Sep 8, 2014 / Community Pool

Community Pool

Looking for some blogging advice? You’re in the right place.

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

578 Comments

Comments are closed.

Close Comments

Comments

  1. Hi all – I just moved my blog from blogger to WP and also changed the focus. I don’t have money right now to brand of have a pro theme done for me so it’s not where I would like it eventually be, but I’m really hoping for some feedback and thoughts on where it is right now. What do you like or not like? What would you change? I’m asking for honesty but gently please. thanks. Blog is: http://justenoughhours.com thanks so much!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I love the detail and photos step by step in your posts. I found the front page a little overwhelming with all the photos and choices. I’d have your post of the day up and then the others available though the links at the top.

      Like

      1. thank you SO much ladonnacontenta!! I agree, the front page is busy….will pare it down. SO appreciate you taking the time to look! 🙂 thanks again!

        Like

      2. Hi Ladonnacontenta,
        Would you consider jumping right into the action for example….

        “Paul and I were just married. I was worthless, couldn’t cook, keep house, clean or even be counted on to make my own bed and take care of my things.

        These were the reasons my father told my husband he shouldn’t marry me. I made it a point to prove him wrong.”

        I kinda struggled with the first sentence. You really hooked me with you described yourself as “I was worthless…

        Love the concept of your blog site. Beautiful image an layout. Inviting. I want to go back and read more!

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Hi I agree, I like the look but there’s a lot going on so it’s hard to choose. I’m enjoying the content too. Unfortunately I couldn’t locate the follow button…

      Like

      1. Thanks Clickingmummy! Good point – I just went in and added it. I will have to tweak the layout/amt of photos later tonight – I REALLY appreciate your time!! 🙂 Thanks again!

        Like

    3. I slighty disagree with ladonnacontenta. I found your front page already neat that I can scan through your posts (though it sounds busy). For me, there’s no problem about having the late posts being in the front page so that other bloggers can still read them without clicking for the links found underneath your site (I find that tedious, honestly). I guess, after all, it’s just a matter of perception.

      Like

    5. I agree about the front page being a bit busy. I’d recommend to focus on the objectives of your blog and maybe have a “Best of” page to showcase some of the posts you’re most proud of. Really liked your header image too. welcome to wordpress

      Like

  2. hey i like your content, a tip i got a while back is to space out your writing. You have really large chunks of text and it makes it look a bit intimidating or hard to put down and pick back up. Remember this is the internet people have no attention span. By spacing it out with smaller paragraphs i really think you will catch a lot more people.

    Like

  3. Hello everyone 🙂 A few days ago I posted something on my blog which was unlike my previous posts. A short story to be precise.
    I was a bit apprehensive about that post to begin with and would be tremendously grateful if someone could give me some sort of feedback about that post, or my blog in general, if they feel to do so.
    Here’s the link: http://asilverafternoon.wordpress.com/
    Thank you so much! 😀

    Like

    1. I really like your aesthetic, title and tagline. What exact kind of feedback is it that you’re after about this post in particular? My initial reaction is that it’s lovely. A really nice succinct YA short story with structure, a nice bit of background and a classic conclusion. It’s been a long time since I read YA, and I haven’t written any, so I have to shift gears when I encounter it, but your story is engaging and universal. The title line is perfectly fitting. Nice work!

      Like

    2. I have to say, by the time I get this far down on the Community Pool I can hardly to more than gloss over people’s blogs to give some feedback. But your writing captured my interest right off the bat (maybe because i love libraries too) and you did a really good job of drawing in the reader. Be sure to avoid telling the reader what the characters are doing as much as possible–let their actions and dialogue fill in the necessary info. excellent job

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you so much for the feedback! I’ll definitely try to keep it in mind 🙂 and I’m really glad my writing could capture your attention, and i’m really grateful for your time! Thankyou so much! 🙂

        Like

    3. Hi – your blog has a lovely feel of friendliness. For some reason (which you should probably bottle and sell!) reading the posts feels like reading a postcard from a friend far away. There’s a real art to that. It feels as if you’re writing straight from the heart.

      I agree with all the lovely things that Darcy Isla and Ben Pastore said about your blog. I hope you keep writing. Your words are a welcome addition to the world.

