Jun 22, 2015 / Community Pool

Community Pool

The place for advice, feedback, and friendly blogging conversation.

Photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/63057306@N04/5734415538">Beachfront Solutions</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(CC BY-SA 2.0)</a>

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! We tend to delete duplicate comments asking for feedback on the same post.
  • 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!
  • When leaving comments, please remember not to add your blog’s url as your signature. It’s kinda spammy: after all, your handle links directly to your blog.
  • If you haven’t looked at our Commenting Guidelines in a while, now might be a good time.
  • No running on the deck.
Show Comments

571 Comments

Comments are closed.

Close Comments

Comments

  1. Hey! Me and 10 other bloggers have recently created a group blog to discuss current issues etc, called The Feministas (thefeministas.wordpress.com). We’ve just published our first proper post and any feedback would be gratefully received, as well as any suggestions for topics to cover in future. Thanks!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Hey bloggers! I’d love some feedback on my blog: http://wp.me/5WT8H regarding the layout and content. Its basically about all things women like parenting, fashion, recipes, relationships, etc.
    Thanks a bunch!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I think the dark background makes the page appear *over*-bright and sort of hurting my eyes (I know other blogger who feels this way about such backgrounds) I think a lighter color, close to the color of your page, would be better? 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You know I’ve been contemplating changing the background for a little while now. Think I’ll go ahead and do it! Thanks so much for the feedback 😊

        Liked by 2 people

  5. Just looking for advice! Any kind of advice. I’m always up for constructive criticism. so please just check my blog out even if you leave one sentance of advice it will be appreciated. thank you 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    2. Hi – not sure what advice I can give because I enjoyed reading your posts – they’re full of friendly enthusiasm and I’d imagine, once people find you, they’ll come back to see what you’re saying. I liked your favourite cover songs post and I liked the fact that you gave links to the songs themselves, in case people didn’t know them already. And I agree completely about the Arctic Monkeys at the London Olympics Opening Ceremony! They’ve come a long,long way in a very short time.
      That’s the other thing I picked up from your blog – a generosity in your comments. You’re not out to slag people off, but to celebrate what they do.

      All good luck with it – it reads like something that you’re enjoying writing.
      Best wishes
      Elaine

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Hi everyone,
    My exams are finished so my blogging hiatus is over and I’m more ready than ever to blog. I intend to write more posts about travel, creative writing, beauty/fashion and other things during the upcoming summer months.

    Hopefully you’ll be able to check out my blog and give me some feedback because I greatly appreciate the help.

    https://infinitedaydreamer.wordpress.com/

    Thank you 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  8. Hey everyone! I’ve got a humor blog that I’d like design feedback on.
    nicolesundays.wordpress.com
    I’m using the Sorbet theme and I like how clean it is, but some people have told me it looks boring and that I should replace the black at the top with an exciting picture. Would that be better?
    Thanks!

    Liked by 2 people

  9. Hello, everyone! This is my second visit to the Community Pool, and I can’t wait to dive in and find new blogs to read!
    If you have a chance, please check out my blog at http://www.journeytoanxietyfree.com. I run a mental health blog dealing with my generalized anxiety disorder in particular, although I also suffer from depression and BPD. I try to help others by sharing both my experiences and helpful tips and articles. If you or anyone you know is suffering mental illness, please stop by my blog and share anything you find helpful. Thank you for reading!

    Liked by 2 people

      1. Thank you so much! I will be sure to check out your blog as well. Anxiety and depression are very difficult to deal with, and I’m sorry you have to deal with them. Just remember there is always hope to overcome it. And I’m not just using a cheesy tagline that relates to my blog. 😉 I truly believe that mental illness can be beat, and that we can all find the healing we need.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m not an expert where I”m new to blogging, but I really enjoyed the creativity of your blog! It did capture my attention and I think you did a great job of showing it through the eyes of a child.

      Liked by 1 person

  12. I’m a new blogger and my goal is to create a common sense approach to personal finance, debt management, and frugality in an easy to read format. I would like to know if I’m achieving that goal and if not, how I can make my blog better. I’m still searching for direction. If my writing needs improvement, I welcome positive criticism where I’m not professionally trained. Here is my latest post. http://howtostuffyourpig.com/2015/06/21/tackling-debt-control-your-spending/ Thank you!

