Dec 1, 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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    1. Just saw your blog. Interesting ideas. Would be great if you had an About page filled in, it helps to relate to who you are and what you want to write about.

      Like

  3. Hey everyone! I just started up a photography blog (again): jrhophoto.wordpress.com Any feedback would be great! A question I have though, is if you guys think it would be okay to make ‘non-photography’ posts despite the title. Non-photo posts as in just regular blog posts regarding my life or such. Thanks!

    Like

      1. I was a little disappointed in your site. There appears to be a front page, which is nice, and nothing else.

        Your page saying you have videos on YouTube would have been better if you’d embedded some of your videos as posts.

        As to doing non-photography posts – it depends on what your plan is for the blog. Is it to highlight your photography, or to write about your life as a photographer, or just to write about life?

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Hey Nancy, thanks for the input! I like the idea of embedding; and I guess I kind of just dove into this without a clear idea in mind. Thank you for the words!

        Like

    1. Nice layout, but you may want to break it up a little by using the tag so people have to click to read more. Hint: it also increases your hits as people can’t read an entire post from the home page.

      Also, consider using some sidebars to break up the wall of text and make good use of the space.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi Sare,
      Love the design! Unified, easy-to-read, and inviting. And now I know what #blogmas is! 😉 Best wishes for the blogging — I’m sure you’ll be rabbity…er, FABBITY! (can you tell how much fun I had prowling around??)
      alice

      Liked by 1 person

    3. I love your blog, thanks for sharing it! Your writing style if loads of fun, and your blog has a brilliant cohesive design, along with being super organised and easy to navigate. Keep up the fantastic work, and good luck with #blogmas 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    4. I like your post how blogging ruined your life and can relate to everything you have wrote. Particularly on being embarrassed. Lately I’ve been asking myself why I do this and why I put anything out there. Especially when I get no feedback on stuff I post. Also being a teacher I have to be careful what I put out there which makes it difficult to write as free as I would like. Nice blog. I like your design.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Hello everyone, I started a fashion blog yesterday, and was hoping to get some feedback on my first post? I plan to post twice a week. And for those that comment i’m more than happy to take a look at your blogs if you’d like! Thanks in advance!
    Amelia x

    Like

  12. I just started a new weekly feature on my blog: Multimedia Monday. It will be a place for books, films, videos, or whatever has captured my attention.

    The post is here: http://wp.me/p24idL-2Fm

    Thank you in advance for any observations/suggestions that you may have.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I love the design, it’s very inviting but I wonder if you can use a theme with one of those collapsable menu options? If you intend to post a lot of videos, that might look better and make better use of the space. It’ll also look better on tablets.

      Just a thought anyway 🙂

      Like

      1. Thank you for your suggestions. I am not exactly sure what you mean by the collapsible menu option. Do you have a particular site/theme in mind?

        I have given some thought to the idea of a doing a weekly post and then adding it to a Multimedia Monday page where I would list the posts of the previous weeks. If the idea is popular i could archive them into years.

        Thanks for helping me get a grip on this idea.

        Like

      2. By a collapsible menu I mean one where there is a button for the menu. When you press it, the menu appears as a pop up from the side or from the top. Press it again and it collapses Examples are Hexa, Quadra and Tonal.

        Good luck!

        Like

      3. Thank you for for the examples of collapsing menus. I remember looking at Hexa before I purchased the Gridiculous Pro theme that I am using now.

        Our conversation has jogged my memory on one point in particular. I went back and edited my post by adding the “Read more” feature after the first sentence. I forgot to do that when I wrote the original post and I think that it clears up the look of the Homepage, especially with the number of inserted videos.

        Like

    1. You have some interesting content. The blog is nice and clean, the only thing I might suggest it to maybe add pictures to demonstrate your statements. Some people are very visual when it comes to reading blogs and for whatever reason are deterred by a lack of visual stimuli. This is something I learned early on in my blogging and since I have started adding images or gifs in I have had a great response readership wise 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    2. I like what you have to write about. Maybe the first two got more action because they could look up what you were talking about but the other two were more personal experiences. I like them all though.

      Like

  19. Hi guys!! I’m a complete newbie in blogging and I would love some feedback. Several weeks ago I created a blog on my own personal life/opinions because I’m very opinionated. Here’s the link!
    https://fayesgazette.wordpress.com/

    I would however prefer you to check out my second blog that I started several days ago which is an advice column and basically a place meant for inspiration on life, boost your self esteem, and etc.
    https://fairydustluv.wordpress.com/

    It would mean a lot if you checked out either and I’ll try to check out as many blogs as I can. Thanks a lot!!!

