Dec 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. Hello everyone!! Is there anyone that would be so kind as to view my blog? Im really looking forward to feedback and advice on how i can improve!! Ill look at anyones blog who is interested in the same!! Thanks in advance!! 🙂

    Like

    1. Hello! I love your blog! It looks really great! It is well organize, simple, and easy to maneuver through. Your theme worlds perfectly by not distracting from your content. Your writing style is great, and I love your use of visual elements. Great blog! Now following! 🙂

      Like

      1. Thank you so much for taking the time to look through my site and commenting!! 🙂 WordPress is such a friendly place because of people like you thanks for being so encouraging! I have taken a look through your site and first off I love your header picture with the turtles! So cute! And I love your theme: simple but very pretty! Your writing is beautiful I hope you never stop! I’m following!!

        Liked by 1 person

  3. I’m so glad this post is here, and would really appreciate some feedback on my latest (and second) blog post, particularly on the arrangement of contents and what I can do to gain more views. It’s such an important topic to me. Thank you!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. I am new to wordpress. Have done some minor blogging in the past. I am a nursing student and have much to blog about, the reason for starting this new blog. I really would love some topic suggestions to cover…anything to do with college, nursing, life lessons…anything that would be fun to explore. I would love some feedback on my blog and will definitely provide feedback as well! Thanks to those who can help a gal out! 🙂

    http://kmpeltier.wordpress.com/

    Liked by 2 people

    2. I agree with the previous comment! Maybe add some color with some pictures if you want to keep your theme. I really liked your love forbidden post and agreed with a lot of things that you mentioned. Love it so far!! 😀

      Liked by 2 people

      1. I left a comment on the post Love Forbidden and now I am leaving one here because I connected to it in a very personal way. I liked the way how you let us know how much you care and love this person without giving us all the details but still manage to have your point come across. I do agree with the 2 previous comments on the theme I believe a little more color on the page would help! Thanks for sharing your experience with us. 🙂

        Like

      2. Thank you so much for the feedback! I will add some more pictures and colors. I agree with all these helpful comments as well. Glad you liked my love forbidden post. Its kind of my launching off point for my blog. Ill be writing other things. Follow me if your interested! Again thanks for the help! 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  5. Hi everyone,
    I’ve been posting for about a month or so now, recently made it to 200 likes and it was like an early Xmas gift!!!
    If you guys can take a look at my page it would be greatness. I mostly post my photos and from time to time a silly post on my thoughts, opinions and things that happen on my daily life. I’ll really appreciate any feedback or suggestions you guys offer me and if I can do the same for you I will!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi! I like your honesty but your photos are great, photographer or not. I honestly can’t take great photos except for one or two with some luck so I admire your post on how you’re learning as you go. Can’t wait to see more! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Don’t worry! Sometimes they just have issues with the ping backs and need to get them fixed. I have had it happen a couple different times that I did a ping back and it didn’t show up until a few days later when they got the issues taken care of. Nothing to do with you! Just technical difficulties. 🙂

      Like

    2. Your post on hot cocoa had me salivating at the end and I commented on your post on “small talk” because I absolutely loved it. While reading your writing I was thinking how awesome it would be to meet someone like you because I love people with great humor. In simpler words, I love your blog! 😀

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Oh dear, THAT mess had you salivating? Friend, you need to taste some real hot chocolate! (;
        All jokes aside, though, I really appreciate you checking my blog out and I’m returning the favor right now. Thanks!

        Liked by 1 person

  9. I struggle a bit with knowing what kind of direction I want my blog and writing to go in, so my posts tend to be a little all over the place. If anybody would take a look at my blog and maybe give me feedback about if it’s too eclectic and I should narrow it down or if it seems alright as is? I’d really appreciate that, as well as how the overall look and feel comes across. Thanks! Will check out anyone’s page as well 🙂

    nothingwassaid.wordpress.com

    Like

    1. So I read some of your articles. I like what I’m reading and I see your writing aesthetic to be your personal take on a variety of different things from coping mechanisms to friends. You like writing just as you feel and the readers can tell you’re a real writer. I do think it could be narrowed down, but I think there’s a lot of potential, especially with your About Me page. Definitely talk about your future plans or a day in the life of you. I do see that your structure is usually anecdote and message. Is that what you want to keep consistent?
      Btw, the stress mechanisms piece was pretty phenomenal with different ways from your family.

