Aug 24, 2015 / Community Pool

Community Pool

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

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!
  • 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.
Show Comments

610 Comments

Comments are closed.

Close Comments

Comments

  1. Hello, everyone! I write the sports blog Soccer, Translated. I frequently “sticky” posts with TV listings at the top of my blog, which my theme marks with a “Featured Post” heading at the top of said post. However, the heading seems small and easy to overlook to me. I’m wondering if it’s clear that the top post is a sticky post and that new content is still appearing underneath it!

    I’d love some feedback on that – is it clear to you that the post is sticky? If not, do you have any suggestions for a heading or image I can incorporate into the posts themselves (or maybe the title?) to indicate that it’s sticky?

    Thanks!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Well, okay. Good enough reason for me. So I would recommend replacing your sample About page with an actual About page, since you’re here and all. My mind is doing this thing where it’s asking if I’m reading a novel or a life. And if you would change the applicable ‘decent’ words to ‘descent’ my OCD will love you so much more. Unless it’s a play on words, then kudos.

      Like

  4. Hi folks!
    I’m a professional editor (for published, print magazines) and all my blog content is specifically geared toward writing and editing competently, and thriving in a professional environment.

    I check out anyone’s blog who leaves me any kind of valuable feedback—because I’m curious about you.

    So, if you’d like your blog analyzed for constructive feedback, check out my blog and leave me a message on one of my posts. I’m not looking for ” or anything—I just don’t know how to respond to anything without my editor’s hat on. It’s just what I do.

    http://www.thebitchyeditor.wordpress.com

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Oops! How unfortunate that one cannot edit one’s comments on another’s page. The irony is palpable.

      Please read the obvious error as “I’m not looking for ‘work’ or anything—”

      Call that a technical error.

      Liked by 2 people

    5. Requesting feedback by piggybacking off of your posts felt awkward. Left the most thoughtful comment on my favorite post of yours I could muster at 7am instead. Enjoy that.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi there, I really like your blog. It is beautiful with wonderful imagery. I love how your photos are blocked together. You have a really great theme. I am afraid we don’t even speak the same language and I am still intrigued by your blog. I gave you a follow. I think we will have a lot in common. Please visit my blog and give me a follow so we can stay in touch. I very much look forward to your future adventures and the photos to go with it.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. I almost forgot that community pool is today.
    here, where I am it’s already past midnight, but who cares 😀 let’s take a swim!

    I’m wondering if is there someone (like me), swimming, who doesn’t write?
    actually yesterday I made a post with a text in it, but it’s in polish! 😀
    hehe… not for everyone… maybe next time 😛

    see you next week!
    ***

    Like

  9. Hello all you creative bloggers,

    I’m having fun here going through different blogs to comment and answer questions. Since you all like to write and share your adventures, I’m wondering if anyone is interested in submitting extraordinary stories, DIY projects, or adventurous images to my new lifestyle & adventure website, http://www.sprangled.com. I don’t have much of an audience yet — that’s why I’m looking for fun submissions to spread the word and to highlight fellow bloggers in the process. If you’d like to know more about the author behind this website looking for submissions, you can check out nicoledigiose.com, hosted by WordPress, which I’ve been running since 2010.

    Thanks for checking this out! :0)
    Also, any thoughts on sprangled.com are appreciated.

    Like

  11. Hi everyone! I’m brand new to blogging and I would really love some feedback and ways to get my name out there! If anyone has any suggestions please please please help me out!! Thanks!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I left a comment on your Hercules post – and a quick heads up, you have a typo in the post title (It says “H*u*rcules”).

      On your About page, instead of just giving your Twitter and e-mail, you might want to make them live links. Make it easier for people to get in touch!

      Like

    2. Great posts so far! Especially the one titled “Please don’t shoot the messenger” – I’m pretty sure we can all relate haha
      I like your writing and your posts but I don’t think your theme matches your personality and the personality of the blog! The grey makes it a bit too serious when you have beauty product reviews and what not. Maybe you could try lighten the grey up a bit or maybe introduce a few more colours into the theme?
      Otherwise nice blog so far, hope the feedback helped 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    4. Maybe you should put the About into a page and add the menu to the top. When you start posting things it would be easier for people to find it and find out about you. Really Enjoyed it so far.

