Mar 21, 2015 / Community Pool

Community Pool

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.
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      1. Thanks Natalie, I added a space to the name after your comment and a photo of the city where I live; I appreciated you taking the time to look! I will experiment with colour/theme. So pleased to hear that it made you chuckle; that makes me happy!

        Liked by 1 person

    2. The post about mobile phones definitely resonated a lot haha! I like your content but I couldn’t see an ‘About Me’ page? Something that a lot of us bloggers like to see when we discover a new blog! Maybe a change of theme would be good as well, there are so many ones out there for every type of blog. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks for your feedback. I’ve added an about me page; albeit brief! I’m looking into different themes so might give that a try too 🙂 glad the phone post resonated with you!

        Like

  3. Hey everyone,

    I have recently started a new series of photo posts every Saturday and I would love some feedback on whether it works and looks good. If you have any tips on how to make photo posts look more attractive I’d love to hear them! Thank you. 🙂

    Saturday Snapshots #3

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I love the photos 🙂 I just commented on your post. I think you included the perfect number of photos and captions — too many of either would make the piece less effective. You’ve combined the right amount of info with the right amount of scrolling 🙂

      Would you be willing to look at one of my posts?

      Travelling isn’t the Answer (Maybe)

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you Natalie, I really appreciate the feedback and I’m glad you liked the photos! I checked out your blog, you have some really interesting posts and you are using one of my favourite themes. I enjoyed reading ‘Travelling Isn’t the Answer’ and ‘Quit TV’. In fact you may have just encouraged me to give Netflix a rest tonight! 🙂 Thanks again.

        Like

    2. Great photos! One tip to make them look even better is to use BeFunky.com – you can easily edit lighting, contrast, saturation and your photos will be even more eye-catching 😉

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you! I’ve never really considered doing any kind of post processing and I really should if I’m going to be doing photo posts. By the way I just wanted to say that your blog looks so good that it makes me feel like I need to redo mine. It looks so clean and well designed!

        Like

      2. You’re welcome! I’m not a fan of overly processed photos either, but BeFunky.com can be used for just the smallest details that really make the photos pop a little more. And thank you so much for the feedback 🙂

        Like

  4. Hi everyone! I’ve just started a travel blog and I’d love to know what kinds of things you look for when you look up (or decide to follow) travel blogs. Is it pretty photos, thorough city guides, cool tips, funny commentary, unusual experiences, or something else altogether? Feel free to also check out my new travel blog over at http://atlasenchanted.com/ 🙂 Thanks so much!!

    Liked by 4 people

    1. I love your blog! Traveling is one of my favorite things to do as well. I couldn’t find the follow button but I would love to follow you.

      Like

    1. Hi Elouise 🙂 So your blog is adorable. I love your posts, especially the one about your trip to Uganda! I would love to follow you but I can’t find your “Follow” button 😦 If you want to get out there in the blogging world, I’d recommend joining some Twitter chats – these are chats among bloggers that happen on a weekly basis. Find some in your niche (is it travel? lifestyle? fashion?) and you’re all set to get to know new bloggers 🙂 Hope this helps!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Wait – found it at the bottom of the page 🙂 But definitely put one in the sidebar as non-Wordpress readers won’t be able to see the one at the bottom of the page 😉

        Like

      2. Aww thank you for that! Oh I’ve just followed you so maybe you can follow me back there? Okay! How do you join Twitter chats? I’d love to do that. Thanks!!

        Like

    3. I love your theme, your blog looks really clean and I enjoyed reading about your trip to Uganda. I think one thing that might help is making the posts more visual, some of them are a bit like a wall of text and I think they would draw people in more if images were used to break up the text. For example the “10 things to do in Scotland” post would benefit from some images to accompany it. I enjoyed that post, i was cool that you posted about things that aren’t stereotypical things to do when visiting Scotland. Happy blogging! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Your blog has such a pretty layout! Your posts are fun to read but I think they’re less relatable because we don’t know you personally & who you’re talking about 😦 It’s a great blog for your friends, but maybe not as much for strangers. When writing a post I always think about what my readers want to get out of it. And if your readers are your friends then that’s cool! But if you’re trying to get strangers to be interested in your content, I would suggest a different strategy 🙂 I hope this helps and you keep blogging! x

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Hey, just made my first blog! I travel for a living and sell at conventions while trying to figure out the secret to life. I have some interesting and brutally honest stories that I need to get out. If you can’t look away from a train wreck you might find me entertaining! TheLifeOfAConnie.wordpress.com

    Liked by 4 people

  11. Wow, this completely relevant right now!

    Hi everyone! A few days ago I started a blog about names – for baby names, but also for people who are simply interested in names. I have a few questions, and hope y’all will help me perfect my site.

    1) My first post was about nicknames for fairly unusual Ancient Greek names. A friend told me I might want to consider pronunciation guides. Do others agree?
    2) If I mention names from popular culture, should I make “pop culture” and say, “Game of Thrones” and “House of Cards” tags?
    3) Finally, how does my site look to you? Are my posts readable? Is the blog aesthetically pleasing? I’m not very savvy with technology, and I worry my blog-writing may be too formal.

    My blog’s name is the “Well-Informed Namer.” Here’s the link: https://wellinformednamer.wordpress.com/. Enjoy! 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I wouldn’t bother with a pronunciation guide…honestly if a person can not sound the name out they won’t understand the guides either. Yes, it is very pleasing to the eye. You might consider highlighting some of the names in a different color or font to add color to the blog. And I think categorization such as “pop culture” would be helpful in the tagging of the posts but not necessary elsewhere.
      Nice posts by the way. Informative yet interesting.