      Like

  4. Hi there, this is my first time at Community Pool! I have recently begun to expand into writing reviews and have posted my first review of an autiobiographical graphic novel – ‘Persepolis’ by Marjane Satrapi. Am I doing it right? What’s good or not so good about it? Do you get a nice flavour of the book from my write-up? Is it too spoiler-heavy/too empty? What else should I be including in a book review, perhaps specifically to autobiography? The review: http://wp.me/pF6zm-xK

    Like

    1. Hi Darcy. Whether or not you’re doing it “right” I can’t say, but you prompted me to read it and I thought your comments on how you could relate to the author were exactly the kind of thing that would inspire someone to read the book. nice job

      Liked by 2 people

  7. Hi there 🙂

    Two weeks ago when I published my first post, I was determined to do it monthly: one entry, lots of photos and a few drawings. The challenge to me is that I keep my blog in English, French and Spanish, so it becomes time consuming… but I love it that way.

    One week later I though I may be able to add on top of that one short entry (a sketch) once a week.

    Do you think it may be too much for consistency? There is already a lot going on in there.

    Would you check it out? This is my latest entry.

    Thank you very much!

    Liked by 2 people

  9. Hi all, I have a specific question about layout: I’m using the Pictorico theme, and on the home page, underneath all the featured images that link to various posts, I have all the other categories (recent posts, recent comments, archives, meta, etc) in double. Does anyone know how to remove the duplicates? hylianhome.wordpress.com General comments also appreciated, of course! Thank you!

    Like

    1. Hello! When you go Appearance > Widgets in your dashboard, you’ll see your various widgets areas and the widgets currently displayed in each one. Currently, they contain several widgets twice (in other words, once in each widget area). You can just remove whichever are duplicates, and decide which one should go in which widget area, and the issue will disappear.

      Like

  10. I live on a sailboat with my husband in Mexico. I enjoy writing posts about a slice of life in my world. Hopefully, with a twist of dry humour.
    I’d like to know:
    1. Does it hold your attention and why (or why not)?
    2. Did I provide enough information or assume the reader was familiar with the people, subject, etc.
    3. I welcome any suggestions for improving the post.

    I look forward to hearing from you.

    http://la-vita.us/blogTEST/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I love your topics and your writing. The descriptions and word pictures are great. The blog needs some work on things like pictures that are noted but not there ( i.e. DSCN18888.jpg) The theme could be more attractive as well. I’d love your feedback on my blog as well.

      Like

      1. Thank you so much encouraging feedback. I’m working hard to tighten my writing with good word pictures.

        Yes, this site is my test site. I experiement with software, plugins, and now writing on this site. Then add them to “official” site (http://la-vita.us/blog/). The other site need some “dressing” up, also.

        I will scroll up and find the link to your site and comment. I very much appreciate your time. This is my first post to the pool and you are the first to comment. THANKS!

        Lynn

        Like

    2. Lynn, pictures are always popular. Maybe, if you have enough space, you could use larger ones now and then. I particularly like your subject matter.

      Like

  11. Hi people,
    Wrote a post about Bucket List. I wanted to get a few idea from you all to add some “to-do” things to my list. Also would love to hear about your list and how much have you achieved.

    Also should I put up a poll to vote for your favorite thing on the list?
    Hope to get some more ideas to make this post better. 🙂
    Comment on the post link given below if possible. Thank you.

    The Bucket List

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I replied on your blog, but wanted to say here that you have a great start. The blog theme seems good for what you are doing. The essay appear to be on target for modern day viewers-searchers.

      I saw only one issue–your words are not always correct as far as English grammar is concerned. Did you write in MS Word first, edit and then post or did you write directly in the blog window?

      Like

      1. You can see the “word” thing happens to everyone. I have one sentence in my response that is not correct either. Can you pick it out? Hint: it is a singular / plural problem.

        Like

  13. Hi I agree, I like the look but there’s a lot going on so it’s hard to choose. I’m enjoying the content too. Unfortunately I couldn’t locate the follow button…

    Like

    1. I love your blog. The authenticity of your writing is delightful! The theme and drawings are perfect for the mood. Keep up the good work. I was a writing teacher of mid-school to college students and have seen a lot of teenage writing and yours is great!

