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).

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Photo by Brian Cantoni.

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  2. I am very new to blogging I have two blogs up right now but I needed some advice on how to get more readers onto my blog especially my new one seemebifocal.wordpress.com please tell me what you think or any suggestions!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Okie dokie, so what I gathered from your page is that it’s a blog about anyting you want correct? This is what I do as well and from my own experiences I can be a little more difficult to attract viewers. Maybe people like having Fashion posts on Fashion sites, Tech news on Tech sites etc so it’s almost like some people get confused at a site with all of the above.

      Sorry for that little ramble. What I would suggest is aside from working to become the best blogger of 2015 (aren’t we all?) is to also become a Social Media rockstar. Promote yourself on social media when you can.

      + Post a blog? Tweet it, Facebook it etc.
      + Does your blog have lots of pictures you take? Post them on Instagram
      + Do you mabe do craft things, or want to share something you saw online? Pintrest

      Regardless of what route you take in social media there are two things to consider.

      1. Cross posting – Mention your Twitter on your Instagram while posting a pic from your latest post. Basically whatever media site, always let people know where else you are.

      2. Promote yourself but be careful not to spam your link in peoples feed every few seconds/min.

      Sorry for the rediculously long reply but there are many things I could suggest. Feel free to get a hold of me if you need to and good luck.

      Like

    2. Your blog is pretty interesting and has a wide scope. I think the theme works quite well and I like what you have so far. The third page did have a lot of text, so I would suggest maybe breaking it up so it’s easier for the reader to digest. I love what you wrote for the Buying on A Budget page, like I think you could even make it an infographic and market it as your top 6 ideas for living with a budget. Overall, I can’t wait to see more.

      Liked by 1 person

    3. Checked out your blog. Now following! As far as advice goes, JustSomeDood pretty much covered it. The one thing I would add would be to make sure you include really good, general tags so that people can find your posts easily.

      Like

    1. A very lovely article dedicated to mothers. It was wonderfully written and heartfelt. I like the fact that you used two different religious resources to add to your article. I think your doing just fine.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi, I read part of your article. There was no reason that I didn’t read it all except that it’s not a subject I can relate to well. You do seem to know what you are talking about and express it plainly for others to understand though. And you used a picture. Good job.

      Like

      1. I replied and I meant it, I really want to hear your thoughts! I do need to know how to improve,no? 😉 Thanks again!

        Like

    2. Page 6 and 7 and 8! Especially if the writing’s worth it. And yours definitely is. Which reminds me – I saw a comment under your post about not starting sentences with ‘and’. That’s a bit of a dinosaur and a throwback to school. English is a living language. It’s yours to do with as you will. As long as you communicate clearly. Which you do.

      I saw a great quote from Mark Twain, about writers and sentences: “At times he may indulge himself with a long one, but he will make sure there are no folds in it, no vaguenesses, no parenthetical interruptions of its view as a whole; when he has done with it, it won’t be a sea-serpent with half of its arches under the water; it will be a torch-light procession.”

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thanks for your lovely feedback! I really do not consider myself a writer at all (have never put pen to paper before) and I’m so overwhelmed by the positive comments! Thank you!

        Like

      2. You’re a writer if other human beings understand you through the words you’ve placed before them. Songbirds don’t wonder if they are ‘good enough’ singers. Wolves don’t hesitate in self doubt before they howl.

        You’re obviously communicating clearly – judging by the comments under your post. The rest is craft and practice. Good luck with your writing and with your blog.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Yup that comment was from me, I was taught that as recently as my college years (which I admit wasn’t exactly recent) and that’s what I based it on. I’m glad someone could come by and correct me so we all learn.

        Like

    3. Very well said and evokes emotion in me. It moved me since I have gone through a simillar thing with a stranger when I was 12. I could hear you wanting to screem in rage and wanting to be heard by anyone but preferably your mother. Take care keep up with your wonderful writting. God Bless.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Finally there’s a place where I can put my thoughts and wait for feedback!
    I wonder why nobody comments on my posts. I write poems as well as publish paintings and there are occasional like (not immense in number but at least there are).
    People follow the blog and I guess that’s the whole way of showing appreciation towards what I post.
    But I wonder if people won’t share their views regarding what they feel about my posts I shall not be able to know what I instil (if there is anything that I instil) and improve myself.
    You can take a look at few posts here
    https://www.dharmendr3.wordpress.com
    I wonder if this thread remains un-commented too (This is just a view. Don’t comment out of sympathy, please).

