Aug 31, 2015 / Community Pool

Community Pool

The place for feedback, tips, 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.

Photo by Brian Cantoni.

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  1. Hey guys,

    I have started a new blog and its about sharing interesting and unusual things which are available on sale on sites like Amazon etc.

    Please have a look at the theme and suggestions are welcome.

    One thing I would like to know is should I put the price of the product in my post or not?

    Thank You

    Liked by 2 people

      1. Thank you so much! That’s a good point, I need to add a menu and try and work out how categories work on this new theme. Really appreciate the feedback. 🙂

        Like

    1. HI there. Cool blog! I love the theme you have chosen. Be careful how you put your photos in to your posts. Some of them look like they are in the wrong places or right in the middle of a paragraph. Looks like you have some pretty cool travels! Check out my blog and follow if you would like to follow a fellow traveler.

      Like

    2. Looks like you’re doing great! I especially love your post about Harry Potter-themed decor ideas. I like how you make the reader feel like they’re part of your adventures. Keep up the good work!

      Like

    1. Cool blog. Lots of great content and photos. Just gave you a follow. I like how the things you write about are so different. It keeps the reader wondering.

      Check out my travel blog too if you are interested.

      Like

    1. I’ve been blogging for about four months, and I still struggle with this. I’ve taken to just asking for comments out of desperation, I guess. I, too, would like to know how to effectively get people talking on my blog!

      Like

    2. You have a good looking theme. I like how you mix sewing and your travels all in one blog. I think this will keep people interested. I am also from Northern California so its interesting for me to see what you are focusing on. 🙂 Good luck with your blog.

      Like

    3. Getting comments is not really difficult I guess. At the end of the post just ask a question.

      Like;

      What are your thoughts on this?

      Don’t forget to comment and share.

      etc, etc.

      Regards
      Eric

      Like

  7. Hi everyone,
    A few days ago I got a notification to say that I’d been blogging for a year and it made me so happy. Over the past 12months I have gained a lot from blogging, not only by improving my writing but also interacting with fellow bloggers who share similar interests. This community pool has allowed me to improve greatly as it is the feedback I have received which has helped me make important changes. If you have the time I would really appreciate if you could offer me some more feedback on my blog, writing style, layout etc.

    https://infinitedaydreamer.wordpress.com

    Thank you 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Hi guys! As someone who has dealt with abuse most of my life, I wrote a blog post on the importance of being aware of how parents’ behaviors affect children’s mental health. I consider it a very important subject, and one I’m very passionate about. Please take the time to read and comment. I’d appreciate input on what you guys think of this subject.

    http://www.journeytoanxietyfree.com/how-does-mental-illness-affect-children/

    Liked by 2 people

      2. Its a subject that hits home with me. Being someone who suffers with GAD and watching my children get signs of anxiety, this area is something that I feel strongly about. 🙂

        Like

    1. Stumble upon is a bad idea. I don’t know how many have said that to you Janice but I’ll bet there are many thinking it.

      Watch me put up my ideas for other people to get at. Gee I can’t come up with an idea what should I do? I know I’ll use an app to glean ideas from other people.

      The interest generation brings poachers. After what I released today on both “Transitiou” and “SPASM” I’m reasonably certain you can determine my regard for people poaching.

      Like

    1. Cool blog. Great content. I would suggest adding some widgets to the side of your blog for added interest. Perhaps some links to follow you. Links to categories. Links to older posts… You can check out my blog if you want an idea. Lots of others have other creative ideas on things they have done with their widgets as well. Good luck!

      Liked by 1 person

      4. Cool! There ya go. Have fun playing with them until you find the ones you like! Maybe pay attention to what other people have on their sites and choose what you like and think is a good fit with your site.

        Like

    1. Hello!
      First of all, the link you posted there is wrong.
      As for your blog, the theme is clean and neat and easy to read, but if you’re using it as a business page, an About page is a must, so people know you and your business and what the blog is for!
      Happy blogging!

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Hi all!

    I have been blogging for years under the Blogger domain, and a while back decided to start fresh here on WordPress. At the moment I’m not too worried about post content, but I’d really like feedback on ways I can round out and fill the rest of my blog’s features before launching it on my social media.

    I’ll be coming up with content pretty frequently, but at the moment having only a couple widgets and one page makes it seem pretty empty. Tips? Tricks?

    http://brittdiment.wordpress.com
    Thanks!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Great happy blog! I would suggest you look at adding some widgets. Perhaps something so people can follow you on social media. Perhaps something to bring people to your older posts. And perhaps start categorizing your posts and include the widgets on the side of your blog. This will hopefully encourage readers to visit your blog for a longer amount of time and encourage people to read older or different posts than the one that brought them to your blog. Good luck to you!

      Like

  15. Hello,
    I am not really new to this but I am just trying to continue putting out content. Take a minute or five to peruse my site… pretty much just trying to bring anyone I can along on this journey to adulthood. And the word adult has become basically all parts of speech…

    Like

      1. You have a really great looking blog. I really like the theme you have chosen. I like your usage of widgets. I would only consider perhaps using more images in your posts to grab people’s attention.

        Like

    2. Nila, enjoyed my visit to your site. Your perspective is youthful and fresh. My only comment would be to break some of your posts up into smaller paragraphs. You’re very entertaining, but smaller snippets might keep your readers more engaged. I look forward to hearing more.