      Like

    2. I’m 40 and can relate to you’re frustrated attempt at interactions on the net, especially when you say: ‘ You respond “lol”, and that conversation is done.’
      I recently deleted over 450 people from my fb friends list due this lack of meaningful interaction. Well written and I like the overall feel of your blog and your sketches personalize it nicely.

      Like

    3. Lol your recent post is pretty cool, especially since we can all relate. And I’m envious of your theme – I’m still figuring mine out. I have mixed feelings… ’cause I’m attached to it and then I want to change it since it looks boring.
      But yours is cool and unique and I really like your drawings (:

      Like

      1. You, envious to my theme? Hah I feel the same about others. It takes some real time to find a theme and settle on it — takes me like 30-40 minutes, like I’m really at the shopping center. I dunno, it really depends on what type you’re going for.

        Like

  16. Hi there – i wrote a post on White Privilege which has been liked and shared a LOT which is great… i also made two follow-up posts with a bunch of articles which i read while prepping for my post, most of which are better than my post but no-one has been clicking and reading them. i was wondering if there was some advice in terms of ways of presenting the follow-on blogs: http://brettfish.wordpress.com/2014/09/03/im-not-sure-youre-against-that-thing-you-think-youre-against-white-privilege

    thank you very much
    brett fish

    Like

    1. Hi Steph, I love your writing style, it definitely reflects the chaos in your life and sums up little children very well (I can’t imagine how you get anything done with all of that happening in the background…you must be magical)

      Ok, so just my opinion but I found the right side bar (no widgets or anything showed up when I loaded it) but it was pretty distracting with all the darkish glitters. I would try to find a less distracting background.

      Also, your work is wonderful! It would be nice to see it front and centre instead of buried into the paragraphs. Are you trying for a one page theme? I wanted to see a collection of your work without having to click away (I saw the badge that said click here to see all my work) but I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find my way back to the homepage. So I was reluctant to click it.

      I found the print of the captions a little bit hard to read with the white letters and coloured background. Also, I see you use watermarks but not in all your photos. The watermark shows that you care a lot about your work and it would be nice to see it consistently used since it is a nice touch.

      Hope this helps.

      Liked by 2 people

  20. Hi everyone! I’ve recently started a blog, and only added 2 new posts to it so far. I was wondering; I’ve been trying to post my different categories on a separate tab in my menu (automatically), but I can’t seem to figure out how. Does anyone have any ideas?

    As for the overall format and concept of the blog as well, if you have any feedback it would be much appreciated. I’m a complete blogging newbie so I can use all the help I can get!

    Thanks in advance 🙂 https://3rdkulturethoughts.wordpress.com

    Like

  22. Hi I’ve recently launched my parenting blog as a way of showcasing my writing. I try to make it lively, with interesting engaging copy – would really appreciate some feedback as I don’t seem to be attracting many visitors.
    Am wondering if the layout / design has something to do with it – would love to hear any feedback!

    http://yellowbellymummy.wordpress.com/

    Thanks x

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi there Katec1978 ! I read your post – very fun topic! The blog looks very nice – it’s super clean in design/layout which I appreciate. I personally found the font to be too small – it was a bit hard for me to read (of course, that may have to do with monitors, I’m not sure). . . and maybe try to add a photo to the post – I see many of your others posts have photos – I’ve been told to make sure EVERY post has a photo. I would consider making the size of the photos you use in the posts a little larger as well – let them fill the width of the post (like the photos in the post headers). I think you have a very fun blog and just need to promote more – cross post to facebook or your other social networks. I know it can be frustrating – my new blog is ‘dead’ and it sometimes make me not want to write at all! But we have to keep going!

      Like

      1. Hi Janice, thanks so much for the feedback – it’s greatly appreciated! I totally agree with you about the photos – I know every post should ideally have one, but sometimes I seem to get carried away writing and don’t always have an appropriate one. Will try better in future, and do as you recommend by making them larger. Thanks again for taking the time to look. Can you send me a link to your blog?