    Like

    1. Hi! I’m new to the blogging world as well so I don’t know how much input I can offer you but I like your use of images. I think their very effective. I also think your content is very relatable. The only suggestion I would have is to have a “Like” button so other bloggers can show their support. ( you may have one but I didn’t see it). Great job!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you so much! I really appreciate it and this may sound like a really stupid question which I bet it is, but how do you include a “like” button. My face is red from awkwardness right now lol.

        Like

      2. No need to go red, I struggled to figure out wordpress too at one point. If you go to “customize” you can press on the “widget” section which will allow you to add different features 🙂 I think that’s right. haha lol

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Hi! Sorry again but I tried widgets and didn’t seem to find any for a like button. I tried searching on wordpress help but there wasn’t much. Do you remember by any chance what you used? Sorry again for bothering you!

        Like

      4. When I went to comment on your blog it offered the option to like I think your layout may just work differently than mine 🙂 It’s there though. I liked one of your pages – did that show up?

        Like

    1. I and I bet many others are thankful your blog. I’m also a feminist and its great how you address these issues and their solutions. I once did this huge year long project on child sexual abuse and its great how you simplified the information knowing how much information there is. The only thing I would suggest is maybe work on the design of the website. I know its on law and its meant to be resourceful but adding a bit color creates a huge difference without even anyone realizing. Also, maybe you could add examples of previous cases under these issues or even general experiences people had with them. These are just ideas but all in all, great blog!

      Like

      1. Those are some great suggestions. I am currently trying to come up with my own visuals as I want to avoid any legal implications of using someone else’s pictures/ pictures off the web. I hadn’t considered using prior cases – that’s a great help! Thank you!

        Liked by 1 person

    1. I loved your post. I completely agree with it and I’m learning about how to tell my past to shove it right now so it was really helpful for me. Keep up the great work! 🙂

      Like

  22. Hi guys, I have recently updated my header (there is actually something there now hahaha) and would love any feedback you may have.
    Any other feedback you have would be greatly appreciated also 🙂
    Thanks, DTB.

    Liked by 2 people

  23. Hey everyone! I’m very new to the blogging world, but my mom encouraged me to make my own blog so that way I can put my photography out there! I’m also super excited to connect with more people who have the same interests as me. I’m not much of a writer but I do enjoy writing out my thoughts and feelings. It’s just going to be something I’ll have to get used to! I’d appreciate it if you could take a peek at what I’ve posted so far! My blog is pretty boring in design right now, since I am still trying to figure it out…Its not much but I’m getting there! 🙂
    http://emilyupcraftphotography.com/
    Thank you all so very much!
    – Emily

    Liked by 2 people

    2. Hi Emily, I checked out your blog. It’s definitely visually appealing. I’m sure its just going to get better and ether as you add more terrific photographs and stories too. I visited California last month. Such an beuatiful coastline! All the best.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. I really like your blog, the language is really good and the layout is simple yet effective. If you wanted any suggestions, maybe change the shade of the background just because it gives the impression of something unfinished. I’m not sure if that was intentional but there’s my input.

      Liked by 1 person

  26. Hi everyone,
    I am new to Community Pool. I have 3 blogs that I am currently writing for and each has a unique style and content type (industry related). I would love to get some feedback on all three. All of the blogs except one (Proveil Camo) are new blogs for new businesses and we are currently in the awareness campaign planning process for both, we just decided that we might as well have a nice base of articles for users who are just signing on.
    The first blog is for my startup Expo Solutions Mexico (ESM) http://www.ExpoSolutionsMexico.wordpress.com
    The second is for a specialty company where I work as a social media specialist http://www.BOSSProNet.wordpress.com
    And the third is for one of my clients I have with my social media management company http://www.ProveilCamoBlog.wordpress.com

    Thanks and I appreciate any feedback!

    Liked by 1 person

  27. Hi i’ve only just started posting so it would be great if somebody could give me some feedback on either the writing or the layout or just general thoughts? I am able to take constructive criticism, thanks! 🙂 My site will be orientated on any news stories or new films/albums where I will give a teenager’s perspective on it.

    Like

  28. Hello, I am an occasional blogger, by that I mean I do not post things every day. It takes me a while to get get things just as I like them My posts are usually longer stories. here is my favorite (today anyway). I’d appreciate any feed back.

    As We Set Sail

    Like

    1. Hello, I had a look at your blog, the overall design works really well, and I definitely get a sense of your aesthetic . Also your posts are eye catching which is great! Maybe try posting some of your own outfits? It’s a great way to give your followers more of a sense to who you are! Another tip is adding social media widgets. Instagram is a great way to get your blog noticed because it all based on visuals! I’ve also recently started a fashion blog, i’d love it if you could give me some feedback too! 🙂 https://ameliajacobson.wordpress.com/
      Amelia x

      Liked by 1 person