just my opinion though. 🙂

      Like

      3. Yay I like the new theme better! 🙂 But just a reminder that my opinion may not always stand for the rest so don’t feel too obliged to follow it yeah? 😛 Good luck! 😀

        Like

      4. Nooo, it was a good opinion. Thank you for taking the tine out to reply and give your views 😁😁

        Like

    1. What a fresh piece and interesting take on Mondays– really enjoyed reading this piece! I love how you did the “Theory” headings, it added this intellectual (but still mildly humorous) edge to it. 🙂

      Like

      2. Not sure if this is considered rude, but it would be nice if you could check out my latest post too? 🙂 I would love some insight! 😀 (only do it at your free will though 🙂 )

        Like

      3. Fantastic article, stxxr.

        Thoughtful topic, well presented, and a couple really nice lines in there! My two favourites are: “Because the entire nature of nature prevents us from achieving the ideal of perfection.” and “whenever something ends up on the social platform, I immediately grow blind to the virtues of my work”

        The only criticism I can think of is the lack of reader engagement in terms of questions or open-ended statements. Then again, that’s not entirely necessary. I just don’t have much to fault you on.

        Great job!

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Hey Wayne, thanks so much for the positive encouragement! 😀 Yes that is indeed some useful feedback will keep that in mind when I do write my next article, thank you! 🙂

        Like

    1. I did some digging — could you have pasted that post’s text from elsewhere?
      Either way, there’s an easy fix here: If you go to your post editor, click on “Text” to reach the text editor. Delete all the code tags with “div” in them, and your text will return to normal size.
      In the future, you can select “Paste as text” in the editor when pasting content from elsewhere — it will strip it of any pre-existing formatting.

      I hope this helps!

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Hi, new to blogging here. I just wanted to get some thoughts and opinions about my blog. I know the photos aren’t the greatest but blog posts were an afterthought. I will be securing better photos in the future. Any other helpful criticism would be great. TIA http://floridasons.com/

    Like

    1. I enjoyed looking through your blog. The images are beautiful and the writing is vivid.
      Is there a way to be able to see past posts without having to scroll?
      Also do you have an about page?

      Like

    1. Hi Eloise – I enjoyed reading your post. I think introducing Ken, the interestingly bearded British Gas engineer, is a perfect way to talk about the Sealed Knot. I like the way you describe him.

      Does Ken know that he’s become your muse?

      Like

      1. Hi, thank you for commenting. Yes, I did ask him if it was okay to use his story for my blog and he seemed quite pleased that I could spread the word about his hobby! Hope it worked and more people go out to see them in action.

        Like

  14. Does anyone else feel like they have to choose a voice to represent them forever? As a new blogger I am struggling with harsh self-critique and a pull to only put out words that truly represent who I am/who I’d like to be. Do I just need to let go? Does anyone regret any of their posts?

    Like

  15. Hi,
    I’d like some general feedback on my site about my site which can be found at yorkieinexile.wordpress.com

    Its a general blog about work and life in general. It also doubles up as a showcase for my photography.

    New to blogging and not having a lot of time, I went for a ‘one blog fits all approach’ relying on tag clouds and categories to navigate around.

    Has it worked or could I do anything better?

    Thanks all!

    Like

  16. Hey! My blog is mostly a travel blog, and my own personal journal I guess. I just started writing this month, so I’m not sure about getting a paid theme, but I’m wondering if the current layout I have is easy on the eyes and readable.
    http://guidetogettinglost.wordpress.com
    I tried the twenty eleven theme before, but I felt it was too boring.

    Like

  17. Hi y’all. I just started a blog and have a few entries. I am wondering though, is my subject matter too serious? Is wordpress the wrong forum for these types of blogs (i.e. health)? Also, would appreciate comments regarding whether I should “publicize”, which would widen audience but of course reveal my identity, which I’m not entirely sure I am ready to share. Thanks!

    Like

    1. I’m new here too, but I don’t think that it is too serious; as long as you have true posts someone else is likely to connect to what you’re saying no matter how serious the subject matter.

      Like

    2. There are so many health-related blogging communities on WordPress.com — we actually highlighted a number of them on our news blog, Hot Off the Press, in recent months (for example, https://wordpress.com/blog/2014/01/17/mental-health-roundup/ and https://wordpress.com/blog/2014/01/24/fitness-health/).