        Like

      2. Hi Janice, thanks so much for taking the time to check my blog out. I really appreciate your feedback – you’re completely right, every post should have a picture. I think I just sometimes get carried away and write without having a suitable image to use. Will try and make sure I include one every time now. And will def take on board your comments about making them bigger! Thanks again for checking my blog out!

        Like

    2. Hi, I really enjoyed your post about Christmas! I like the simple, clean layout a lot but agree you could use a pic for every post. Also I’m not a fan of the way your header stays and takes up half the page… it means I have to scroll a lot as I’m only seeing half a page’s worth. As a fellow mummy I’m following 🙂

      Like

    3. Your blog is nice – but I would change the theme a bit. When I scroll down to read, the header at the top (whatever it’s called lol) stays there so the space at the bottom is smaller. To me, it makes it harder to read and more difficult to keep my attention, even though it’s uber interesting. Also, try to make your font bigger! 🙂

      Like

    4. I’ve just looked at your site and think the posts are very interesting and engaging. Two pieces of layout advice I would suggest are: (1) Continue to use the more poetic and succinct titles (such as the “Me, myself and I” style headers) because they make readers curious and want to find out more. (2) Use a photo (or series of rotating images) across the top banner to cover up all the black space on your page, so that when readers land on your site for the first time the pictorial images engage them and encourage visitors to stay and explore beyond the home page. I am currently using artwork as a header for all my pages (see: http://museumgeographies.wordpress.com/)…and friends have said that it does make the page more eye-catching. For your site you may prefer to use high-res photos of creative play spaces, or colourful pictures of children’s artwork. Writing-wise, I think you have achieved the right tone for the type of content you are posting.. Good luck with it all.P.S. I really liked your post about ‘Nottingham Trent’.

      Like

      1. Thanks for the comments and taking the time to have a read! Several others have said I need more pics – so will endeavour to include more! Thanks again – now off to check out yours!

        Like

  25. Hi everyone! I would like to ask for your opinion regarding my personal essay I had written months ago, which I entitled “At a snails pace.” This was published in our country’s local newspaper, and I posted it at my blog when I was creating the said blog around June, therefore it was overlooked by viewers. The essay tells my childhood experience and snail gathering, and how I connected them to the present condition of my country, the Philippines, and the essay has an underlying challenge to every Filipino to do their part and speak up for their rights.
    I asked this because as a writer (and an aspiring essayist), I would love to hear more thoughts from those who are experienced in this field. All your criticisms will be regarded as constructive ones. Thank you.
    http://suejutakeshi.wordpress.com/2014/06/29/youngblood-inquirer/

    Liked by 1 person

  27. Hello! I am seeking comment specifically on the “look and feel” of the blog I have just started and on the first post, “The purpose of the posts,” and opinion on the tag “Nicola Valley.” thanks, mike sasges

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Woah woah hold up. You took those pictures? Danggg that’s so cool. That is actually really fantastic – you need to keep going. There is no way you will stop showing the world your pictures!

      Liked by 2 people

    2. I’m with dragonbolt54 – dangg indeed! Lovely, lovely photos. Keeping up with your blog gives them a chance to reach a lot of people. It’s a living portfolio and a celebration. Otherwise, where do your photos live?

      Do you have a map anywhere on the blog to help people from other countries, or even from the UK have an idea of whereabouts the photos are from? (Forgive me if a map is obvious on the page – my detective powers are minimal!)

      How are you measuring your success with your blog? To me its existence and the photos it contains (and the fact that you’re lucky enough to live in such a beautiful place and kind enough to record its beauty for others) are success.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I like your idea of a map, I will add one to the About page, it makes perfect sense. I suppose I’m measuring success by only generating traffic in the 24hr period after a new post. If I don’t post, no-one views, which implies I’m not getting much traffic beyond those subscribed to me.

        Your words are very kind and mean a lot to me, they are much appreciated.

        Like

      2. It’s strange, isn’t it – we’re all such tiny needles in such a giant haystack, shining as hard as we can so that we’re found and cherished by people we don’t know.

        I can’t see why people wouldn’t like your blog. Are you on Twitter as well?

        Like

    1. I am following you now. The pictures are excellent. I was amazed reading your “around the world” section. And I like the theme you have chosen. I also write about my trips and add my pictures to my blog. Cheers from Argentina.

      Liked by 1 person