      Like

      1. Thank you! I do think I like the anecdote and message structure now that you put it that way. I like to write what I know, and reflect upon how that’s growing or changing with new experiences. I think that once I’ve started to achieve my traveling goal a little I’ll have better things to write as well. This is great feedback, thanks so much, it’ll give me something to think about!

        I really like how you describe yourself on your blog. It’s very straightforward and honest, and to the point, which is great to see in people’s writing, as it tends to be a reflection of themself. I think I will continue to poke around your blog. Thanks again! 🙂

        Like

      2. I will definitely be waiting to see more from your blog. You’ve got so many aspirations and dreams and it’s truly inspiring. From my blog, I hope to establish my views on social justice, DIYS, freedom, and my own dreams. I hope to give How To’s with education and art, so any tips for where to start in that clutter of ideas?

        Like

    2. I chuckled over the How to Survive NH Winter blog. Maybe indicate that the pics are links to each blog entry. I clicked a pic just to see what happened, but wasn’t sure where it would take me. Nice and clear writing. I’m all about that Netflix! 😃

      Like

    3. I loved your post on Dealing With Stress. I could relate to it a lot especially because I have a panic disorder so stress plays a huge role in my life. It was nice to hear how you showed how different people in your life deal with stress in their own way and often it is hard for some people to understand some of their habits. Keep up the great work! 😀

      Like

      1. Thank you! Thats very encouraging. I struggled with anxiety as a kid and usually I don’t have to live with it much anymore, but sometimes there’s nothing you can do. I guess I am still just figuring out how to not be more panicked by the coping mechanisms of others. Thanks for the feedback!

        Liked by 1 person

    4. Hello! I left a comment on your “Kid Shit” post (which I absolutely ADORED by the way)! I think the overall look and feel comes across very well. Its very unique from others I have seen, and I like that. Your writing is awesome and your stories are wonderful (I only made it through a few, but I’m eager to explore more). I think that you should just do what feels good to you as far as all of your writing genres. Personally, the Kid Shit post was one of the funniest I have ever read, so for me, I would like to see more posts with humor behind them. However, if that is not the style that you want to head towards, decide what you like best.

      Regardless of what you decide, you have a new follower in me! 🙂

      Like

      1. Thank you so much! That is so encouraging! I do like to write with humor, though sometimes life doesnt take me in the direction. If youre looking for humor you might like the post Dog Names as well. Thank you so much for your encouragement and advice! 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

    1. I don’t like the theme too much because it doesn’t showcase the thought and creativity that I see after digging deeper into the pages. I’m a sucker for deep thoughts and poems so that’s definitely good. Preach the feminism element more because it looks like a major theme for you. I love the blog so far and hope to see more.
      –motherofpeace.wordpress.com

      Like

      1. Hm, interesting you say that because I actually just changed the theme and haven’t been so sure about it myself. I think I’m just going to have to do a bit more tinkering. Thanks so much for your for your feedback!

        Like

  11. So I want to make my blog a place where I can vent, share my opinion, talk about experiences, my tastes, fashion, news, etc. How should I set it up like that? I’ve seen logos on websites, how do I do that? Also, how do I publicize my blog to become popular to my target audience.

    Like

      1. Hey there! I really liked the simplistic layout of your blog! I can’t really judge the nature of content that you want to have on your blog, since you’ve only posted one article.
        I liked your first post, but maybe you could make that your about page?
        Since it is solely based on your own personality. Just a thought.

        Happy Blogging!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Oh that’s actually a good idea. I’m looking for a unique way to do my About You page. Do you have any ideas? Or should I stick with the generic stuff? Thank you for your feedback!

        Like

      3. I’ve yet to do my own About page haha! (and that’s after keeping a blog for about a year and a half now) Doing an About Page is a struggle for most of us. But not leaving it blank is the first step. (even though mine is blank :/)

        Like

      4. Oh wow- that’s reassuring (sarcasm intended). Writing one is quite difficult. How do you condense every part of you, every part of you personality into two paragraphs? I have not attempted it on any social media because I wonder if my personality is going to grow. Is there something you do that would be the first thing you would say if someone asked you about your likes?