      The question of making your identity known through connection to your social media accounts is one that, ultimately, only you can answer for yourself, since people’s comfort levels when it comes to disclosing information vary so widely. In case it might help, my colleague Michelle published a great post last year about setting boundaries between “blog-you” and “you-you,” which you’ll find here:
      https://wordpress.com/dailypost/2013/12/17/separating-you-and-blog/

      Enjoy your blog, and feel free to take your time before making big decisions like disclosing your identity on your blog. A few more days or weeks won’t make a big difference in the long run.

      Like

  18. Hi!! So I’m new as of yesterday, and I was wondering if a few of you might mind checking out my blog? I only have one post so far, and already I’m worried about the depth. Do you think I need another voice, maybe a personal one, instead of fairly one dimensional stories about how to make things? I always feel like I connect more with bloggers when they share a little about themselves, but I’m not exactly sure how to get that started. I don’t really want a “Hello, this is who I am” post, but do you think that may be necessary?

    Like

  20. Hi everyone! I’ve had my blog for a couple years now, but just when I started gaining momentum I got preggo and stopped writing – well stopped having adventures to write about too I guess you can say! I recently began to blog again. I know I need to be much more consistent but in general, are my posts way too long and boring? I feel like I put so much into each post but no one really reads them. Am I doing something specific that’s losing people? Or is my subject matter maybe too niche to get a good read? Any input is appreciated! My blog is http://www.southwestadventurer.com.

    Like

  21. Hello! This looks like a really great opportunity to jump right in!
    So I’m relatively new to blogging and am trying to find my feet.
    I would appreciate any feed back regarding my blog. It is going through transition as I am trying to get it up and running before I continue it while I’m on the AT (Appalachian Trail). Right now it is a combination of my own stories and fact finding but once I hit the trail it will be based on my stories.
    Can people also help me with how to get my blog out there and read by people?
    Thank you for all of your thoughts and perspectives.
    Erin
    http://www.earthtrekblog.wordpress.com

    Like

  22. I’m an aspiring sports journalist. I would love some feedback on the content I have (it’s not much) and the layout of my site. I’m just trying to post some articles and want to know if you find them “worth the read.” Thanks!

    Like

  23. Hi people, I’m after any feedback at all on my newly created blog…. It’s a humerous take on my new life as a stay at home dad but IS IT? any feedback shares appreciated… How do I get more readers?
    dadandbub.wordpress.com.
    Thank you 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Great read! You have a wonderful sense of humor. I’m also just getting my feet wet in the blogging world.
      It seems that you get more readers by reading others and liking or acknowledging their blogs. Pretty straight forward.
      If you learn otherwise or find the magical way to increase followers and readers please share the wealth.

      Like

      1. Thanks :o) I’m kind of getting that, seems like an Instagram sort of ‘u pat my back, I’ll pat yours’… Bit disappointing but I guess that’s how the interweb works 😉

        Like

    1. Hi – I read your post about Scientific Method and it struck me that the paragraph about Scientific Method in the Garden (you didn’t call it that – but you know the one I mean) would have been the one that would have tempted me in to read your post if I’d just come across you randomly on the internet. It was the most useful, “ooh, I never thought about it like that” moment in the post. And the part that I could imagine thinking into my own life – helpful way of bringing the Scientific Method to life for kids, adults who’ve never got on with science etc

      Not sure who you imagine your readers to be, but I would certainly be interested to read more posts if I thought they would illuminate important/interesting aspects of science.

      Now this may just be me, so take this as the observation of a random reader – for me personally, lists at the beginning of a text don’t make me want to go on, unless I have some prior knowledge that the list is organising or summing up for me, ready for me to move on to deeper knowledge. If I have no mental ‘hook’ to hang the list on then I just skim over it or stop reading. Unless it’s a 3 point list, or something equally manageable. I think short lists signpost the way forward through a text. Long lists can be daunting. To me.

      Good luck with your blog. It’s going to be a useful resource.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. First of all, thank you for your detailed analysis. I appreciate any sort of criticism.

        I’m not sure who is my audience either – I think both scientist and non-scientist could benefit from my blog.

        With my first post, I was trying to show the reader that science is everywhere and you don’t have to be a PhD student to understand/appreciate it. I’m glad that you liked it and that it helped you out in some way. This means that the blog is already doing what it was made to do!

        As for lists, I too love lists too!

        Thanks again, Ms. Roberts

        Like

  29. I used to blog, but took a few months of for personal problems. I have just started (and did a blog sort of announcing my return), but was wondering if people had any ideas how I should handel picking up my blog again, or what direction it should go in?

    Like

  30. Hello Friends! I have just started a blog – Very simple and just two entries so far, but would love some readers and feedback! I still haven’t worked out how to edit my page. XX Thanks!

    Like