Nov 10, 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.
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  • 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.
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Photo by Brian Cantoni.

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  2. Please check out my blog – follows my long distance relationship, as well as some of my more controversial thoughts and experiences. I am trying to post as often as possible, and I have a few posts lined up, I would love for some feedback on my blog as a whole, as well as the topics I am writing about. Feel free to ask questions, and I am very open to following back and reading other blogs đŸ™‚ itsbeenalongride.tumblr.com

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    1. Great blog, as a British guy who dated an American girl for two years before moving to the US I fully understand long distance! Your blog is really well written and I really liked the Open When feature in particular, it’s a lovely idea. The only thing that I would suggest improving is bulking out your “about me” page a little more.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Hey! New blogger here! A blog for all the book geeks out there:
    carenzareads.wordpress.com

    I’d love any feedback on content, writing style, layout etc. Even any books you think would be really good to review.

    Thanks in advance,
    Carenza x

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  7. I’m totally new to the technical part of designing & maintaining my own blog so I would love if you guys could give me some pointers on how often you post, my layout, or topics i select! thanks in advance!

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  8. Hi everyone! Anyone want to point me toward their author, book, artist, literary blogs? I’m looking- thanks! Also, I love finding Irish and Indian blogs to read. Good luck everyone!

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  10. Hi again! I was inspired to write a new post today based upon a recent experience. It is called “accepting life truths – people (and friendships) change.” I am looking for input as to whether this is a topic other readers would be interested in. Can I get thoughts? Thank you, blogging world!
    http://www.loveandolives.com

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  11. Hi fellow bloggers. I have been up and running for a couple of months now and am really loving what I am seeing in our little community. I have been educated in so many different areas!
    My blog is about laughter, love, life and loss, but the focus is on the laughter…Please have a look and comment if you have similar interests so we can follow each other. Thanks đŸ˜‰ http://vlbw.wordpress.com

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    1. Hi Karen!

      I enjoy your layout, but I would feed into your curiosity and suggest maybe a few more widgets. Not a clutter, per se, but maybe something to make it seem more personable. I happen to have my Instagram account linked in to show my most recent picture. I find that readers like that I’m not a snubbed nose author who only writes about her book.

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    2. I’ve been following you for a while and one of the things I really like about your blog (other than the excellent posts which I would definitely recommend to anyone else reading this) is the way that you have blogs you follow as a prominent widget rather than links to your own previous posts, it’s a nice touch.
      The theme you use has a really clean and minimalist look (the same reason I use it) and I don’t think you are lacking in widgets at all đŸ™‚

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      2. Well… I’m from New England, so I just followed you both. I’m a half glass full kind of guy so this should work well. Agree, it is a nice theme. I will also explore the ‘blogs I follow’ widget. Thanks!

        Liked by 2 people

      1. Thank you, that is what I shoot for so I’m glad to hear that’s how it comes across. I’ve just visited your blog- your About page is inviting and warm. Your writing is fantastic. I’ll be following! đŸ™‚

        Liked by 1 person

    4. The current theme works for me. I like to have things to click into on the side bar, but too many widgets also takes away from the writing. Your blog seems to focus a lot on content rather than say, images. The current theme is good!

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    1. Hi, your blog looks great, I enjoyed your short story and will have a better look later today. I am also a writer, but have mainly posted about life issues, I am hesitant about putting too much of my unpublished work on there, I guess I must let the fear of plagiarism go… Do you worry about people plagiarising your work? http://vlbw.wordpress.com

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      1. I won’t lie, I do. After heavy research on/with many other Authors, I found that releasing small bits of it at a time keeps readers intrigued. It doesn’t have to be large chunks, but enough to gain a following. I finally realized that you must nurture them to keep growing and decided to post. It has worked so far, slowly.

        Liked by 1 person

  15. I love these opportunities! I’ve received some helpful feedback and am always grateful for more. The purpose of my blog has become a way of venting and perhaps showing others they are not alone when it comes to the crazy things we as humans do. These are my personal life experiences and I hope I convey them in a simple and maybe entertaining way.
    writingoutdepression.wordpress.com

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  17. I would take any advice that I could get on getting my blog to be a much better blog and I would greatly appreciate any advice on helping my adsense account to earn some money.

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  18. Okay guys I have an art blog that I just posted my 3rd post! I really would like some advice on my writing, the over all look of the blog, and if you know how the sketch theme works with the portfolio, that would be super helpful! đŸ™‚ I will do the same for you. Spread the love guys.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Wow, your drawings are fantastic! Your “About” page is fun and bubbly. I think the layout and Sketch theme work well for an art blog. I did not find anything in the Portfolio section, but I assume that’s because you are just getting started. You are off to a great start! Best, Karen đŸ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

      2. Now for my feedback to you blog:) so I like your layout and the idea of your blog. Your about page is cute too I enjoyed it đŸ™‚ as far as improvement goes would be your sidebar. I like how you put in the blogs u follow, but i think you should tell a little more of your over all goal of your blog on your side bar so people know what you’re about right off the bat. Also i would have a blog roll so it’s easy to navigate from post to post. Keep up the awesomeness!

