Sep 22, 2014 / Community Pool

Community Pool

The place for advice, feedback, and friendly blogging chatter.

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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    2. I like the theme. It turned out nicely, and I also enjoyed your writing! you should get to now her and just have fun! sending good vibes your way.

      Liked by 2 people

    3. Its a quite good post.. With the lucid language, you’ve kept the interest alive throughout the post..
      I especially liked how you express your own feelings at each step..

      Liked by 2 people

    4. As with Chris, I agree wholeheartedly! You are really good at writing at such young age.
      From what I’ve seen at your site, it is just obvious that you have quite a talent in the creativity department.

      I will be looking forward to your progress, followed 😉

      David Long

      Liked by 1 person

    6. As an introvert, it is very impressive that your writing is this detailed. The way you capture every detail and would have been able to “stretch seconds into paragraphs”.
      The dream seems like a major component but somehow, it wasn’t made that much of a big deal. That is a good thing; but in “About Emotions” emotions are a really deep thing for you. I hope you are not ashamed of them and you never hesitate to express them in your words. Its what makes you unique, my dear.

      Like

      1. Thank you. Emotions are something I’m somewhat deep in, but I don’t really.. enjoy them. Thanks for the compliment, though. 🙂

        Like

    2. To your questions about not seeing your posts in the reader, it’s most likely because you’re not following your own blog. I had the same problem too for a while. Make sure you’re following yourself

      Liked by 2 people

      2. You know how if you go on someone’s blog, it has that bar in the top left corner of the screen, below the address bar of your browser? If yours has that, go onto your own site and click “Follow” up there. The “follow” button should then say “following”

        Liked by 1 person

      3. I never knew that it is necessary to follow own blog. I have done as you advised. Thanks a lot for the advice. Visit my blog and give me more advice how to improve it, I am new to WP blogging. Learning and doing, thats all. I am following you also.

        Liked by 1 person

      4. It may not be the only way to do it, but it’s the easiest way I know to see your own posts in the reader.
        And I’ll definitely give your blog a look!

        Liked by 1 person

  3. I was wondering about any feedback on my “two days of work, two nights of music” post, specifically if it’s too short and choppy.

    Thanks in advance for any advice!! 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

      1. Short and choppy? I don’t think so, it’s actually quite organized. The youtube videos were the only thing to me that “chopped” up your post a bit, so perhaps linking to the videos through the words instead of the videos one after another could help.

        Liked by 2 people

      5. You have a very organized way of writing and as a music lover myself I enjoyed your post. I didn’t have the time to look over all your posts but I am looking forward to posts from on different genres of music from all over the world

        Like

      6. Hi – I enjoyed reading your post. You have a very light touch when you write about Glastonbury – you sound like a butterfly settling on different flowers in a garden.

        I’d agree with Atherz097 that most of the videos – especially as they were ‘official’ videos, not live Glastonbury ones – could have been linked so that people could click on them for reference if they were interested and get back to your words easily if they weren’t.

        All good luck with your blog.

        Liked by 1 person

      7. Thank you! I will keep that in mind for future posts. I definitely understand, especially when there’s a lot of music videos in a single post.

        And to be honest, I haven’t been to Glastonbury yet! haha, I put it has Glastobound because I’m super determined to go someday, hopefully in 2016. I’m not from Europe, and I’m in school, so it’s not the easiest, but I will definitely be going someday.

        Thank you again, good luck to you too and all that you do!

        Liked by 1 person

    2. I like how simple and easy to read things are in your site. Just curious though, is your site made particularly for music that you like or is it for a band?

      David Long

      Like

      1. Thank you!! and I originally intended it to mostly revolve around live music, no band in particular. I mostly just love going to shows and festivals, and I hope to find others that love it just as much!

        Liked by 2 people

      7. I play piano and guitar and am attempting to lear the mandolin. I tried violin for a few years but it didn’t really work out.
        Once you learn the piano, guitar should come easy:)

        Like

      8. Wow, that’s super cool! Good luck with learning. The mandolin would be fun, I’m sure.
        And I’m hoping so, I’m mostly having trouble finding the time to learn at this point lol.

        Liked by 1 person

      9. Thanks, same to you:) guitar is really a lot of fun once you get used to it.
        Btw, I’m trying to start composing/arranging music now and am trying to get feed back from other music-addicts. So if you get a chance, drop by my blog and check out my Youtube links:) Thanks!