    Like

    1. Hello dharmendr. One of the rules I follow is to always write for my personal growth, for the joy of placing my thoughts to words. Receving an audience, followers and likes, is a bonus. I want people to see that I enjoy sharing my work, interest and teaching someone something new in an engaging way. Best to you and your new venture.

      Like

      1. I like what you say about making people realise that we enjoy sharing our work.
        I guess what you say is correct. But then how are we to improve ourselves when we don’t know what kind of mark our posts leave.

        Like

    2. You may want to contact someone at wordpress.com because unless you did something to the site, something may be wrong. It gave me several untrusted errors in Firefox.

      As far as the topic you asked about the only way I have personally found to really encourage users to comment would be the “Call to Action”. Esentially what it is, is a way to ask your viewers to comment without asking them to comment.

      Let’s say you write a blog post about something you saw while walking down the street and how it inspired you. At the end of the post pose a question.

      “Have you ever been inspired but the mundane? Share your story with me in the comment secion”

      or something similar, for example.

      Also remember that when/if you do get comments just just sit and smile that you got comments but also engage with them. Your site is your community, so hang out with your community,

      Like

      2. 1. Your welcome, the call to action is something I learned when I first attempted blogging years ago.

        2. I got errors in my browser a few times, personally I would at least contact support and let them know. Even if it turns out to be nothing.

        3. I just wanted to toss that in. I don’t want to assume you did or didn’t so it was just a friendly reminder.

        Take Care

        Liked by 1 person

  11. Hmm i guess i’d like to find out if my writing is relatable and at all compelling, or if it just reads as nonsensical rambling, so convoluted that reading it to conclusion is not worth the effort……I’d appreciate honesty in this regard, however harsh, so that I can reassess if necessary.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. First off forgive me, I have trouble really explaining myself sometimes. I am more of a ‘muscle memory’ person, I can show you but I can’t tell you (trust that it makes sense to me at least ha!) but I’ll do my best.

      I looked at “On las Vegas…”, I did not read all of it just yet only up to where I felt I had a firm enough grasp in order to reply here (I did however follow you for future reading). So let’s get my awekward comments out of the way.

      Relatable: You seem to be writing based on your own personal experience and of course there is only one you but many things are experiences, thoughts, emotions that we all share as people. Even if I have never specifically been to Las Vegas and smelled cocaine through an air conditioner vent doesn’t mean I couldn’t relate to the type of experiences you are writing about.

      Engaging: I thought it was yes, this is more of personal opinion as i’ve always enjoyed reading and learing other people’s points of view on various topics and experiences so maybe take that with a small grain of salt.

      Nonsensical Rambling, Convoluted: Again personal opinion but I didn’t really feel any of these were true. You even stated at the beginning that it was a bit ranty so I as the reader continued on with that expectation and even though there are times I could see someone scratching their heads I didn’t see anything that would make people shy away…except maybe one thing.

      Either you have an extremely good vocabulary or you have a thesaurus on your desk. The liberal use of very large words I guess could turn some people off being too “hi brow” but then if that’s you then I don’t see why you should change who you are. Perhaps then it’s a matter of not just getting an audience but getting the audience that is right for you instead.

      If you need any clarification don’t hesitate to ask and I will try to be clearer.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you for all that, although seeing how you did not finish it
        I wonder how much merit your comment about engagement holds. I’m curious though for an example(s) of words you consider “hi-brow” or “large”?

        Like

      2. I can understand your doubts on it’s merit, it would give me a red flag as well if I received a similar comment (I should have considered that before hand but failed to, which is my fault). So here is the mindset I had so maybe you understand where I was coming from

        I went to your post with the full intention of not finishing it but to read enough to where I felt I had enough of a feel for your style to be able to form an opinion and in the process I ended up following you so that I can finish it at my leisure because by then I was engaged enough to want to finish it but was unable to. Not from anything on your end but because of my sister being in pain from dental surgery.

        The words I was referring to are for example:
        existential, disparagingly, assuaging etc.
        That comment was made more on behalf of the ‘average reader’ who may come across your blog for one reason or another considering how “dumbed down” a lot of things are now (I am guilty myself which is one reason I even started blogging)

        Liked by 1 person

      7. Sorry, I write this with my head down in shame. I just noticed the multiple errors and typos in my comments and responses. I assure you I am not as big of a bludering fool as my comments perhaps made me out to be HA! I hope that through the muck you at least understood what I was getting at. Now it seems I should put proof reading on my list of things to do more carefully in the future

        Like

    2. Hi – it’s certainly easy to relate to, but the long, long paragraphs are a bit hard to digest. I’m reading on a laptop, I think the words would churn on a phone.