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Hello beautiful people,

    I just started my blogging site based off of a writing project I’ve started involving anonymous letters. Please let me know what you think!

    https://coloradocommonlanguage.wordpress.com/

    I’d love some feedback on how to gain followers and views. My goal is to start to build a following bigger than my family and friends. Any advice?

    Thank you!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Well, one way to publicize your blog is do get creative while doing so; One example would be to download a photo editing app such as the one I am using now, Pixlir; then you should go to Google Images and pick out any kind of images that you would like, and then afterwards, create your own advertisement for your blog and then post it on either Facebook, your own blog, or you could even do both! I very much hope that this helps.-JW ☺

      Liked by 1 person

  16. Hello all,
    I came across this post just now and thought I would seek feedback on something I wrote about my grandfather passing away. It has the sound of a journal entry/reflection, but I just wanted to see what people thought of it.

    Papa

    Liked by 2 people

    1. While you’re free to do as you wish with it, it’s generally not recommended to post your personal contact info in such a public way unless you absolutely don’t care if it ever triggers an onslaught of spam.

      Moreover, there’s no real need for you to publish your email. You can insert a contact form into any post or page on your site, as well as to a widget, which allows readers to contact you (i.e. to send you an email) without ever seeing your actual email address. It’s very easy to do — the (quick) instructions are here:
      https://wordpress.com/support/contact-form/

      Like

      2. I love your page layout and loved the poem Home is where the heart is and the other one on there but couldn’t see where to comment even though it asks do I want to comment.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. You can hierarchize categories simply by designating a parent category to any new or existing categories on your blog. Find out more about creating categories (and hierarchies therein) in this support page:
      https://wordpress.com/support/posts/categories/
      We do also offer you the possibility of tagging your posts on top of sorting them into categories. You can read more about the difference between tags and categories here:
      https://wordpress.com/support/posts/categories-vs-tags/

      Liked by 1 person

  22. hello my wordpress mates..!!! I have started with my blog recently and have not linked my social networking accounts to my site so i dont have too many readers. If you could spare some time and read any one of my post and tell me whether its an issue with my writing skills or the reason is i did not pool in my friends
    (well the reason was i want to know my real capabilities and get genuine comments instead of getting comments from my friends and family because of the love they possess for me..!!!

    Thanks…!!! 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  23. Hi everyone I have written an alternative guide for packing for festivals. Would love some feedback, its my first shot at a fashion blog post, and looks at my own past fashion choices at festivals in a light-hearted manner. I’m not sure though how well my light-hearted tone comes across, just want to check if you think it reads in that way and doesn’t seem like I’m taking it too seriously. Will happily read and comment on anyone else’s posts if you read mine!
    Thanks everyone!
    https://stephwithers.wordpress.com/2015/06/22/stephs-festival-packing-guide/
    xxx

    Liked by 2 people

  24. My blog safariofthemind.wordpress.com is continually going through changes that I feel are needed. Many of my posts feature cooking, but I also blog on gardening and travel. I love taking pictures and making it the focal point of my blog, however I’m not completely sure how to add a “Add More” button, so that the entire post with words does not show until you hit the “add more” button. Also, I am not sure why and how the Reader chooses pictures from the post. I usually have a featured picture for every post, but it does not appear that way on the Reader.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You have a beautiful blog…you’re recipes are just making me hungry.
      The layout it’s great, easy to navigate!
      I am not very technical but I’ve had the same issue with Reader and the pictures, it doesn’t bother me really…
      If you don’t get an answer here you can always get it from the WordPress Support team:)
      Good luck!

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thank you Julia. How do I get in touch with the WP Support Team? It seems I did try to reach them, but did not succeed. Are the the same as Happiness Engineers?