      Like

  12. Hi guys, just a quick one this week as I have to leave to get to the airport but would love for some fresh eyes to give a once over of my blog. It’s photography, I shoot landscape and street, film and digital.

    Couple of my most recent posts here below, let me know what you think and if you like what you see well then give me a follow;

    Some landscape taken with medium format film here;

    Medium Format : Fifteen

    And some street photography again on film here;

    Street Photography – Cardiff Streets 15

    Look forward to hearing from you guys and thanks in advance.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I actually think you have a good start to the blog. I would find a synonym for “amplify” as you seemed to use it quite a lot in your first post. Redundancy isn’t “bad” but it would make your blog post more effective IMO to use different descriptive terms

      Liked by 1 person

  15. I finally struggled within myself to start my blog though I’ve been out of town for some reasons,I’ll appreciate if my posts are read and comments on how to improve it,am a big time rookie so every comment counts. Thanks,
    iwritewordpresscomblog.wordpress.com

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hey there, i just read your post.. and man its very very open.
      I think it takes a lot of courage to make yourself vulnerable to the public like this. To be honest, i feel like you should let N read this post : ) i hope he understands

      take care : )

      Like

    2. Great post and I love that you are putting it out there in the universe to release it. We all hurt people but I feel like it’s harder acknowledging that we actually hurt someone that we love. It takes a lot to say sorry and actually mean it. Hopefully N isn’t too upset with you.

      Like

      1. Well, for me, a truly sincere apology doesn’t seem to take as much effort as with others (it always seems). N isn’t upset with me now, which is quite relieving. Thanks for the comment!

        Like

    3. Left you a comment on your blog, If it resonated with you take it, if not toss it away 🙂
      Happy Blogging and you have many friends here to talk to!!

      Like

    2. You could do like a lifestyle DIY blog for moms, like projects that parents can accomplish while taking care of the kids. And those muffins look incredible!

      Like

    1. I found the one thing that got more people to read my blog was actually just answering the comments here. I have a connection to fb, g+ and twitter but the people here read my stuff more frequently than others do.

      Liked by 1 person

  20. Have a blog I’d love feedback on; just started a couple weeks ago. Focused on Adventure Travel because I’m a climber/outdoor enthusiast and most of the good stories I have fit into that category. Not a lot of money to invest in this as yet so excuse the basic theme. Tips/advice/adventure suggestions appreciated.

    http://notlostgirl.wordpress.com

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I really like the couple of posts you have! It’s so hard to overcome your fears and you’ve done just that. It’s neat how you documented your experience with self-reflection too.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you so much! I know I need to be more consistent with my posts. Sometimes I wonder if people would prefer more of the same topic or if they appreciate my randomness. 🙂

        Like

      2. I just checked out your blog and I think the design is so cute! I just read your post about friendships and I was able to relate to that very well. I’ll definitely follow so I can see more from you.

        Like

  22. Hey! I’m a new blogger about mental health, trying to find my voice. I just wrote a new post called How To Criticize Psychotropic Drugs (https://synapticwriting.wordpress.com/2016/03/19/how-to-criticize-psychotropic-drugs/) and am looking for some feedback, if anyone is willing.

    If you want me to return the favor, just let me know. My next week is to be consumed by an organic chemistry monster (sorry – exam) but I’ll find time in the next few days to help out! 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  25. Hello everyone my name is Limp and I am a writer and this is my very first blog. I posted my first post yesterday and it is entitled “Plus Sized Girls and the Guys Who Love Em..” and I wanted to know how to gain a bigger following or more readers. Can someone help with design and I open to a lot constructive feedback and etc.
    I plan to blog every other day or every week. I want to be successful and really have a voice in the plus size community. Every comment helps!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. What helps in gaining more readers is to share your latest, whether it’s here or on social media. It also helps to add tags to your posts so they can be found easier on WordPress, and later shared. Hope that helps!

      Liked by 1 person

  26. I use my blog in a semi anonymous manner, I really like the outlet it gives me and most of the time I leave out names, though I don’t sensor a lot of situations. Typically I use the things I experience day to day to inspire myself and I challenge myself to write in perspectives that aren’t always thought of for my own sake and for the sakes of others.
    Something I think I’m missing though is images on a regular basis. I was trying to write about 1000 words every day, which takes me about an hour or two, on top of all of the other every day commitments we all have, I always find it hard to additionally try and photograph or figure out what to do for a visual in the posts. It would be nice to have help to brainstorm what I could do to work on this or maybe to come up with a sort of systematic thing that would be easier than trying to be even more creative on top of the writing itself and photograph something every day.

    Liked by 3 people

  27. Hey hallo!

    mijn blog gaat de zesde maand in en ben benieuwd wat jullie ervan vinden!
    my blog is entering its sixth month and im curious to know what you think of it!
    Ik blog in het nederlands maar bied sinds kort ook een engelse vertaling aan
    I blog in Dutch but i started to provide english translations on my blogs.

    Ik ben benieuwd en hoop snel wat van jullie te vernemen!
    I am curious and I hope to hear something of you!

    https://wakenco.wordpress.com

    Liked by 3 people

  28. Hello!

    I have a new blog- probably not for the faint of heart 😛

    I am writing about my experience in the BDSM lifestyle. If you’re interested, I would love for you to check it out and I will also check yours out as well!

    littlespacelulu.wordpress.com

    Liked by 2 people

    3. Loved reading this! I have always been interested in this lifestyle but not sure whether I would want to be dominated or be the dominator… Either way interesting read and your writing style is great! Can’t wait to read more

      Liked by 2 people