      Liked by 2 people

    5. Right now I’m not a fan of your landing page because it’s not particularly engaging to me. I only clicked around to view other posts after reading comments left for you by other bloggers I follow. Great content, but I feel like that landing page is really letting you down.

      Like

      2. You’ll want information that will compel people to read your blog. More specifically, what is your blog about? What makes it stand out? It may also be helpful to add a link to your posts that says something like ‘get started here’, or ‘interested? read on!’… something like that.

        Like

    1. I looked at your blog I see that you don’t feature very many photos maybe you could try looking at some other themes that showcase the text better. The layout is a bit sparrse on the page to me personally. The boxes also don’t give you enough of a taste of the text inside the post.

      Like

  14. No way I could scroll past that dog. What a fun eye grabber pic! 🙂

    I’d love for any feedback on my blog but especially on if this post works: http://kayakyrstin.com/2015/08/09/achieving-goals-finding-your-tipping-point/
    Most of my posts are just about kayaking trips, gear, etc. but this one brings in thoughts about my job.
    I want it to be an interesting read but I also want people to get snippets of what occupational therapy is all about every once in a while 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi! I like it very much except for the fact that the smaller text that reads “relive the glory days” blends into the background a bit, making it slightly hard to read. And also even though this is separate from the specific feedback you asked for, I like your writing style a lot 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Hi Ally, i agree with Odessa on the smaller text blending into the background – your firework may be too expressive – for me i LOVE the text in the “relive the glory” but am less a fan of the main text of My Kind of Pop Culture – find it a bit boxy but it’s a style thing and if you like it you should keep it… i do think the firework draws attention away from the words a little and would look for a softer image or something that happens at either edge and rather frames the words and draws attention to them…

      all the best
      love brett fish

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Also just reading your home page it is fun and quirky but i would try to trim it down a little – also there are one or two grammar mistakes which are killers on a blog where so many people are grandma police experts – typos are always distracting so i am always grateful when they are pointed out although it also sucks of course – You say A dimensions instead of a dimension? And in your last paragraph you say “and an follow the blog”

        i love the cute creepy bunny though – he can stay – how about instead of announcing your quotes at the bottom you start your home page post with one of them just as it is and end the post with the second one [people will know they are quotes of people so you can cut that paragraph out] – starting with a powerful quote hooks you audience straight away and then finishing with a quote leaves them with something to think about and makes them interested in what else you are going to share.

        Streamline it a bit if you can and it will be a lot stronger and help you out a lot more.

        Keep on
        love brett fish

        Like

    1. hey Odessa, love what you’re doing – the back to school tape mix was a great post. With your Oasis post another way to consider doing it would be to cut out the first paragraph which is a lot of apology or explanation of what is or isn’t going to happen – rather just do what’s going to happen – so you could start that post with the line “We’ve all heard of Oasis’ and then go on to talk about how you discovered that particular song for yourself…

      Make sense? First paragraph is fine but feels unnecessary – a line like ‘We all know oasis’ tells your audience that you assume great knowledge in them and then the big ‘twist’ or ‘announcement’ in your post is the fact that it is a different song to the normal one we associate with them that has been catching your attention this week and that’s the hook. Otherwise it’s a great post. Sometimes less is more.

      love brett fish [the king of too long posts – ha!]

      Like

  17. Hi everyone! I’ve started a blog, called Project Girlfriend, to try to eliminate female relational aggression at a young age and show young ladies that they can be friends instead of enemies! It’s not about feminism, it’s about being happy people. Once I’ve got enough followers I want to do book giveaways and such! Please let me know what you think and help out!

    https://projectgirlfriend.wordpress.com/

    (My other blog about being human in general)
    https://haylim.wordpress.com/

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Hi Hayli, love the idea of your blog and what you’re trying to do – i found the gif one a little too giffy to be honest – i would choose the top ten and make a more powerful message with less than having overkill of images because you start to lose momentum after a bit – but yes to doing that blog and trying to inspire others to do the same as well and to use the opportunities in front of them to confront bad thinking and action.