        Like

    1. I’m a newbie as well when it comes to blogging but from what I’ve noticed, as long as you talk about a topic you’re passionate about and write with the same passion, your blog will naturally be interesting. For feedback and readers, patience is the key and just keep on posting and people will come to your blog themselves. Hope this helps! 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    1. The post you made on hate was very well written and I found your idea on the fact that there are two types of hate interesting and quite true when you began expanding on what you meant. Nice blog so far! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  14. I am looking for as much feedback as possible for my blog. I am new to this sort of thing but have been writing for a long time. Do I stick with a certain topic or can I keep it interesting for all people? Let me know 🙂

    Like

    1. Hello! I have one quick suggestion before I answer your question. When scrolling through your blog, it is very plain. It’s good that you have been adding pictures to your post. That definitely gives them a little more appeal. After you get past the widgets you have on the write side, it feels like the screen is engulfed in blank white space. I’m a visual person, so the lack of other colorful elements makes me lose interest in a way. This is all just a matter of opinion, of course, and I’m sure there are many others that would enjoy the theme you chose. For visual people, however, I would suggest exploring other themes to see if there is one you might like better.

      In regard to you question, I say go with what you feel! You never HAVE to stick with a specific topic. Doing this will really narrow you down on the followers you get. This might be what you want, and if it is, absolutely go for it!

      If you want it to just be a general blog for any and all to enjoy, write about anything you want! Just make sure you add general tags to each of your posts so that others can find your blog easily and explore all of your other posts!

      Just remember, this is YOUR blog. Write what YOU want. Everything else will fall into place eventually.

      I hope I helped!
      Merry Christmas. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  16. I love The Community Pool!!! Great way of finding new blogs to follow and getting awesome feedback.

    I am still kind off new to the blogging world so any suggestions for my page are more than welcome and gladly appreciated. Feel free to check out my page and like, comment or share!!

    XOXO

    Like

    1. I think it goes without saying that your photos are beautiful and creative, especially Edge and Double. I love the idea of a photo blog, but I also really enjoyed reading about your experience in the ER and the comparison to Grey’s Anatomy. That was hilarious. I wish there was more posts like that, which let us know more about you as a person. But anyhow I’m really glad I discovered your blog 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you so much for your feedback and for taking the time to read my posts. I am happy you like my photos and enjoy my stories. I am glad that you like the fact that I have a mix blog, I thought people might have found it a little disorganize since I don’t only post photos or only write, but the way my blog is set up is really the way my mind works, I could be telling you how my day went while thinking about what would be a great photo and drawing really bad comics all at the same time, so I though my page should be a reflexion of who I am. Im glad someone likes it!!! And I have more stories coming, so stay around.

        Liked by 1 person

  17. Hi everyone! I have just started my new nutrition blog! If you could please check it out & give me some feedback on visuals and writing style that would be much much appreciated and I am more than happy to return the favour! Thanks, Chantelle 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The white title/tagline on such a busy header image is very difficult to read. The image is great, though.

      I’d suggest trying to change the color of the text. If you edit the image to make it lighter, a darker text color would stand out against it. If you don’t like the result, perhaps check out the Hemingway Rewritten theme.

      Like

  18. Hello!

    I started blogging about three months ago, and have sort of just been feeling my way along and learning as I go. My focus is on birding and bird/nature photography; I enjoy sharing not just the photographs, but a little bit of information about the sites I visit and the birds whose images I capture. I’d appreciate any feedback on my latest post, or the overall site itself.