        Liked by 1 person

    5. A recap is always a good way to mark a year in blogging. I do that in the end of calendar years. Actually never celebrated how many years a blog (they’re many). Cool background by the way!

      Like

    1. It’s a bit of a minefield topic as people tend to get offended by religious differences rather quickly (as the world’s current crisis sadly emphasizes).
      Personally I would have liked a bit more of an introduction, further detailing as to why you feel in a certain way about Jesus and how you got there.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I agree with Philipp. It’s nice that you got to express your thoughts, but if it was a message to atheists, it seemed like an addition to the argument.

        Like

      2. I understand. It’s meant to be something to think about, As far as people getting offended, I have never worried about that. The name Jesus alone is highly offensive to people and always has been which makes you wonder why that is. Thanks for the input!

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Epic, just epic 😉
      I like how your write and also, the page layout. I find it soothing, think its the picture. Good choice hah!
      Followed, for the passion I felt while reading your writing! Will be looking out for your future posts.

      David Long

      Liked by 2 people

      2. Indeed! It’s got a huge pool of awesome people in the community and I am glad to have discovered it.

        And of course, glad to have met you too 😉

        Cheers for new blog buddy!

        Your Pal,
        David Long

        Liked by 1 person

    3. Just to add a little more comment on the positive side, there are others out there(including myself) that don’t get offended by religious differences…because the Creator is not religion, so why should we get offended? I’d say don’t worry about your post being a minefield topic…as my parents taught me: “Let the stone hit whoever is under it.” Keep shining His light.
      Thanks- Josh

      Liked by 2 people

    4. Hello, I find your situation very intriguing! (Being both a Jew and believing in Jesus) so I am looking forward to learning more from you on that, you are the second such person I have come across recently. I also can relate with some of your grievances as a Muslim.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. So good to have you on here, and so happy you stopped by! I can imagine you can also relate 🙂 Be blessed my friend!

        Like

    1. Earnest, truthful and straight down from the heart.
      I feel that as long as you keep doing what you’re doing, writing with your emotions and also, with the intentions of wanting to help others with your experience (That’s the feeling I got from reading your stuff), you will be getting more feedbacks from others!

      I like what I saw and honestly, I will want to keep reading more from you. Hope you do stick on with this.

      Your pal,
      David Long

      Like

    2. I have a feeling the posts are more for you than anyone else. I may be wrong of course. But is like your way of writing and helps people in a mental turmoil get to decision. Keep up the good work!

      Like

    3. It’s short and succinct. I really loved reading the recent posts because I could relate so much to it. What is life? is my favourite. *thumbs up*

      Like

    1. It seems to be going well from here. 🙂
      Something to say though, with recent posts and and the dark style of the theme, I wonder how well life is treating you. I can relate to some of those posts.

      Like

      2. You’re not alone! I made it through 5 surgeries, 2 severe bacteria infections, major weight loss, migraines, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, daily levels of high pain, lost jobs and friends over the last 5 years and I’m still here! “Luck isn’t getting what you want, it’s surviving what you didn’t want”. I’ve started a blog about my experiences, approached from humor. http://www.independentcompass.wordpress.com

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Glad that you are enjoying it!
      I see that you’ve been blogging for awhile and I love the way you express yourself with poems.

      Anyway, my thoughts for the layout of your blog is this, great writing, great content, simple yet clear layout that’s easy to the eyes.
      Let’s not forget the cute dog in the profile picture 😉

      But I gotta say though, when I first saw the picture and noticed “About Me”, my mind went “Wait.. A Dog..?”
      I don’t know why but I just felt like this should be mentioned for laughs haha!

      Cheers for being an inspiring blogger 😉 (Yup, saw the award! Congrats!)

      David Long

      Like

      1. I read Golden Hearted it has me feeling a bit different. I wear everything on my sleeve sometimes when people don’t it makes me feel like it something I have said or done this is enlightening because your saying its not that you don’t feel this way inside you just don’t show it. It was a good read, keep writing.

        Liked by 1 person

    3. I have been a teenager. Life can be hard. You have a very fluid way of writing and I really like your poems. I feel I can relate to them. I guess all your posts can be related to. Especially even I was categorized as the brain child of my family (haha very frustrating).But coming to your blog. I love your dog(I am a dog lover too),I love t your writing and I hope soon your theme changes from dark to bright because it can be a little depressing even for you.

      Like

      1. I’m a person that likes darker colors by nature… I also don’t want the theme of the site to ever become the focus. Thanks friend.

        Like

    2. The layout is pretty nice! I think you should focus on creating a header that would incorporate the drawing and the text.