      Like

  16. Hi!

    I started blogging yesterday so i’m pretty new in this! I think I know how this works, but I’m not sure hahaha. This is my blog:

    https://mymorningmilkytea.wordpress.com/

    I’m also writing in a language that’s not mine so if you guys want to take a look on it and give me your opinion about my english, it would be great!

    I don’t really know what to write about so I wrote what came to my mind haha. But I’m getting serious, i’m not gonna write about stupid stuff. Just need to focus.

    Thanks for your time!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Great start. Keep it up. I would just recommend you read and follow a lot of other people’s blogs to get ideas on what to do with your and also to continue improving your English! Kudos to you for taking on the task. It will be an exciting one. I love the photo you use and the splash screen at the top!

      I would also recommend you play around with usage and placement of your widgets. Good luck!

      Liked by 1 person

      2. Go to My Site, customize and place around with maybe one widget at a time to see what you think. If you go to my site you will see I have some headers and footers and widgets along the side. You can look and see if anything there interests you. Also, the daily post link I just gave you knows way more than I do and can probably give you some superb instruction. Best of luck! Let me know how it goes.

        Like

    2. Great going though, it actually isn’t bad for someone that is starting out. Its so natural, and that is the kind of reading that i enjoy. I also only started on mine this past weekend, so it feels good to have someone else going through the same fears and insecurities. All the best, am sure you will grow.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thanks! Yes, we always have to start something from scratch somehow and better with great comments like yours!
        I’ve read your most recent post and it’s shocking but really well drafted.
        All the best for you too!

        Like

    1. I love your blog. Lots of fun and excitement and great use of widgets. The bottom section of your blog seems a little busy to me. But, then again I think it is important to have a lot of those widgets. I just don’t know about all of those award icons and so forth. Something to consider anyway…I really like the article on sand painting. Best of luck to you.

      Liked by 1 person

      2. I’m sorry I misspoke/mis-typed. It is the blog university, blog her, and tags that appear in the right hand side. I just opened it up in a different browser and it looks better. I think it looks a little busy but I am conflicted because all of the things you have listed there are cool and something you probably want to keep on your site. So, maybe just keep it in the back of your mind as you move forward with the look of your blog. Thanks for considering my thoughts…

        Like

      3. Blogging courses probably won’t stay forever, blogher probably won’t either because it was supposed to promote my blog on another platform but hasn’t worked out. So thank you for clarification and the best to you as well.

        Liked by 1 person

  18. Just over a week ago I started a second blog because what I plan on doing with the second one doesn’t fit with my original. The separation of church and state if you like. I had a quandry with my latest release. Did the piece belong on transitionu, the coaching, poetry and art blog or on SPASM where it is poignancy with smartass delivery.

    The piece went up on both blogs. I flipped how I showed the works off and cut some of my intelligent donkey behaviour back. I gave the pieces different names on each blog as well.

    I think I made the correct decision to honour both sites but I’m not certain that the piece doesn’t transcend genre and could have gone up one way on both sites.

    Thoughts please. The blog genres are self explanatory when you get there.

    Once Upon A Sky

    https://wordpress.com/dailypost/2015/08/31/community-pool-130/

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I think the content and widgets are looking great on your blog. I would consider a brighter more interesting splash screen at the top of your blog. It is just black now. Perhaps choose a photo or something that represents your ideas that will make a reader know they are on your blog and remember it whenever they come back again and again? I guess it is almost like branding?

      Liked by 1 person

    1. HI there. Great idea for a blog. I just gave you a follow because the content seems really compelling to me. I would only suggest the usage of widgets on the side of your blog. You could include categories that allow the user to search on content they might enjoy of your blog. You could add a search feature so visitors can see what else you have on your blog. And perhaps you can link to previous posts so someone like me can get a better idea of what else you have written about and zoom right there by clicking. You might also add social media links to link to any other pages you may or may not have. Really good job. I look forward to following you.

      Like

  20. Hey all,

    Haven’t had a consistent posting lately because I’ve been writing on other platform, no worries still plenty of interesting (I hope) posts for you to go through!

    http://sykestings.wordpress.com

    Take a minute or 60 to go through and tell me what you think. Will be glad to do the same #IFollowBackToo

    Later!

    Liked by 1 person

  22. HI there. Great idea for a blog. I just gave you a follow because the content seems really compelling to me. I would only suggest the usage of widgets on the side of your blog. You could include categories that allow the user to search on content they might enjoy of your blog. You could add a search feature so visitors can see what else you have on your blog. And perhaps you can link to previous posts so someone like me can get a better idea of what else you have written about and zoom right there by clicking. You might also add social media links to link to any other pages you may or may not have. Really good job. I look forward to following you.

    Liked by 1 person

    2. Ha, I just browsed through a few of your posts and I’m so happy! It’s great! I love it! The sarcasm and your style of writing is awesome (I love sarcasm so much, you wouldn’t believe)

      Liked by 2 people

  26. Does anyone have a success story for using their blog to promote a product or social media to promote their blog? I’d like to promote our Etsy shop once we set it up, I could use a story with a happy ending/warning.

    Liked by 2 people

    2. I tend to zone out when posts are too long. If you want to write something longer maybe split it up into different posts . That way you can have your longer story and get people coming back to your blog because they want to finish it.

      Liked by 3 people