    Revisiting Steigerwald Lake NWR

    Thanks in advance!
    Cat

    Like

    2. Hi Cat,
      I don’t know much about birding but I had a look at your blog nevertheless – I really like the pictures of birds in the morning in your latest post, the colors are really warm and soft. Have you considered changing the background color in your theme? I do like the color but I think it tends to clash with many shades of green and blue, and I suppose that these will feature quite often in your images when you are photographing birds. I also read your about page and it is a good introduction but I would find it easier to relate to you if you used the first person. I am not a native speaker though. I was also wondering if you could spice up your species count a little bit for 2015 – the one for 2014 is mainly of interest to your birding fellows. If you want to have readers beyond that community (I am sure you can!), you could maybe use that page also as an index to your posts. You know, like you include a small thumbnail image with each species and a short sentence why that sighting was amazing and a link to the post. I am thinking about something like Great Horned Owl – had to wait three hours in the cold to see it or Mourning Dove – has the most beautiful green wings or Bird XY – only so few of them still live in some place.
      Happy blogging and I hope you have a couple of joyful days ahead of you in the holiday season.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Hi Perelin! Thanks so much for the feedback, I appreciate it. I’ll have to toy with the background color, I like it but as you said it has the potential to clash with images. You make a good case about the intro being in third person as well. I do plan to update the 2015 list with links to captioned images of the birds; I don’t know if I want to clutter it too much with thumbnails plus short blurbs, as that could get long when you are talking about over 100 in a single page. (Birders are ever so fond of list-keeping…) Thank you again for the feedback, and happy holidays!

        Like

    3. Your blog looks really good! I’m not much of a birder myself, but I go out with my boyfriend (who is a HUGE birder) on occasion. Your pictures are spectacular! I don’t mind the current color terribly. But if I were you, I would lighten it up a bit. It will make everything else stand out much more! 🙂 Now following!

      Liked by 1 person

  19. Really appreciated this! thank you.
    I’ve recently realized that the thoughts in my mind aren’t meant for just me to hear, and that blogging is a good way to share them.

    Like

  20. I blog on political and social issues. I know its a boring subject for many, but folks still do it. I started my blog on WordPress over a month ago and have blogged on many issues. I haven’t received any “comment” or a single “like” from the blogging community on any of my posts. What am I doing wrong?

    Liked by 2 people

    1. In line with The Daily Post suggestions, it’s important to give what you want to get. Follow other blogs and post comments. Also, understand that there are millions of people blogging. It takes time to be seen. When we think of all the movies, TV shows, and books that are available, how many of them can we get to?

      The best thing is to look for your target audience and focus on them. We often see the success of celebrities, but rarely witness their years of struggle. Even blogs with award-winning content can take years to be discovered. Last, there is no such thing as a boring topic. You have the power to make your subject fascinating. There are blogs about dryer lint, so don’t underestimate your ability to find an audience!

      Liked by 1 person

    2. I’ve had similar comcerns over the years. Still, two years later I wonder. Especially when you devote considerable amount of time to make your post engaging. If you arent getting likes or follows, it doesnt mean that people arent enjoying it. Joye is right, find your focus, keep it tight in the subject and enjoy writing for yourself. In time, people will see the joy you place into your words. My tip is understanding how TAGS work. With the correct tags, people will be able to find you, including search engines.

      Liked by 1 person

  22. Hello everyone. If I may be a bother can I have some of you take a look at a couple posts please? I have been working on getting some good images into my posts (they were pretty much barren of them before), cleaning up text and formatting as well. I would like any feedback good or bad you may have. I would prefer if you commented in the posts themselves or together in my Appreciation section (linked in the sidebar, very top)

    Resolution Report:

    2014 Resolution Report

    First Post 2.0

    First post 2.0

    I appreciate the feedback and i’ll be taking a look at a couple of yours as well.

    Liked by 1 person

  24. Not my first time around this post, but would love some feedback on my blog, especially starting this at a fairly young age!

    Also, would LOVE some tips on overcoming blogger’s block. Thanks!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I took a look at your blog and read part of “The Best Gift I’ve Ever Received” and take it how you will since I am very much a beginner myself but It was impressive to me. Nice long, descriptive text, plenty of photos with credits even. You also seem to be writing how you feel, if that makes any sense at all.

      For the negatives I feel that your sites appearance, the theme, layout etc could use some work. Your twitter feed is half cut off cause it can’t fit in the side bar, I would probably get rid of the meta links which will take people to YOUR dashboard which can be a security risk and in general just filling things out.

      Overall I think your doing well so far, keep it up if you need anything else just ask.

      As far as the bloggers block, there was an article posted on this site for that:
      https://wordpress.com/dailypost/2014/06/14/perennial-favorites-4-5-steps-to-busting-bloggers-block/

      I hope that helps,

      Like

  26. As a new member of WordPress, it would be greately appreciated if some of you took the time to review my blog (more specifically, my first blog post). I’d love it if you could give me some tips that will helpfully send me on the road to success (or at least a more attractive blog).