      Like

    1. I really like your photography, especially the ones which contain your reflection! Your message is also astoundingly refreshing. Keep it up!

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Love the theme of your blog! Yet I have to say that I found it difficult to navigate since I use right click a lot in order to open lots of posts in new tabs, and you’ve disabled right click, which is a bummer for me! Also I’d have opted for a more bright background. It’s easier to read.

      Like

      1. Hallo Anna,

        Would you please reply to a specific post (as opposed to leaving a reply at the bottom of the page), or alternatively, use a username so we know whose post you are referring to?

        Thank you!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I thought I replied to a specific post, but honestly the comments in the Community pool are hard to navigate. I was trying to reply to @ElusivePub post.

        Like

  10. Would love some feedback and insight on what anyone thinks about what I have so far, how I can improve, what I should do next, etc. Thanks! Here I sit, head in hands. I can’t get my mind around this loss. He wouldn’t want us to be sad, but how the hell can I not be? And if you want to know what sad looks like, it looks like this (my dad’s hockey sticks):

    http://isawyououtwalking.wordpress.com

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Your writing is very solid, so keep that up! I also like the doodles, they give your blog an unmistakably personal touch 🙂
      Design-wise I’d suggest to change the sidebar a bit. Most blogs have it on the right side, but that’s no obligation. I would tone down the colors and font sizes a bit though as my eyes felt a bit too drawn to the let instead of focussing on your text.

      A general word of advice: You are blogging about very personal matters, I really respect that. Always double-check and consider what you want to be public though.

      Like

      1. Thanks for the feedback. Do you think there are some things that are inappropriately public? I’m aiming to motivate others through personal experience, not to be too personal. So if it’s too personal, that’s not where I want to be. Thoughts? Much appreciated.

        Like

      2. Not right now, just wanted to point out that especially when you write about feelings and family matters it’s best to pay extra attention. Seems to me you have the right attitude about it though!

        Like

      1. Thanks. Not all the entries are so short, but I’m trying to use personal experience to help people understand how they can focus their energy and make positive life change. So right now, I have little to say, word-count wise. 😉

        Like

    3. Your doodles make the blog personal. You have a good way of writing. Good imagery which makes me picture what you write even more clearly and understand your writing more clearly. Good job! 🙂

      Like

    2. Awesome blog you got going man, just fabulous!

      I was able to surf through your site effortlessly so I found the layout to be easy to navigate.
      I also have to mention that the modest style of writing and theme is simply a great choice of combination, plus, your pictures paired with your adventures are just simply put, seamless and beautiful.

      Keep up the good work and hey, you got a new follower who’s gonna be looking out for more of your material 😉

      Cheers for more adventure post in future!

      Your Pal
      David Long

      Liked by 1 person

    4. Yes your page is navigable. Read your post on Kolkata and reminded me of my trip to Kolkata. A very good narration especially useful for travelers if that is what you are aiming for.

      Like

      1. Thanks, Kritika, for your feedback.
        I just meant to tell a story, like I do throughout my blog. Not aiming for travelers alone, but I’ll be happy if this post comes of any use to anybody.. 🙂
        Thanks a lot again.. Keep visiting and suggesting.. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Right now is not crowded, but as you keep adding destinations to your blof rhwn it.can get crowded on your destination icon on your front page. How about a region icon that leafd ro the diffrrent posts? That way your front page will remain clean and manageable. Other than that I loked your post on Panamá (my home country). Good luck!

      Like

    1. I really enjoyed your blog! your writing is nice, and I love the positivity behind it all, and I love the humor found in the beginning, “HONEY IF YOU WANT A BETTER LIFE SUCK DOWN THE TONIC & GO GET IT.” and the layout is nice too. it’s very easy to navigate!

      Like

    2. Your theme is all nice, but I think you should keep your sidebar in the side.. The main content is kinda loosing focus..

      Like

    4. The messages are definitely good quality, however it does generally seem to apply to adults, which I am not of yet. That’s not a real problem, though, because many posts can come in handy for me now.

      Also, the sidebar takes up about half of the page. If you want more focus on the content, perhaps find a way to make it a little skinner?

      Overall, I liked it. 🙂

      Like

    2. Your most recent post was entertaining. During the first part, I noticed that you were indirectly saying what happened to your boss, and the language you used throughout the post was complex, and it kept my attention. (I don’t know if it’ll do so for others, though…)

      Like

      1. You got a nice writing going there…thoughts all poured out yet nothing seems to clutter.

        I would have commented to write little less or make your post a little short as per few comments I got on mine but HELL YA..keep on going till the time you can make your reader read more of it..

