Feb 9, 2015 / 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. Hi to everyone! I have been writing for a while in Italian, and I just post the first English post I have ever written…I would really welcome your comments about the post in general, but in particular about whether it is “clear” and free from major language mistakes. I have a standard layout, but any comment on this would be an additional “thank you”…

    https://avvocatolo.wordpress.com/2015/02/05/life-is-a-journey-not-a-destination-ralph-waldo-emerson/

    Like

    1. Hi – your writing has a real energy, but some of the English doesn’t make sense. Things like: “(but the esquimeses, yes, you are fucky right)”

      Find a native speaker to read it over and tell you, paragraph by paragraph, what they think it’s about. Then you’ll know if it’s saying what you want it to say.

      Good luck with your blog. And good luck with your English adventure.

      Best wishes
      Elaine

      Like

    1. True words. Its just a day to remember and celebrate love. Doesn’t mean you love people more on said day, just as your love doesn’t change on birthdays. True love can be appreciated but not quantified.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. I commented directly on your site as well, but these paintings are most impressive. As someone who does not possess this incredible talent I appreciate your taking the time to explain the process. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    2. I LOVE your categories, I think that’s one of the strongest parts of your blog. I am obsessed with your “the process” category because I really like seeing the progression of your pieces. Great job and very interesting blog. You are incredibly talented.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. I really like your blog and I definitely think we should connect (my collaborators and I run a very similar blog). Check it out! http://www.diyjustcuz.com

      I left you some more comments scattered throughout your site but in general I would say that your content is interesting but I think your blog would benefit from a little more color and also for larger photographs. With such a big wide theme, the photos are so small they aren’t easily seen in the heart of the post.

      Like

    1. I really enjoyed reading what you’ve written thus far, and look forward to reading more!! An “About Me” page would be a fantastic addition 🙂 I wish you all the best & hope your travels are safe!!

      Liked by 1 person

  10. I am a relatively new blogger and I have a question regarding photo usage. How do you find the proper person to get permission for using a photo? I usually use my own pictures, but what if your post absolutely required the use of, say, a picture from Google images? I have a VERY small number of people who look at my blog, and it is tempting to make assumptions.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I rarely use photos to my posts but when I feel the need to add something, I look it up at Google. If you can track the original image you might want to credit it by putting the link at your post. That’s what other bloggers usually do. The ones I use come from sites that you can download for free.

      Like

    3. The easiest way is to look up photos that have already been Creative Commons-licensed by their owners. That way you already know whether you can use them, and how (please note you’re usually still expected to give credit to the photographer). Here’s a handy search tool for such images:
      http://search.creativecommons.org/

      The web is also full of free-to-use image resources. We ran a post about some of these a while back — here it is:
      https://wordpress.com/dailypost/2014/04/30/free-images/

      Like

  12. I’m getting a little frustrated with the theme I have picked. I think it’s beautiful, but it’s feeling limited and I don’t know if that’s because I don’t know how to utilize it. When composing a post, it gives me options to make excerpts and caption pictures, neither of which I’ve been able to see. I’ve seen the same theme used by another blogger that had 2 pictures per post, but don’t know how to add more than the one.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Liss Actually (my little corner of the blogosphere) is 10 posts young and still very much in it’s infancy…

    I’m passionate about words and thoughts, but really want to make sure that the space readers come to enjoy them is warm and inviting….

    I’d absolutely love & appreciate any feedback that you’d be so kind to offer…

    https://lissactually.wordpress.com/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You write incredibly thought provoking stuff. I would have like maybe a short description on what the movie is about since I’ve never heard of it. I also drifted into Swift saturdays, and I like how you choose the more obscure songs. I’ve also written about taylor swift, although not in the same way you do

      Liked by 1 person

  22. I put up a piece about modern day slavery and I linked a Ted Talk about the issue. I also asked anybody who may be reading it to take a look at the talk and tell me how they feel.

    http://2personparty.wordpress.com/2015/02/10/modern-day-slavery/

    What I want to know is if there is anything that I can change or do better please please please let me know. You can also explore my blog a little bit more and give me constructive criticism where ever you see fit.

    Thanks so much for all the help !!:)

    Liked by 2 people

    1. It’s punchy and informational, which is great, and a good link to external sources. I’d love to hear more of your personal opinion on the matter though; interesting that you’ve brought it to light but my advice would now be to offer your own point of view. For example, what are the key points of the talk? Do you agree with everything she says or are there points of difference? What do you think should be done about the issue? Things like that would immediately make the post a lot more interesting and engaging for me I think. Either way it’s a great start and a fascinating topic, keep it up 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  24. Hi All,
    I recently posted what I think is a hilarious and clever DIY project! Gender reveal party invitations (with a silly and slightly inappropriate twist). I’d love for you to check it out and leave me some feedback (I especially want to hear what our readers think I’m having – a girl or a boy!). Any and all other feedback on the blog in general is greatly appreciated.

    http://diyjustcuz.com/genderrevealinvites/

    As always, I will of course take a look at your blog and leave you nothing but honest & meaningful feedback.

