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.

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  1. Hello once again everyone , I would really appreciate it if youbguys coukd give general feedback on my blog specially the writing . I have a long way from my first blogposts I think and thata only because of the feedbacks and suggestions . Thank you so much for all that constructive criticism . And I still have a very long journey ahead so kindly help . Thanking you all in advance
    http://iamyourtwilightstar.wordpress.com/

    Like

  4. Hello there! I have recently started my blog “Imaginationem”. On my blog I talk about topics such as fashion, beauty, and DIYs. If you could please provide me with some feedback on the quality of my posts, layout, etc. it would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks in advance!
    –Callie

    https://imaginationem.wordpress.com

    Like

      1. Thank you so much for the feedback, I really appreciate it! I checked out your blog, I really loved the idea behind the lace dream catcher (it’s so pretty!) and the layout of your blog is very clean and relates well to the topic of the blog. I can’t wait to see more posts from you in the future:)

        Like

  5. Hi everyone! I’m new to the whole blogging thing, and me and my sister have just created ours!

    I just made my first post and i would love to hear your thoughts and opinions!

    We plan on writing about it from all different perspectives but this is the first!

    If you have time check out

    birdseyeview1.wordpress.com

    🙂

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks for feedback!

        Just checked out yours!

        Love your law take on issues! especially the S.A.S v. France!

        Like

  7. Hi everyone. I joined the Writing 201 workshop hoping to get inspired in starting a new blog but unfortunately I suddenly got too busy and didn’t get to put up much of my own work except for the introduction to the post I am about to link:

    http://amozzarellaorange.wordpress.com/2014/08/24/back-to-blogging/

    I would love to know your thoughts about this. Did everything make sense to you? Did the post sound too whiny or apologetic? Was the “conclusion” okay? If there is a part of the post that you would like me to clarify or flesh out more, please let me know. Thank you!

    Like

    1. Hi,

      I enjoyed the post? It didn’t sound whiny or apologetic, you were just expressing your feelings. M first post was very similar and my post on confidence might aid you…check it out and keep blogging you write well!

      lifelawandotherthings.wordpress.com

      Like

    1. Ugh, way to display my noob credentials – premature send, how embarrassing! Anyway, I had a sudden burst of traffic almost instantly after making the above blog entry – I even gained followers who didn’t know me for the first time ever! I’ve made a couple more posts since then, with a far more lukewarm reception. What’s different? Different time of day for posting? Ineffective tagging or titles? Or just posts that aren’t as high quality? I’d be grateful for any feedback or suggestions. Don’t worry, I can take it! TIA, Julie

      Like

    1. I would like to see something on your “About Me” page.
      Its rambling, but if that’s you, then run with it. My only suggestion is if the rambling style is something that you will be doing to maybe keep your posts a little shorter- but that’s just me, someone else might love them! Good luck and congrats on your upcoming nuptials. Remember- you can follow in someone else’s footsteps or take a leap to the side and make your own ones.

      Like

  12. Blog virgin here! I have been posting away for a while now and am about to take the leap and make it more public. Is there anything that jumps out that I can improve on?
    tummymummy11.wordpress.com

    Like

  13. Wondering if I should keep the rating system at the end of my blog posts about recipes/dishes. Thoughts ? Finding time to blog with a toddler and work is hard! How do you guys do it?

    Like

    1. Hi Good start Chelsea,

      Now attack it! 🙂

      Also believe me, nothing is BORING to a community of bloggers. Your stories might inspire and encourage people

      Like

      1. Hi Chelsea – I really liked your post. It’s clear, heartfelt and interesting.

        You’re talking about things outside yourself – your boss’s belief in the power of song – along with enough about yourself to give a good idea of who you are. I think it must be easier to write personal posts that have some kind of observation of, reaction to, or point of view on, the world outside. Like Montaigne.

        I can’t see a thing wrong with your grammar or sentence structure. It all serves you well. As it should. Your post read like a living representation of George Orwell’s words on writing.

        Good luck with your writing. I hope to read more of it.

        Like

  15. Hello All

    I feel as though I have lost my way. I love blogging but after a patchy month whilst away feel that my posts don’t seem to have the same power as my earlier pieces. I would love it if someone could find the time to read my most recent (link below) and something from my June archive and offer feedback.

    Thank you in advance X

    Things I have never finished (and those I simply failed to do) | tryingsohardtobegood’s Blog https://tryingsohardtobegood.wordpress.com/2014/08/25/things-i-have-never-finished-and-those-i-simply-failed-to-do/

    Like

      1. Thanks, I’m glad you like it. I think I am just out of practise since I began by promising myself to post daily and have now eased off but put too much pressure on myself to make every post everything all at once! But maybe minimalist is the way for now. Thank you for taking the time to read and share your thoughts. X

        Like

    2. Hi – Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving me some great feedback. I actually really enjoyed this post of yours, it spoke volumes without being too serious or self-conscious and the photos complemented the text nicely. I also enjoyed your older posts, which I agree seemed a little ‘meatier’ (I’m thinking of the one where your daughter said the ‘fat’ word as an example) – but it depends what you are going for. Both posts are very warm and readable, but the earlier posts perhaps have more of a message. As someone whose own blog is basically a collection of her own parental failings, I’m in awe of anyone with an actual message to offer! But I love posts that are simply for entertainment’s sake too 🙂

      Like

      1. Thank you for taking time to share your feedback. It’s good to know that there isn’t something ‘missing’ just because there is no real message there. I think I just have the fear of hitting publish at present. Nothing seems quite right. But I will stick with it…watch this space… X

        Like

  16. Hi! I have started my blog a few months back and have published only 4 posts now, 3 of which are on Himalayan trails. I would like to have a feedback on:
    1. Are the posts too long – should I use less words and more photographs?2. Should I start a different blog if I want to write on other matters, say a short story, or all types of writing can be in one blog?

