Aug 24, 2014 / Community Pool

Community Pool

Feedback, camaraderie, and free popsicles! (Free popsicles: not included.)

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.

Show Comments

768 Comments

Comments are closed.

Close Comments

Comments

    1. Hi Vasu. I’m a big football fan so the first post hooked me. A suggestion would be to add a ‘continue reading’ option after a couple of paragraphs which will free up the rest of your subsequent posts. I had to scroll for about five seconds to get from the start of the 1st to the 2nd post.

      Hope that is clear. I have done it in my own blog if you wanted to view what I mean.

      Like

    2. Hi Yousra,
      I have been following your blog. If you let me give you some advice, I would suggest you to write with the same frequency, for instance once a week, instead of three times a week and then weeks of no writing. That will give you more visitors.
      Cheers

      Liked by 1 person

  7. I have a question about the balloon theme. Has anyone found a way to prevent the balloons from covering part of your title or tagline? I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get all the text to show. Would really appreciate some help! 🙂 My blog is jessicaswordswithwings.wordpress.com

    Like

  8. I never wrote any scheduled features on my blog until I started to write “Short Story Sunday.” I’ve thought of doing other scheduled features but worry that that might take some of the fun out of the blog (I know myself too well.) What are your experiences with scheduling or not scheduling features?

    My blog is Vampire Maman – Musings of a Vampire Mom. Most of the posts center around parenting, and vampires and musings on life – it is a little different.

    Short Story Sunday: Slut

    Like

    1. Your most recent post made me keep asking for more detail. Why do you both like blue – because it’s calming, because you grew up near the ocean, because you both have blue eyes? What happened when you went to a store to pick things out, did you go “Oooh! I love this” and his reply was “It’s too old-fashioned. Can we get something more modern?” It all felt sort of rushed, sort of a throw-away. Like you have more thoughts you could add but didn’t for some reason.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. your blog looks clean and fresh.
      that’s both good and bad.
      try adding more colours and images to your blog to make it more interesting and better looking.

      Like

  11. blog —
    http://warrenisweird.com
    on Facebook —http://facebook.com/warrenisweirdwebsite

    On my blog, I write about movies and personal thoughts on various topics. The main question I have [assuming it counts] is how to gain more comments on posts? I try to comment on blogs like mine but usually get one or two comments .

    Any help would be awesome!

    Thanks,
    warrenisweird

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’ll start with your specific question first, so I don’t forget.

      You’ll get more comments if 1. people are interested in the topic you’re writing about and 2. there’s some point of discussion or question to which they can easily respond. Think about what on Facebook would make you just “like” something rather than post an actual comment against and it’ll guide you about how to write about things. (Also think about why you want more comments – trying to sell something or feel popular or engage people who read.)

      I ready your post about Spiderman and really like your writing style. You give enough information to justify why you like him so much while still being funny and honest and entertaining. I feel like that post showed me who you are – a kind-hearted, wanna-be-a-hero, comic dork (in a good way). My only criticism: you may want to cut back on the number of images in your posts. They aren’t really necessary for me to understand what you were writing, so they took away from the ease of reading what you had to say. An image at the beginning and end would have been more than fine.

      Liked by 3 people

      1. That’s 100% the best response I could possibly get! 🙂 I also appreciate the title of ‘kind hearted, wanna-be hero’ 🙂 truly meaningful 🙂

        I’ll be sure to cut down on photos, I do admit – I did go a little overboard this time :p

        thank you again!

        Like

      2. i feel like you have been on my blog already. By just reading what you have advised warrenisweird just addresses my concerns. You are heaven sent.

        Like

    1. I just read a couple of your posts. I really enjoyed the one entitled: Are you sure you want to go through with that?” It was very entertaining! The other article I read was about your recent family vacation. My only suggestion there is that you hopped around a lot and seemed to be touching on a lot of ideas. For example, you could do a whole post about what you fear for children. Overall, I liked what I saw. Keep it up!

      Like

  13. Hello Everyone,
    We had been putting off blogging due to limited knowledge of the blogging technology and how we could be of value to the blogging community. In short we were scared to try 🙂

    So I saw this post and decided to go for it. Here is our first post and we are very open to honest feedback as to: Would it be helpful?
    What can we do better? What kind of travel post would readers like to see in a blog? Here’s our short link http://wp.me/4YsRS
    I thank in advance for any tips and comments you give.