        Liked by 1 person

  20. Hi y’all. I have very reluctantly started my first blog, reluctantly because putting your wiring out there is scary! Doing it though! My recent post on my blog is the first one where I feel like in getting the hang of it. I would love to hear what you all think. Is it bloggy? I’m so new to this any feedback or support helps. Can’t wait to read and visit fellow bloggers sites and material. Here’s my post http://justkeepcycling.wordpress.com/2014/09/21/what-makes-a-place-a-home/

    Like

    2. Hey there. Yeah this can all be scary at times. But the community here is very supportive so don’t worry on that front.

      I like your writing style and i definitely felt that as a reader i was coming on this journey with you.

      Happy blogging!

      Liked by 1 person

  24. I am new to the blogging world. Let me start out by giving you a background story. I use my email account to post my bloggs. I do this because I cannot spell very well without a spell checker. I do have some questions. 1. how do I find more bloggs to follow within a certain topic (eg, sports or comedy or science). 2. How do I get my blogg seen by more readers? 3. Can I have comments instantly posted or must I approve all of them? Just so you know my blog is(http://www.tylershepard1991.wordpress.com) If you could reply on this thread that would be fantastic!

    Like

    1. You have an option of spelling checker on the page where you write your posts on wordpress. It sometimes helps you with your sentences as well.
      For your questions,
      1. On your Reader page, on the left you can see a text search box. You can type the topic’s name and read posts related to that topic. Follow if you like.
      2. Engage with readers, comment, post more, make your presence felt.
      3. I guess you could choose any one of these from the settings. just search around and you’ll find it.

      Like

  26. Hey guys and gals,

    I’ve been reviewing a number of our fellow community member’s blogs and now, I just wanna request for ya’ll to help me back!

    I may not have gotten over to review your blog YET but if you do review mine, reply to my comment here (Or in my blog itself!) and I will head over to your site and give you my personal views and thoughts on it 😉

    I promise I will. David never breaks his promises!

    Hope I get some good responses,
    Cheers for Community Pool!

    Your Pal,
    David Long

    Liked by 4 people

      1. Hi, David. Interesting blog. I suspect a lot of people struggle with these issues, and I appreciate the mix of intellect/academics and personal experience you bring to the subject. The layout of your home page was a bit overwhelming for me. It may be helpful to organize into fewer categories or highlight 3-4 topics/blogs at a time. I was also wondering if a more grabbing “hook” for your pieces might be to start with a story – either one you make up or something you personally have experienced – to illustrate the point and then unpack the more intellectual/academic elements, where these fears come from, etc. Overall, great blog; great subject. Keep it up!

        Like

      1. Thank you JK! And as promised in my blog, I went over to yours!

        I’ve just reviewed your blog and thought that the theme and layout, plus how the ‘About Us’ tab (Clicked the “Gear”) slides down, to be really swift and cool.

        However, the “About” button beside the “Home” button should really be removed cause I clicked there first before the gear and I thought the site wasn’t exactly complete since the “About” page was not completed.

        Regardless, I kept exploring and voila! Found your About Us page and I think it’s really awesome on how you got a group of friends to work together on this site!

        Initially though, I was quite confused if it was your blog or not because nothing indicated that it was a “Group Blog” in the home page hence, I assumed it was an “Individual’s Blog” and yet, your name wasn’t that apparent.

        My opinion, I feel that it’ll be great if you can set up like some sort of widget on the side in the homepage, which tells the readers that it’s a group blog (Initially, I thought it was all “Reblogs” cause I didn’t see ‘JK’ much, amongst the posts I’ve read).

        Will be sweet if this widget actually showcases who the authors are so that we’d know who are the awesome crew working and publishing posts in that site 😉

        Hope you found my input useful as I’ve found yours.
        Cheers for constructive feedbacks!

        Your Pal,
        David Long

        Like

    1. I had a problem with Twitter at first too. What you need to do is go onto your Twitter settings, go down to “Widgets” and then “Create New.” Once you’ve created it, try to Edit the widget you just created. Look up at the web address and you’ll see a series of numbers. That’s the “Widget ID” the Twitter widget on WordPress is referring to. Copy and paste those numbers into the widget on WordPress and make sure there’s actually a number where it says “# of Tweets shown.” Let me know if that worked!