        Like

      2. As far as I know they are the same:)
        When you say ‘Add more’ button, you mean the Sharing feature of your posts or the one that only shows a part of your post?
        Just asking because I wasn’t clear about your issue…?
        Julia

        Liked by 2 people

      3. OK, I meant part of the post .Sometimes my posts with the pictures tend to be long, so I want to insert the “add more” button, which is the icon like a highway, but I’m not sure how to go about doing it….I do insert it, but when I check it, it does not show up in my preview.

        Liked by 1 person

      4. I usually write the post and insert the “highway” lol…at the middle of it and hit publish:) it might be that on preview doesn’t show because there you can actually see the whole post!
        Use the add more feature and publish your post, than go back to your home page and see how the post shows up:)
        Let me know:)
        Julia

        Liked by 1 person

      5. Thanks Julia, you’re right, it probably doesn’t show on preview. I’ll try that. But when I hit “add more”, do I just continue my post on that same page after the “add more” ? Thx

        Liked by 1 person

    3. Hello!
      It sounds to me like you’re asking for info about the More tag — here are the instructions on using it:
      https://wordpress.com/support/splitting-content/more-tag/

      In case you’re looking for other ways to split your content for better readability, this page has a few other ideas:
      https://wordpress.com/support/splitting-content/

      As for images and the Reader, you’re correct that it doesn’t always select your featured image. Bloggers currently don’t have the ability to choose which image gets shown.

      Liked by 1 person

      2. OK Ben, I just followed the directions and published a post……however, the “read more” is not showing in the actual post.

        Like

      3. It isn’t meant to — the more tag only affects they way your posts are presented on the homepage. It’s a way to declutter and streamline your homepage. On the other hand, single-post views always show the whole post, unless you introduce pagination.

        Liked by 1 person

  25. Hello Everyone:)
    So happy to see so many new blogs in the pool having a great party:)
    I am bringing a bit of colour to the pool…beautiful red!
    I blog about fashion, food and movies but I have a great passion for photography…
    I would love some feedback about layout and content of my red world:)

    this is me

    Liked by 1 person

  27. Hi community poolers , I have been trying a few ideas for some blogging and have posted a few ideas. I would love some feedback. I am brand new to blogging and am very interested in learning as much as I can. Thanks

    Like

  28. Hello Community pool goers! I have been thinking about re-blogging a few of my favorite posts on to my own blog every month just to mix it up a bit. I am trying to decide if this is a good idea or you think this would be annoying to my readers? In other words, I try to post one or twice per week. But, Every now and then I come across a really wonderful post on blogs I am following. Do you think I should re-post them to share with my readers or just stick to my own content?

    Would you like that or would you think that is annoying?

    Thanks for your consideration!

    Liked by 4 people

    1. I think it is a great idea – I know a lot of folks who re-blog other posts, and the person who’s post you are re-blogging gets recognition and you get some credit too. It’s a win-win situation.

      Liked by 1 person

    3. Sharing a piece you’ve enjoyed can be a nice way to add some texture to your blog and might help you connect with other bloggers (namely, the one whose work you share). It’s a good idea to keep reblogs to a reasonable number, since you don’t want them to crowd out your own content (also: a blog with too many reblogs often feels like spam, even when that isn’t the case).
      For more things to consider on the question of reblogs, you might want to look at a couple of the posts we’ve published on the topic:
      https://wordpress.com/dailypost/2013/05/30/reblogs/
      https://wordpress.com/dailypost/2014/03/25/reblogging/

      Liked by 1 person

  29. Just joined the blogging world! Id like to start a blog and for each day do a different topic I feel passionately about. Id like this to become a hobby and something that makes me open up my mind!

    Feel free to read and give me my first topics to write about (:

    Liked by 1 person

  30. Hi, I am a new blogger, and I feel completely lost in this blogging world. I have never blogged before and I am completely new to this. What my biggest worry is not knowing how to attract people to read my blog and I would be writing on it for my eyes only.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. There are a lot of ways to increase readership on your blog. One of them being, join linky parties, you know blogs that are similar to yours that meet weekly, daily or whatever. That way you can post your blog, and others get to see it, you can then comment on other blogs, and they in turn will get back to yours. Hope this helps.

      Liked by 1 person