    Like

    1. If informative is what you are aiming for, then you have certainly achieved your goal. It lacks a little “personality” though. I would maybe like to see some images to break up the text a bit. Also, when you link to your website, you get vibrancy and colour- I would like to see a bit of that on your blog. Hope this helps- good luck!

      Like

      1. Thank you so much for the feedback. It makes sense to appeal to the eyes a little more. Perhaps I can also break up a topic into a series so that the information is not so much in one sitting. This would give my readers a reason to come back too. I thank you again.

        Liked by 1 person

  14. Hey guys,

    I have very recently just started posting a beauty and health blog, please could anyone give advice on how I could make this pointed at the correct audience, I am very passionate about beauty, hair and healthy living and want to get my blog across to the correct and aspiring people, please help…?

    thankyou!! xxx

    Like

    1. Hi there,

      Your layout is clean and un cluttered. You also use photography which enhances it more as it showcases your work at various stages.

      In terms of getting more following, i guess you can start by visiting and connecting with similar blogs. The more you put yourself out there in terms of publicity, more people will be able to see/notice your blog.

      Good luck!

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Hey there,

        Thank you so much for your constructive feedback.

        I’ll be sure take your advise to heart, in terms of getting more followers.
        Every much appreciated.

        Regards
        S’bo

        Liked by 1 person

  17. Hi everyone!
    This is my blog soundtracksfortwentysomethings.wordpress.com
    I write about my life as a twentysomething, and share songa that go along with my experiences.

    I’d appreciate your comments on the content and my writinh style.
    Do you feel engaged? Does is feel log to read? Or maybe repetitive?

    Thank you!

    Like

    1. I have to say, this is one of the most creative ideas for a blog I’ve seen! I love the idea of relating your experiences to song, and you writing still is very artistic. I look forward to reading more!

      I would say that the front page could be more engaging visually, maybe some more color? I am not that creative for that sort of stuff. I actually think my site has a very trite look to it.

      Like

      1. Thank you so much CJ that means a lot to me! 🙂

        You’re probably right, I was considering having also pictures for the title page for every song but than I thought it may be too much? I’m still in the process of creating a more lively look 🙂

        Also, I think your blog looks really colorful and engaging in its visual style. Good luck on it!

        Like

  18. I just started blogging a few months ago. I’m a busy mom with three little kids and am still trying to decide how much time and effort I can put into this endeavor. I don’t consider myself a “writer” per se, but needed a creative outlet and thought this would be a good way to share my thoughts about life and faith in a way that might inspire others!

    I would love some feedback about whether or not my posts are relatable.

    I’m also curious about how often a person needs to post in order to build up a solid following. I get a lot of my traffic through Facebook, but don’t have a ton of “followers.” Any help you can offer would be much appreciated!

    My blog address is loveplunge.wordpress.com

    Like

    1. I feel like your writing is quite relatable, though I’m also a parent so you’ve got an advantage, right there. 🙂 I feel like you’re writing from a great place where it’s obvious that you love your life but that you sometimes struggle with how your faith informs what you do. I can tell that you’re doing the best you can but don’t pretend you’ve got it all figured out. I once heard a great quote that I use as a sort of test of whether I’ll continue to read someone’s blog: “Don’t compare your outtakes to someone else’s highlight reel.” You show us not just that great side of your life where everything is wonderful and happy and you sing kum-ba-ya but also where you’re struggling.

      All this to say – you’ve got a follower in me. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you for your feedback Angela! I definitely do NOT have it all figured out and that will probably continue to be a theme throughout my blog posts. Thanks for the “follow” and taking the time to comment. 🙂

        Like

    3. Hi Christy, your posts are VERY relatable. THANK YOU!! You have an incredible descriptive way with words with stories that are deeply personal.
      I really appreciated the story about the blue jays leaving the nest. I needed it. I appreciate your honesty in your writings, and how you tie it all together spiritually.
      Writing would give you a creative outlet, particularly as mother of 3 little ones. Each writer might blog for different reasons. For me it is therapeutic. I am a lay pastor, and just to have this outlet, where people don’t know me is very important. I can be myself, and be vulnerable in my writings, I can write secular stories without being judged from those who know me as a pastor.
      Getting back to your original question Christy, I can relate to your posts very, very much.
      As far as gathering “followers”, if there is a blogger that I will particularly like, I will “follow” that writer, and hope and “pray’ they follow me back. Definitely don’t have a “ton” of followers either (currently up to 8) Have “followed” many more than have “followed” back, but that’s okay, I am deeply blessed by those bloggers I follow. I am sure there is a better way out there to bring in followers. 🙂
      Christy, you have an incredible gift of writing. The Lord has His hand on you. I know your writings will minister to many young frazzled moms, just as much as they blessed and ministered to a battle weary pastor as myself. Be encouraged, in time the “followers” will come.
      Thank you so much for commenting on my blog, which eventually led me to yours. So glad to make the connection.
      God bless….. Carl
      “My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the Lord, my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God” Psalm 84:2

      Like

      1. Thank you, Carl, for your kind and encouraging words! I really appreciate you taking the time to leave such an in depth response. You have blessed me tonight.