      Liked by 2 people

  28. Hello fellow bloggers. Looking for some feedback on a couple of things on my blog. First, does the layout of my sidebars make for easy navigation. And 2, is there anything I could do to make the recipe type posts easier to follow. Thanks in advance!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I just visited your blog, and you are a skilled cook! I’m impressed. I do think keeping your layout simple will allow your audience to pay attention to your great recipes and follow the directions.

      Also, maybe adding a video of how to make certain meals will be useful [at least to me haha]. I would have loved to see your sin in the kitchen using his skills.

      In addition, for your photos, try to use collages. Make sure they are all centered [if you are centering some]. I hope I made sense. Thanks for sharing your talent with us 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    3. Hi PlanetBBQ,

      Your sidebars are a little busy for my taste, but I’m a fan of minimalism. If you’re going to do a three column layout, I would not include Recent Posts, Categories, and Recent Comments on both sides.

      Instead I would look at where the display cutoff for a normal monitor is and try to get the widgets that you find most important to be on screen when the page first loads.

      Leading to your second question, because your content column is so narrow I think the recipes are a little hard to read with embedded images. One thing you might try is to tell the story of the cooking with your photos and tips etc, but then at the end of your post after the Read More you could put the recipe itself with the ingredients list and a step by step list of instructions.

      Those are my thoughts, good luck!
      -JK

      Like

    1. A pity that you’ve discovered this a little late but regardless, welcome to the community pool!

      I just saw your blog and I really love how you chose colors which conveyed a warm and fuzzy kind of feeling to go with your posts.
      The way you write and the images you chose, they are simply enchanting to me and I do hope you keep doing whatever you are doing since I really feel that you got something special going on here!

      Followed for future post 😉

      Your Pal,
      David Long

      Liked by 2 people

      1. I agree with the others. I love the simplicity of your theme and writing. It;s almost enchanting. Keep on writing. I’m def going to follow you now haha.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. I love your post haha! Definitely one that I would follow as I’m really keen to see what else you have to express 😉

      Though, just a feedback, the current layout of the site does make your blog feel small due to the amount of content and the fact that you have to click onto one of the images before you can read the post is kind of a bad choice in my opinion because you are making your readers “Work” in a way before they can see your post.

      I think it’s better if you use another theme where your post is immediately displayed so others can read them as soon as they come to your site. Otherwise, its like you are obstructing people from looking at your content.
      Those are my views anyway! If you feel that you like how things are as it is, of course, keep them the way they are 😉

      I just started blogging about 2 weeks ago so I know what it’s like to be new here and hence, if you got questions or anything, do ask! I will do my best to help you out!

      Your Pal,
      David Long

      Like

    2. The spontaneity of your posts could interest a large audience, however I think you should expand on your ideas and concepts a little more, e.g:

      “Until A Fine Balance, I did not know despair. I did not know of the many trivial tragedies in any average person’s life.”

      What is A Fine Balance? Why did you not know despair? What are the many trivial tragedies in the average life? Why do they matter? How does this effect you?

      Additionally, your About page could use some detail. What is the purpose of your blog? why are you writing?
      I recommend this guide by The Daily Post, it should give you a head start on About’ing!

      https://wordpress.com/dailypost/dp_assignment/101-about-page-2/

      Other than that, I encourage you to continue your writing, and constantly justifying your ideas, good luck!

      Like

    3. Hey I just took a look at both of your posts, and they seem like thought based short blogs which is fine and certainly serves the purpose of pouring your thoughts out.
      If you enjoy that – than that’s awesome!
      Not every blog needs a ultimate goal and a theme I think – if you like what you are doing go along with it!
      Good luck on the new blog!!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. It looks good, when I started things were kind of random, after a few posts I kind of settled into a theme and style I was happy and comfortable with and am now expanding on that. I guess it takes time, but it is time well spent. Keep it up.

        Like

    4. For the posts, I commented there but here I would like to give a suggestion for changing the theme as there is less content so far and even the theme is ain’t that user-friendly. One actually has to look for comments and moving back and forth for next or previous post.

      Rest…KEEP BLOGGING

      Liked by 1 person

    5. Lol The brain does play tricks on you sometimes. It’s kinda like looking at a glass half empty or have full. I prefer half full, but that’s hard to do when your mind is playing tricks on you. Too funny! My suggestion is to post your blogs in categories, such as “The Daily Post” (where you saw this post) versus “uncategorized.” That might help. That’s my advice. I also agree with “Your Pal, DL.” It was a lot of work to read. Good luck. I look forward to reading more from you.

      Like