    Like

      1. Your love of the country, the mountains, the outdoors, is infectious and your descriptions are vivid.Love the pictures, too. I would break up the paragraphs so that they are smaller and easier to read, I’d also consider another title or tagline that expresses what your blog is really about. While I enjoyed reading it, it took me a few posts to understand that this was about your love of nature and open spaces. Nicely written posts.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Thank you so much for reading the posts and giving an honest and specific feedback. I will try to edit the posts following your suggestions.

        Like

    1. Hi Tin Tin,

      I think it’s specific to your line of work but nevertheless very interesting! As a fellow Brit myself its great to get a glimpse into the world of an ambulance worker, you are so essential and yet so undervalued!

      Like

    2. Hi – your posts are interesting, but I’d be really concerned about patient confidentiality. I wouldn’t like to be mentioned in a blog in such detail if I were the drunk woman who fell down the stairs. If I were”the lady who endured horrific sexual and physical assault years ago now” I’d be horrified to be turned into blog fodder. I don’t know if ambulance drivers have the same responsibilities in that regard as doctors, but I’d be wary of overstepping the mark. As an paramedic you see people at their most vulnerable. I’m not sure how much detail about that should be made public – unless your patients want it to be.

      To my knowledge, there’s a lot going on as far as cuts in services and general NHS changes. That would be interesting to hear about in an insider’s voice. How your work is affected by the cuts etc. In good ways or bad ways.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. A very good point regarding confidentiality; I do indeed need to be very wary. I’ll discuss it with a senior officer for some guidance.
        I was actually concerned about writing about the cuts and how that affects the Trust for fear of bringing the service into disrepute.
        Thanks for taking the time to look and for your feedback.

        Liked by 2 people

      2. That’s wise. I think details like “44 year old lady” and “22 year old female pretending to be unconscious” are going to cause you problems. It’s always difficult when medical staff write about their lives at the rockface, but I’d try to find a way of doing it that won’t result in patients or their relatives/neighbours etc finding out stuff they’d rather keep private. You identify the ambulance service that you work for, which narrows the identification process even more.
        I hope your senior officer is able to find you a way around it.

        Like

  21. Hey, I was hoping for a bit of design feedback if anyone has the time to quickly check out my blog? After looking at my blog for such long periods of time, it can seem to lose all meaning haha, and it’s hard to know whether or not the design actually fits in well with the blog content or not…! Would love feedback, especially on the header and widgets. http://happilypolly.wordpress.com/

    Like

    1. Hi Polly,

      I love the immediate headline graphic but one thing I notice is that when I scroll down it starts to get a bit cluttered in the middle. Perhaps you should cut a few things out just so the reader can focus a bit better at first sight.

      Hope that helps

      Like

  23. Hi, I’ve had my blog for just over a year, but was only posting once a month. At the end of July I started a personal challenge to blog every day for 90 days. I’m just about coming up to 4 weeks and would love to know what people think…Also any advice on the best way to present the blog or on building traffic would be greatly appreciated.
    Thank you for your support 🙂

    Like

    1. I’m also quite new to blogging, so I wouldn’t take my view as one of an expert, but your style looks good. The layout is simple and the posts are well written. Your last post looks to have had a different font size to the rest, and it might be good to make it consistent, but that’s about all I could specifically say.

      I’d just stick to whatever timing works for you – most people seem to be quicker, but I know good blogs that post every month or two. I’d rather read a few quality posts, than a lot of rushed ones.

      Like

      1. Thanks for your reply and feedback! The font is different because I cut and pasted from Word but upon discovery I couldn’t find a way of changing it back. must be a way?

        Like

    2. Hi – first of all, I’m really sorry to hear about Archie’s illness and death. My thoughts are with you and your family on that.

      I found your blog very moving and, if I were a bereaved parent, I think I would have found it very helpful. When life throws such unexpected trauma in your path, it’s in our nature as humans to reach out for other humans to accompany us or to shine a light on the path ahead. You do both.

      I suppose, if you plan to post once a month or so, then let your readers know (apologies if you’ve made that perfectly clear somewhere). It’s easier for you too to have some posts, or bits of posts, stocked up ready to finish or publish if family life interferes with your schedule. Then your readers will know that you’re still posting.

      All best wishes with your blog. It’s a well written resource and, as it grows, it will become even more valuable.

      Like

  25. Hi,

    I enjoyed the post? It didn’t sound whiny or apologetic, you were just expressing your feelings. M first post was very similar and my post on confidence might aid you…check it out and keep blogging you write well!

    lifelawandotherthings.wordpress.com

    Like

    1. I’ve just read your blog and I really liked it. I have only just started blogging so I won’t be much use with feedback. I have just started weaning my 6 month old and so I will be following your blog for help along the way.

      Like

  27. Hello,

    Last week I started my blog and I also made a new blog post yesterday. Feedback is welcome!

    Thanks,
    John

    Umflight.wordpress.com

    Like

    1. Edit: just found that someone gave feedback on my blog in general on last week’s pool. But, I would still be grateful for feedback on my newest post.

      Like