      I’m going to put my newly discovered Mark Twain quote here too! He’s talking about writers and sentences: “At times he may indulge himself with a long one, but he will make sure there are no folds in it, no vaguenesses, no parenthetical interruptions of its view as a whole; when he has done with it, it won’t be a sea-serpent with half of its arches under the water; it will be a torch-light procession.”

      I love the idea of a sentence as a torch-light procession.

      Liked by 1 person

      2. You’re being a bit hard on yourself! I didn’t read it as hubris or laziness. I think it’s sometimes easy to get lost inside a paragraph. Because you created it, it’s clear to you where it’s going and when it’s going to end. I think some more breadcrumbs would lead readers along the path so that they’d be happy to follow you.

        By the way – have you ever read Saramago? (I’d recommend Death at Intervals) He doesn’t paragraph at all. He doesn’t demarcate dialogue. He won the Nobel prize for literature.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. I have not. Ironically i like well measured unencumered structure for my own reading, and, embarassingly, find the Faulkners, Joyces and Prousts more tedius than not…But i’ll be looking into Saravago furst thing tomorrow, i have a weakness for the Nobels. If you haven’t yet read Coetzee, i’d recommend it for you, i think his prose embodies well your torch light processions. He is maybe my all time favorite too.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi, I took a look at your blog which features some lovely information to help someone recover from deep sadness. When I take the link to your page I find all the background words distracting and have a hard time focusing on what your actually saying. I was trying to figure out what parts were background and what parts were the part to actually read were. The page with the article it self is just fine though.

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Coffee and Cats

    Hi I started my blog just this month but I’m finding no one visits it. it’s ment to be a bit humerous. I like posting pictures when i have one that relates to that particualr blog enter but the pictures always seem to turn out small and I’m not sure why or how to change that. I realize I need to proof read and use the spell checker more but I would like to know how to make picture bigger and pop out at people and if I’m actually slightly funny. If you have other suggestions that would be good as well.

    https://rosiepeter33.wordpress.com/wp-admin/customize.php

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hey Rosie, i clicked at the link you gave, first time seeing the link i got a bit confused cause it says “wp-admin/customize” which will lead me to your admin dashboard, but then the page says “cheatin uh?” XD so i like the way you share the story about the dog cause i like dogs. But here’s some tips, spice it up a bit! 😀 you may think “ohh you don’t do it yourself” yea i know, i’m a beginner, sorry before~

      Liked by 1 person

      3. the ones on my site. I see a lot of posts with big pictures throughout the post and when I add mine they come out so small at the end of my post or have more than one. Why do they shrink?

        Like

      5. hmm.. i’ve never posted a photo in my post actually, but i tried few mins ago, and i guess, when you’ve inserted media (in this case a photo) then you can drag the sides of the photo (recommended : use shift+drag the corner of the photo to keep the scale) or you can click on the photo and click “edit” then insert the size you want there using number. Hope this helps

        Like

      6. hmmm, I don’t get those options. I click on the media thing and it lets me choose a picture or upload one to use. Then once it’s checkmarked I press save and it then goes on my post. I don’t know what numbers you are talking about, cause I’ve never seen anything like that.

        Like

      8. thank you that helps. I was just playing around with it and didn’t know you could do those things. I think my blog looks much better now other than I got a shaky hand for pictures. Thanks for all your help 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

    2. I have found that I am having the same problem with directing traffic to my site. I checked your out, and here are y thoughts: I like the layout– it’s easy to navigate and the theme goes well with your content. You are right– watch the grammar and spelling. It’s not horrible, but there are a few small spelling errors, but nothing that is horribly bad. They mostly look like typos. And about the funny part– I am not sure I get funny so much as conversational. It’s light-hearted and friendly, like you are writing to a friend and talking conversationally, but I don’t really see it is “funny” or “comedic” really. but I like the conversational tone. As for image size, the small images don’t bother me. Since you aren’t really a photography site, I think the image sizes are OK. If you want bigger images, you need to make sure they are bigger before importing them to the site. All in all, I like your page! I love letter writing and I really wish I had more time to do it. I miss it!