    -Sam.

    Like

  25. Super early i know. Dog woke me up!! Anyway, id love some feed back on my blog. Is the new design good?? Is it enjoyable? Where do i need to improve? Ect. Love to hear back. Blog is mainly make-up and fashion based, but i also do my personal posts.
    Http//Seasonal-Rose.wordpress.com

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      1. Could you expand a little? I can see it all fine from my vantage… What device are you viewing on and when you say the background needs fixed, what are you seeing? Thanks!

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      2. Oh there’s nothing wrong with the background. What I mean is it would look better if it’s in a fixed position – not scrolling down along with the post. I’m sorry for not saying it clear.

        Liked by 1 person

  27. I am struggling with lay out issues on my blogs. Honestly speaking I have tried all the advice offered by other bloggers on this forum yet nothing seem to be working for me. Any one out there patient enough to guide me step by step on how to make my blog lay out attractive enoughto draw some viewers.

    Like

    1. I noticed that your blog is very simple and minimal. Since the layout you chose has an underlying background for posts, you could change the color or even put a patterned image for the overall background. Your posts also don’t have paragraph breaks which would help to make it look better. A picture added to your post would also make them more interesting! I’ve also noticed that your tagline is still “Just another WordPress.com site” which you might wanna change. 😀

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you ever so much for your comment babyruthbeer, I agree that tend to continue writing without thinking ofd breaking up my line of thoughts. I am committed to do what it takes to improve. How ever I must admit I am not well vested in computing and most of the time I am struggling to do the basics like adding pages or taglines. Like I say I will not give upI will push my self until I get it. Again thank you for taking your time to reply to my request.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. It sounds like Blogging 101 — our free Blogging U. course — might just be the perfect thing for you to master the basics of blogging (including making your blog look the way you want it to). Registration for this month’s edition is already closed, but we’ll offer it again next month. Stay tuned for an upcoming announcement later this month.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Hi Ben,
        Thank you for responding tomy cooment, I have followed Blogging 101 every month I use the topic suggestions for writing most of my post. The really problem for me is technical I guess it may be my age computers arrived on the scene when I was old and find it very hard to master the technology. I have been trying to get short courses where someeone can take me step by step to get computer skills.i have read all the support offered by WordPress I simply fail to get it. There things I can simply not do.Being 60+ can be hard to learn new things I am pleased with myself for what I have managed to teach myself.I am not giving up I will do all I can to continue. I appreciate your support.

        Like

  28. Hello everyone! I just recently changed my theme and I wanted to know your opinion on the one-two column difference and pros and cons.

    I personally do a lot of text posts myself, so I wanted to ask how I can make things a little bit better in appearance. Other comments are also appreciated.

    The blog is here. Thank you and see you around! 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

      1. Thanks! I’ve always been mulling over the idea of a sidebar. I wanted the focus to be on the text, but I’ll probably just consider making my posts dynamic (maybe more images?) to make it more exciting. Thank you!

        Like

  29. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get more followers rather than the ‘one click’ viewers who pass by your page? I’ve just started a brand new blog and was curious as to what other more experienced bloggers do. Feel free to reply here.

    Like

    1. Hi – I think I’d focus in a bit more clearly on what you want to give the world with your blog. It’s quite generalised at the moment, while you get up to speed, so I can see why people might touch base and then move on.

      In your post about what to pack on a photography trip, it might have been interesting to see what you pack yourself – in a pile on a table or something. People do like to see what bloggers favour themselves. Or you could show some trick that you’ve learnt that’s saved you time or trouble. Pictures do help.

      I’d rethink your line “don’t let those gypsies get the better of ya”. I’m not sure if you live in Europe yourself, but that’s a pretty offensive ethnic insult over here.

      Good luck with your blog

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Well first, posting here got my attention. I saw your stunning picture of Positano and was immediately drawn in. I would reach out to photographers to get a following. First, do you have an instagram, because that can direct thousands to your blog if you posted these high quality photos. Also google plus is an amazing place for photography, especially travel photography. Most don’t succeed on Google Plus but for some reason when I go on I see tons of travel photography that goes viral. I guess people love to see that mixed in with their boring Google Plus 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      2. I don’t know. I love your instagram account but I’ve seen a lot of photographers succeed with a photography-only account (like no personal pictures). But, I’ve also seen people with two accounts and post the photographic (obviously theyre all pictures, but I hope you know what I mean) images on both accounts but leave personal on one. I know I tend to only follow people if I think it’s “worth it” and they won’t clutter my feed. However, on an account solely for your photography, you could follow thousands of photography pages so tons of people could see your blog. That’s my suggestion, but it would also take a lot of time and effort. If you plan to do this, please let me know, I’d be so interested.

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  30. Last night I spend hours searching for a certain blogger that I wanted to look at again. I had forgotten her name. I knew we had chatted about her books. But I had to give in. She lived in Mexico alone after her husband had suddenly died. Was a poet a writer and more. Can anybody help me?

    Like