        And thank you for your ministry as a lay pastor. It’s a much needed and often overlooked position. Be strong in The Lord. The battle is His! Christy

        Like

      2. Thank you for your follow Christy..Woo-hoo…up to 10 followers now!! 🙂
        Shared your AMAZING “Blue Jay” on the Facebook page that I am a lay pastor. Have not got a church website yet, one of the dozens of the things on my list. Definitely hard to find time, as I work full time in a secular job for family income.
        THANK YOU for your encouragement. Yes, our strength DOES come from the Lord, and the battle IS His!!
        Keep up the GREAT writings!! 🙂
        God bless you and your family,
        Your brother in Christ……………………. Carl

        Like

  19. Hi. Yes, I could do with some feedback and advice. I have only just started my blog. I didn’t know where to begin really but I thought I would have a go at writing my experiences and thoughts in the the hope that by sharing them it would help me and possibly others out there. What I’m not sure about is how I can get others to read it. I suppose I’ve chosen an ambiguous title for my blog. Should I have chosen a more transparent title? My blog is called painting the wall black. I haven’t explored the design aspect of it yet and I have only posted one blog but I am keen to start writing further posts as chapters to my past experiences. How do I get my blog ‘out there?’ Thanks

    Like

    1. I do like the ambiguous title, it catches attention. But you have to read the entire first blog to get what it’s about. It sounds very interesting and I want to hear your story after reading it. The problem is that the first blog won’t be right in the beginning after you write another. I might consider putting a lot of that info in the “about” page. Or possibly add to the title like this (forgive my lack of creativity here, it’s not my strength): Painting the Wall Black… How i overcame my sleep struggle. (just an example). That way you can draw people with the cool, catchy title, but then keep them with the interesting topic.

      Good Luck with your blog!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Hi
        Thanks so much for the advice. I really appreciate you taking the time out to read it. I think I get what you’re meaning. Trouble is, I think I rushed into it and haven’t yet explored my way around the ‘blogging world’ but you have spurred me on by showing a hint of interest. Thanks again.

        Like

    2. Hey first of all I like the title and the tagline , your writing style too . I have two suggestions for you . I can see two of every widget on your sidebar . And also if you could add a like button below your posts , it could be liked directly from the home page . Good luck and happy blogging .

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Hi. Thanks for the comments. I am clearly very new to blogging and I have to be honest, I don’t know how to add a like button below my posts and I hate to admit that I don’t even know what a widget is. Any help with the above would be great thanks.

        Like

      2. That’s okay . I had help too . First of all for adding like and sharing buttons please go to your dashboard , then settings and in that go to sharing. There you will find buttons check all the boxes . And you will have like buttons on your front page . And alse when you go to appearance you will see widgets just edit them . Okay . You will be fine . 🙂 happy blogging

        Like

    3. Hi, firstly I think you need to fill out some info on your about page, there is absolutely nothing there at the moment, but maybe some blurb on you and what you want to blog to be about, it doesn’t have to identify you, but needs to draw people in.

      The title is ambiguous but that isn’t detrimental, I am intrigued by what “sleeping once more” means.

      Also you may want to look at your categories and tags, you don’t have to have them but I would choose something other than the default “Uncategorized “ as the one shown.

      Liked by 1 person

      2. To view the categories and tags you have already go to dashboard > posts > categories (or tags). To add them you simply do that when you create your posts.

        Like

    1. Hi – I really enjoyed reading the story. It illustrated the idiom very clearly too – I’m not sure if your intention is to help people learning English or not, but your story gives ‘to smell a rat’ a tangible reality. That’s the thing that’s often difficult, isn’t it? The idioms of other languages always sound rather bizarre, but you’ve really captured the essence of the thing.