      Like

  16. Hello everyone out there. In answer to the first question in Community Pool today, yes. In answer to the second question, again, yes. Yes, I would love to hear from anyone able to cast their eye over my blog with a critical view. My story in short: I started my blog as a requirement for a short course that I was doing in October. My earlier posts, therefore, relate to the course. However, as the course wound up, I found myself bitten by the blogging bug! I started thinking of how to begin afresh maintaining the same blog. So I began with a post on 13 December about evolving from the earlier course related posts. I’ve published three posts since then with several more scheduled over the next few weeks (and thinking of more). I am enjoying this thing called blogging but am still finding my feet in terms of an identity and in blog site functionality. It would also be nice to know that the blog is being seen. So, if anyone can venture any comments, critical or otherwise, about my blog, I would be most grateful. Happy blogging.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I will be 100% honest, I hit like simply because of your enthusiastic “god yes” made me chuckle. I do also wish people would not only like but comment as well. They like it, great, what did they like so I can maybe do more of it. As far as your blog I bookmarked it and will read an article or so and try to give some feedback after I get up in the morning.

      Liked by 2 people

  20. Hi All,
    I am an budding amateur photographer and a blogger too and I seek some feedback on my blog. My blog is centered mostly around the make shift, cheaper ways to get different photo effects.
    Find it @ https://senkaustav.wordpress.com
    Please feel free to comment on the posts and do like them if you please.
    I will post feedbacks too! Thanks in advance! 🙂
    Merry Christmas to all!!

    Like

    1. Thanks for the appreciation and I am happy that you liked the photos! 🙂
      I checked your blog. Congrats and good luck with the novel you are writing. One thing that I noticed, you are either new to blogging, newer than me, I mean, or you havent got around to organizing the blog yet. I would suggest is, please divide your work in different pages properly. Your Home page and Blog page have repeat posts. And also, John’s story and Oats, were not going together very nicely. You have a good start, and I wish you all the success. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  22. Yes! I think that some of my work is boring. I’m a guy that has had a lot of adventure in my life, and I’d like to write discretely about similar circumstances by creating short stories about realistic fiction. It’d be great to get someone’s feedback about this sort of thing.

    Liked by 1 person

    3. I really like how your blog is laid out– and the perspective of power from the backseat is great. Sometimes I feel like a chauffeur for my kids– them in the back seat (turn on the radio! Make it louder! Turn it down! I am hot! I’m cold!)
      The layout was easy to navigate too.
      I am new to blogging though I’ve been writing and sharing my blabbering for years. I’d love some feedback if you get a chance!

      Like

  28. I just put a post up the other day about my new years resolutions for next year. One of the things I wonder is what the best days are to post, because I want to post more frequently than i have this year.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Very interesting article! I hadn’t heard the term “nutritional immunity” before. It’s also so important to educate people about how to effectively use antibiotics. The things that I noticed were that you may want to include a question mark rather than a period after the first sentence in the second to last paragraph. Also, in the very last sentence, you may want to say applied to hard situations, rather than in hard situations, and make diseases plural. But, those are just my thoughts! I’m new to WordPress, and I just created my blog, occupancyandoutcry.wordpress.com so feel free to take a look at the posts and give any pointers! The blog focuses mainly on issues of race, culture, and feminism, and will also have posts about natural hair and music reviews. Currently I’ve got two posts, so there’s not too much to root through.

      Like

      1. Wow. A long thorough reply. Thanks so much for the feedback. Glad you enjoyed the article and thanks for the grammar check. I thought I’d caught all of those pesky subtle questions. I’ve made the changes you suggested. Good calls all of them😀 Happy holidays!

        Like

  30. Hello! I just started my WordPress blog yesterday, and am looking for any pointers and tips on my blog/first and only post so far, more specifically the post. My blog will focus on issues of race, culture, oppression, and the occasional natural hair post. I thought I’d introduce myself and see if I could get any pointers on this post to keep in mind for the next post! I’ve done a bit of editing already, and I know there’s always room for improvement! I’ll probably be messing around with my layout in the next few days and all of that as well. Here’s the link to my post: http://occupancyandoutcry.wordpress.com/2014/12/23/on-culture-race-and-conversations/

    Like

    1. I personally think the stark theme goes well with the message you’re trying to portray-one that should be taught to the world. A message of equality and respect. The article was well-written and as a reader, I can see the passion you feel about race and your fight against racism in any form. I feel you as a woman that feels discriminated at times to, and to me the post was empowering, knowing you want to stand up for what’s right. I can’t wait to see more.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you for you kind words! I can tell that you are passionate about these subjects as well, I can only hope to make people feel empowered, and I am so glad that you thought that the post was empowering. Will be putting up more soon!

        Liked by 1 person