Jul 13, 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.
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    1. Hi, I think ur blog is just so awesome! It’s so interesting and there should be way more than two likes. Keep up the good work.

      Like

  6. Hi, Ever’body!

    Belles and Whistles here–after a stint with a sick mama! She’s well and good and feisty, as am I.

    Just documented a quick POW (German, WWII) story from my Daddy’s reminisces and collection of recollections.

    He’s got a million of ’em!

    Belles and Whistles (or Pobre Tomat, depending on your inclination)

    “Don’t Set Under the Apple Tree With Nobody Else But Me”

    and Twitter, too….
    @Belleswhissles

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Are you trying to reach avid adventure seekers? Or entice newbies? Both? I’m an “off the beaten path” type, so I would appreciate any info that a local might know, over google that is. I’ll be driving through Montana on my way to North Cali in a couple weeks actually, so if you know of any must see places, let me know!

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      1. I’m mostly writing to avid adventure seekers, but really anyone who is interested. You’ll need to see the Mission mountains! They’re gorgeous. You should try to check out Missoula and Bozeman. Also, if you’re a mountain biker, check out Helena. Where are you going in CA?

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    2. Thanks for the tips. I’m to Portland and then down the coast, eventually to Clear Lake, CA. I was born there, family and such.

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    1. Three things:
      1. None look
      2. An about page would suit well.
      3. Your long posts are expanded by default. Use the Read More tag more often.

      Like

  13. This is my first time on the Community Pool. I am fairly new to blogging (love it), and so have so much to learn. I recently took Blogging 101 and Photo 101 and found it to be very helpful. However, I just came back from a vacation where I had no computer access to keep the momentum going. Now, the courses are over, and my blogging world has greatly diminished with it (I believe mainly because I was off the computer about 2 1/2 weeks! I could use some suggestions as to how to avoid this in the future (losing momentum due to being down).

    Also, please take a look at my blog from the trip and let me know your comments as to how the blog flows. I used a lot of photos, and the blog is longer than usual. Does it keep your interest? Is it too long? ls there a nice balance between wording and photos?

    Thank you so much!
    https://robinseaton1960.wordpress.com/2015/07/13/intricate-details/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Nicely written, and the photos are great. If you’re concerned about maintaining an online presence even if you can’t be online, why not schedule posts in advance? You can set your posts to be published at a specific date and time, really useful if you’re busy or are taking a holiday.

      Based on the length of some of your posts I would recommend adding Read More tags so it’s easier to scroll through your posts. Do you have any social media accounts integrated to grow your audience?

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Leisel, thank you so much! 🙂 I love the idea of scheduling posts ahead – is there a way to set this up, or just have drafts ready? Also, how do I add “Read More” tags? I like when others do that – makes things look more concise, but don’t know how. My posts go to Facebook, but because I don’t have a dedicated URL yet, I am a bit limited. I’ve never done the other media. (I have posted my site on Instagram as well.) If you could possibly answer these questions, I would be most appreciative. Thank you again!

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    1. I love poetry blogs with Haiku, because it’s such an accessible format, you can easily read a few in short space of time as a reader. Your poems are short but have a lot more meaning behind them, which is always a good sign from a writer I think! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Fabulous! It starts on a Wednesday and lasts for a week. Although I might be changing it to fortnightly next week just to give everyone a little longer to write their pieces, but I’ll mention it in the next post if I do! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with! 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  17. Hey, anyone on community pool check out my blog I’ve nominated some ppl that I haven’t even talked to for an award so u might wanna check it out it’s important

    Liked by 1 person

    1. This is just an awesome blog! I just love your work and I can tell that Pitch Perfect 2 is a great movie and I haven’t even seen it yet!!

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  19. Hello bloggers, this is my first time “in the pool” and I have enjoyed looking over some of the other blogs. I am very new at blogging and would love some feedback. The purpose of my blog is to inform, teach and enhance my real estate business all in a fun way. I love my pets and have assigned each one a day (I have 5) to post. The first 3 have posted as of today. There is much for me to learn and would love some feedback. Thanks! https://hammondrealty.wordpress.com/

    Liked by 1 person

  20. Hi, Ever’body!

    Belles and Whistles here!

    Sagas and dramas of the family ilk are like family themselves, familiar and unforgettable. Sadly, they do fade, and I find it takes longer and longer to see the exact blue of the late summer sky or the feel the feather softness of Grandma’s white curls.

    I’ve tasked myself with not only remembering but documenting, and appreciate all your comments and criticisms and encouragements.
    Thanks for the community!

    Belles and Whistles

    “Don’t Set Under the Apple Tree With Nobody Else but Me”

    @Belleswhissles

    Like

  21. Hey, this is my second time on community pool and I was wondering if I could get some feedback about my post and some tips for increasing traffic or views to my blog for free. My post is the “Back-to-School Shopping Tips” in my school survival guide column – https://thenerdsdorksgeeks.wordpress.com/2015/07/15/back-to-school-shopping-tips-ndg-school-survival-guide-by-nerd-hope24/. I’m a newbie at blogging and got into it after helping multiple people design and set up their webpages. I would love any feedback (good,bad, harsh, or even blatant). Also if you need tips or advice on graphic design, don’t be afraid to ask.

    Like

  22. Hello all! I have just entered the world of blogging and am interested in some feedback. I haven’t made it public to many friends or family thus far because a great deal of it will be about my life. Any tips and advice on my layout and recent posts would be helpful! Thanks so much! Mommy2charlee.wordpress.com

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  23. Hello all! I am relatively new to blogging – I’ve been at it a year but have only been posting somewhat regularly the last few months. I’d love any and all feedback on my site , mcolis.com :-).

    Background: I’m a YA fantasy writer, and while I post a bit about my writing journey for friends and family reading, I also know there are a slew of writing blogs out there. And I do have other interests, such as travel, cheese, cooking, cheese wine, my obligatory writer cat, cheese, books, cheese, books and cheese together….. So I think sometimes my blog can be all over the place. Any tips/personal experiences on finding focus/ regularity for a blog that spans a range of topics would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much! Maddy

    Liked by 1 person

  24. To all you bloggers out there: I have just written & published a brand-new post on the 80th anniversary of (What else?!) the parking meter, as well as two other new posts!-JW

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  26. Hey everybody! I started my blog (http://kartiktriestri.wordpress.com/) where I initially wanted to write about my triathlon training and travel but it soon changed to a wider, more general blog about things that interested me. I would greatly any suggestions, appreciation and criticism that you might have regarding my writing. I want to reach a lot of people and keep writing! Thank you for your help!

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  30. Hi everyone!
    I changed my “about” a bit. let me know please what do you think, and if I made some mistakes since English isn’t my mother tong 😛
    ***

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