      Apparently, ‘to smell a rat’ is ‘to sense owls in the marsh’ in Swedish! http://somethingswedish.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/fun-swedish-idioms-kul-svenska-idiom/

      You asked for advice on improving the post – if I had to pick something, I might look over your first paragraph. It’s got a lot of acronyms in it and, in some ways, it’s hard not to trip over them. Is a PD something obvious in the US? The IRA has quite different connotations over here in the UK. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Republican_Army

      What have the Mouse Mafia done that’s been so problematical to the rats?

      Good luck with your blog. I look forward to reading many more posts!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks for the advice– I will definitely be checking those suggestions out! And that’s great– I really hadn’t thought of my stories as helping put a tangible explanation to American idioms, but I’m glad to know I could be of some help!! That’s wonderful 🙂

        Thanks again for your comments and advice!

        Liked by 1 person

  21. Hi All,
    I’m very new to this wordpress site. I’m struggling with formatting my blogs to look the way I want them. My blogs are business related but I like to use images to illustrate my point very often. However everytime I have to enter a picture it is almost impossible to format it nicely to the right of the text without it constantly throwing my text formatting out wildly.

    Putting a series of images side by side and scaling them to a uniform height and size seems an impossibility for me at the moment. It’s not like using word or apple pages where I can set my pictures anywhere within the text if I choose.

    If there is a trick to it I have yet to find it.

    Any help is appreciated.

    Like

    1. One thing that might help is making sure you insert the new image in its own line; then, clicking on the pencil icon on the image will give you the option to align it and resize. It might take a couple of tries, but usually a couple of tweaks make the image work.

      As an alternative, you could opt for a grid-type gallery; the gallery makes the thumbnails uniform in size, and your readers can then click on the images to see their full size.

      Like

  22. Ok, here goes nothing. I just started a new blog, after deciding to close my old one down after 7 years because it lost focus. I’ve only got one post and my About Me page up. Does my first post and About Me make you want to come back and see more? Is my rambling annoying? Am I too self-centered? Are there already too many Mommy Bloggers or Craft Bloggers so I should give up?

    blog is here

    Like

      1. Ok, so I’m not sure how the above comment ended up there. Here is my honest input on your site. I don’t think you should ever give up on something that you care about or are passionate about! There is always room for another voice. It seems like there are some technical difficulties occurring on your home page. You can’t read a couple of your posts, and you can’t see a bunch of your flickr images. You definitely want to work that out or you wont draw followers. Good luck!

        Like

    2. Hi Angela , I loved your about me . It’s so much like me , like how I have this myriad of thoughts that are waiting to explode and they all want their share of attention. You have earned yourself a follower . Happy blogging . 🙂

      Like

    2. I like your writing style. It flows like a conversation. I also think it’s great that you posted links for DIY info.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. No blog (or diary) is a waste of time if it helps you do whatever you need to do. I blog for me and me only — it’s nice to have followers and get ‘likes’ and comments, but I will continue to blog without them because I need that outlet. Sounds like you need an outlet (actually, everyone does) and this could be it! I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read so far, especially your perspective on teacher-student relationships. It’s been awhile since I was a teen, but I’m not so far removed that relating to my students is easy.

      Like

      1. Thank you very much! I am certainly benefiting from blogging as I find it hard to express myself aloud in real life. I will visit your blog too when I have the time to properly look at it 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Hey Inquisitive, you certainly are inquisitive. I do like your writing style, and you pick interesting topics. If I had an area to improve, I would sat try to narrow your scope of topics a little. I realize that the theme is that you are inquisitive of many different things, but try to tie the themes together to a more narrow central concept.

      People are more likely to follow written material about specific topics that interest them, so you may be able to draw a bigger following.

      Good luck on you blog, I look forward to reading more of your stuff!

      Like

      1. Hmm… I’m going to try and continue blogging and see where it takes me so that perhaps I can find out a bit more about myself and what I’m interested in the most! Thank you for your opinion! 🙂

        Like

  26. Hey fellow bloggers, I usually end my blogs similar to this with requests to click on the links for Facebook, Twitter, and my email lists with the goal to have readers follow me through those platforms. Do you have any advise on how to word these requests at the end of blogs to make them more successful drawing followers? Or do you have other advise to draw followers?

    Here is a link to one of my blogs:

    http://familyfocusfitness.net/2014/08/12/am-i-making-any-progress/

    Thanks!

    Like

    2. I love your blog and will be following you! In response to your question, I think the thing that plagues me is the temptation to use the same kind of phrases in all of my blogs (i.e. “the truth is” or “If I was honest…”) I am new to this whole writing/blogging thing and have a lot to learn. 😉

      Like