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    2. I think the sketches are great and the theme you’ve picked is a good fit. The artwork is beautiful and you’re obviously very skilled.

      Since your portfolio is empty at present I didn’t quite understand your question about ‘how the sketch theme works with the portfolio.’ Is that a wordpress theme question, as in how to do a portfolio layout in the sketch theme?

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks for your input! đŸ™‚ what i meant is I don’t know how to make different sections in my portfolio like sketches, graphic, etc. Do u know how to do that? I can’t figure it out đŸ˜¦

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I am not familiar with the theme you’re using (and I am also pretty new to blogging,) so take my suggestions with a dump-truck full of salt.

        The simplest way (I think), would be to do different pages for different mediums. You could have a ‘charcoal portfolio,’ an ‘oil portfolio’, etc. As a reader, I like that kind of setup because I can easily click on the types of images I’m most interested in. Also, you can limit the number of pieces on each page to under 12 or something, because remember, the more images on a page, the longer it takes to load, and people (including me) have the attention spans of mayflies.

        I don’t know if there is an easy way to group multiple portfolio’s under one ‘portfolio’ menu item. But another possibility is to make one umbrella portfolio page, which has one representative image from each medium that you want to put in your portfolio (ex. 1 charcoal, 1 acrylic, 1 oil, etc.) Then link that image (i.e. when a person clicks on it, it takes them to another page, the gallery page for that particular medium.)

        Either way you decide to do it, you first need to make those individual pages. So that’s something can start right now. What I would recommend is first putting them up as individual portfolios. Then, as you become more familiar with wordpress, your theme, and how to link things, start modifying your blog to match the vision you in your head.

        I hope this helps. I am the farthest thing from a wordpress expert, but will hand out advice and my opinion right and left. The forums are also a great place for asking those kind of specifics. In case what I said confused you, or if none of it is what you needed.

        And apologies in advance for the typos. I’ll do a read-through before hitting the post button, but never catch all of them.

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    1. One way that I have read about on here is to read and comment on other people’s blogs with whom you share similar interests. Often, those bloggers will in turn become interested in you and your blog.

      Liked by 2 people

  23. Hello all – I’ve just started my blog, tolivewithallmymight.wordpress.com, and would appreciate any writing or publicizing advice you could give. Thanks so much!

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  24. Please would you check out my blog at http://krossedward.com and provide me some feedback on the overall theme design and my latest post “How Long Will The Cravings Last?” It is supposed to be a simple, informative, and thought-provoking blog. Hopefully it is not just “boring.” đŸ™‚ Please provide all feedback directly on that latest post. Thanks! I will return the favour, thanks.

    Liked by 1 person

  25. Hi all!!

    Just recently, I wrote an article with regard to the Arts (pertaining to its unbelievably low emphasis in our society, or my society for that matter). I am only 17 but I really hope to get as much support as possible as I hope that the Arts will also have an increased emphasis.

    I am interested in wanting to hear both differing and similar views!

    I sincerely thank you for spending time reading the entry as what I am trying to convey means a lot to me.

    I thank you in advance and wish you a great day ahead! đŸ™‚

    The Arts Are Not Just Works of Frivolity

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  26. It is the 100th anniversary of World War 1 and I have recently punished a post a it my respect for them but also the dangers that come with such celebration, called “Remembrance Sunday: Respect not Heroism. I would be grateful to anyone who’ alike to give it a read, comment, share, follow etc.
    My blog is mostly about raising awareness of mental health, as well as providing advice and also recording my personal experiences. I hope you enjoy the read if you take a look x

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    1. I like the theme you have chosen, and the colors and header photos are great! I like the quotes page, too. Your About section shows off your personality. Looks like you are off to a great start- good luck! Karen đŸ™‚

      Like

  28. Alright people, everyone out there in the blogosphere, I need your help to bring my blog to the next level. I’ve posted a couple of times and I would appreciate it very much if you could give me feedback on these posts and on my blog’s formatting.

    http://untraveledground.wordpress.com/

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    2. Oooo juicy. Mother in law relationships are always on the tough side. It’s not easy to write about personal experiences but I find reading about them very rewarding – you know as a reader, that the story is true. It’s relatable. We may all be going through the same thing, but just don’t know how to articulate it. Thanks for sharing.

      Like