      All the best as you find creative ways to do that
      love brett fish

      Liked by 1 person

  19. I’d love to hear anyone’s feedback on my blog. I’ve only really just begun it and feel that it’s hard to get anyone interested, so any help and comments would be amazing. I’d be happy to do the same

    Liked by 1 person

    1. hey Laura – enjoyed your latest post – i would see about adding an about page and tab to the top so that you don’t have to feature your first blog post – the first thing i want to see when i arrive on your blog is your latest post but then have access easily to see what your blog is all about – with the actual post i think your pics are great and you can work a little bit on making some of the dialogue a little more interesting although it’s not bad – don’t ever apologise or disclaim [Warning – some touristy pics coming] but rather use words that promote what is about to happen – Here come some freestyling shots – or something like that – you never want to give people excuses to think anything bad or neutral about your blog but always want to be promoting, telling them why what they are about to see is amazing etc [if they don’t think it is then they won’t come back and that’s okay but never give someone the expectation that they’re going to be disappointed] – here are some fun pics i took of the rest of the day…

      Keep going and also take some time to find other photo blogs and comment on them and people will come check yours out…

      love brett fish

      Liked by 1 person

    4. Hi Laura,

      I just took a look at your blog. I really like quite a few of your photos and you’ve made a good choice of theme too. The only things I’d suggest are that you should maybe make the format (sizing/layout of photos within each post) of all your posts the same as your latest post.
      Also, when you create a post, you can make sure that the distance above and below each photo is the same everytime by clicking each photo, pressing edit and then scrolling down to the advanced options and entering a figure in each the top and bottom image margins; I use 80 for both but you can use whichever amount you prefer.
      Feel free to take a look at my blog too if you fancy and let me now what you think, its mainly for film photography.

      Annie

      Like

      1. Thank you, it means a lot. I have tried everything to distance the pictures out but I really can’t get the hang of it. I think it’s could be due to any posts being from my iPhone that I can’t do it/ don’t know how.

        Liked by 1 person

  20. hey friends

    Have started a most excellent series this wee looking at Parents of Children who throw Tantrums with three very different stories shared so far – if you have children or know people who do and Tantrums is a present issue then please share this with them as people have been finding it most helpful: https://brettfish.wordpress.com/2015/08/20/taboo-topic-tantrums-intro

    Hope you have an excellent week and looking forward to seeing what you’ve been up to
    love brett fish

    Like

  25. Hello fellow bloggers (and writers!) Ive just posted what I would call my first fashion post. ‘The Autumn Jacket’ is the title. Can I get some advice on the post?? I would like more advice on the content. Or what would make it a better post in the fashion industry. (Its where Im aiming to go!)
    Tell me if the link works?!?!

    Thank you in advance folks.

    http://seasoanlrose.wordpress.com

    Like

  28. Hey guys, just started my blog entitled “Why do English people…?” It would be great if you could check it out, hopefully have a laugh or smile and then let me know what you think! I’ve only done a couple of posts, but there are more to come 🙂 Thanks

    Like

    2. started following you. I think its quirky and fun. Will enjoy reading your posts. I’m sure theres more to the Brish than the Royals! haha, don’t worry that was meant as a joke. Rock on though! You have something going

      Like

  29. Hello community poolers!
    Last week I had mentioned that I wanted to turn my menu options into something a little more “hoodish” like my sites name. So I changed them up a bit. Could you possibly tell me if you like it or not. I would love all feedback even if its criticism.
    Thanks a bunch!
    Cheers!
    Here is my site link!
    https://themomhood.wordpress.com/

    Like

  30. Hello, everyone.

    I’m Vineeth, the gut at The Lousy Design. I do book reviews, film reviews, and a lot of random, pointless stuff.

    Deviating from what seemed to be a A Song Of Ice And Fire review series, I write about this competition I was a part of.

    Small Triumph.

    Like