    Merry Christmas, everyone!

    Like

    1. Hi and welcome to WordPress!
      There is a sort of course for new bloggers organized by the Daily Post, called Blogging101, which starts again in January and is a great way to learn everything about how to make your blog beautiful and how to create a sort of brand for yourself. It’s really great for building a community too. I would suggest that you join this class and in the end you will probably know if blogging is the right thing for you or not. I did the class in September and it really boosted my blog a lot.

      Like

  27. Just a wee note!! First time blogging and struggling somewhat with the format but, feel good when it comes time to write. It’s sort of like being around the house and ya have a simple job to do that is very satisfying but, ya can’t find the right tool, it’s been misplaced, and ya thought it was there, but, the simple job turns into a frustrating job, trying to find the darned ‘tool’ lol….. and it makes for a longer job than it should have been….and it’s a strain on the satisfaction!!

    Liked by 1 person

  28. Hello everyone. What I would love to draw the attention of bloggers to is, using the “read more” tag. It’s tiring when I want to scroll to the bottom of a blog and I have to scroll through so many posts. I think it ‘s best to keep the front page compact and have a link for older posts. You can check out my blog here- lovlies.wordpress.com.

    Thank you, suggestions are welcome.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. If I can throw in my 2cents. I have a little bit of web design and not only is that daunting to read but aesthetically it’s not very attactive. It may end up driving visitors away. I’ve found people much prefer posts kinda neat and organized as it makes the site that much easier to navigate for a first time viewer. Just my opinion and my 2cents,

      Liked by 1 person

  29. Hey everyone,

    I don’t have any questions yet about my blog, but I was wondering if anyone knew what happened if we reply to other bloggers in Community Pool on the same subjects or topics. I’m relatively new so maybe someone can refer me to a page on WP before I possibly get kicked out (I don’t want that). This is what I got.

    1. Nice warning of posting something very similar. I provide the steps to do stuff to new bloggers or suggest similar stuff that are my opinions.
    2. Another nice warning of posting something very similar.
    3. I’m waiting for approval.

    I just read the Commenting Guidelines and it seems like I’ve broken a couple – (1) One-word comments like “Cool!” or “Thanks!” ; (5) Really long comments. Let’s just say that if you need to take more than three breaths to read your comment, it’s probably too long. Why not blog about it on your own site?

    Yeah, I’m going to slow down for now. If anyone can help, please do.

    Many thanks,

    Leanne

    Like

    1. Hi Leanne,

      Since this is a forum where bloggers can exchange information and opinion, I don’t think there’s a problem with leaving another poster a substantive comment — they’re here for the feedback, after all.

      The one-word rule is more for initial posts, where it’s not a good idea to just drop a link and/or say something like “read!” or “thanks!” That said, if you develop some kind of dialog here with another blogger, that’s fine if you’re replying to his/her point. As long as it’s on topic, and not just a personal conversation between two people in a public space, I don’t see an issue with it.

      The commenting guidelines are there to foster a civil, friendly environment throughout The Daily Post. While the spirit of these rules applies here at the Community Pool as well, a little more latitude here feels right. And, I have to say, I’m constantly impressed by how few people ever abuse this space — it’s common for us to receive hundreds upon hundreds of comments every week, with rarely more than a handful that we need to delete or otherwise warn the poster about.

      Thanks for your participation,

      Ben

      Like

      1. Hi Ben,

        (Big fan). Thank you for the reply. I understand that Community Pool is for the exchange of feedback. However, in my post, I was receiving these messages above my reply boxes (to other bloggers) that said something like, “It seems like you already said that.” Will that be an issue in the future? I want to help as many people as I could with my limited knowledge. The way I see it is, the more they know, the more they can do with their sites. If someone knew more than me, I would want someone to teach me to make my blog better. So will my repeats be a problem in the future?

        Thank you for your time.

        Leanne

        Like

    1. I really liked your article. I believe in looking after oneself is a part of you loving your self as a person. It was well writtien and spoken but I think maybe just put a little differemntly. That’s just my personal oppinion though. Maybe add some visuals for an effect as well. Good luck.

      Like