Oct 19, 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.
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  1. Hi WordPressers, I’ve just posted 3 of a new series of humorously captioned famous paintings, would love to know what you think. I’m especially curious if the Brit humour in these works as well across the pond and in various far-flung shores. Thanks!

    http://halfbananas.com/

    Like

      1. Checked out your blog. I liked the posts. Though one thing I’d suggest is if you might want to reconsider the size of the header image, it is quite a little bit ‘big’ for my taste. But overall, I think your blog is nice. ☺

        Like

      1. I like the post and the tone of the character. I think an image would also help with the mood of the post. Kudos to you – such a really nice post. ☺

        Liked by 1 person

  5. Hey guys,
    Today is the day of change, I have finally abandoned my usual sarcastic and humorous ways to get slightly more serious – I have finally accepted that I have social anxiety and thought I should dedicate a place for me to write about it, share my experience with other people and see what happens.

    https://myabsurdversionof.wordpress.com

    Have a read if you fancy, no pressure or expectations, just self-advertising for my blog, I guess 🙂
    Oh, and sorry about the lack of artwork for the squares, I’m working on it.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I absoloutly love this!! My blog is about health anxiety because I have hypochondria so the spider article really stood out to me and it’s something I would think myself! I love the layout and design. A great blog!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I know – it seems we found each other at the same time! Thank you so much, and I really do mean it, every positive thought helps

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Hi,
      I really enjoyed your blog. I like the “absurd” concept you’re going for. Definitely unique. I also enjoyed your posts as well. I can tell you are sharing these things from a personal place within you. You’re doing a great job so far 🙂 Keep up the great work!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks – it took me a lot of time and thought to refine it to something I could use all the time 🙂 That’s really nice to hear, I’m glad other people can sort of sense it and I’m not just aimlessly writing out rubbish all the time! I’ve checked out your blog, too, and it looks so cool! The pictures you take are always so beautiful, they work really well

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Your blog is awesome! I love how you put up the pictures of the books. I really enjoyed your review category. I’m a huge lover of novels and so your blog definitely caught my attention. Keep up the great work! You’re doing great 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    3. I love the way your blog is laid out. It’s easy to peruse a number of posts me not feel overwhelmed. Also, you should absolutely read To Kill a Mockingbird!

      If you’re interested in books and writing, would you mind checking out my blog? I’d love your feedback! https://readingbytrain.wordpress.com

      Like

    4. Your blog is laid out brilliantly and gives the reader an easy overview of the range of books you’re reviewing – really easy to navigate too. The only thing I found difficult was finding the ‘Follow’ button, which appears and disappears as you scroll. I did find it and follow you in the end!

      Rachel https://ramblingsofrachel2014.wordpress.com/

      Like

    1. I loved your first post. You could try filtering your photos. I love a good filter. Although, I had readers mention they hated filters. Another suggestion is to blur people’s faces when you post them on the Internet.
      I would like to hear more about you and how you got into Japan.
      Overall, I loved the photos and the text.

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Hi Alexander,
      I absolutely fell in love with your blog. I always get super excited finding new photography blogs. I really enjoyed your tokyorail post. Your beginning line was witty haha. I also took a look at your photography portfolio and loved it! Definitely giving you a follow 🙂 Keep up the great work! I’m looking forward to seeing more from you.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Hi John, it’s relatively new so I appreciate your kind words of encouragement. I like your pics of san fran showing the cityscape, and your post about going back to school – I feel the same way about travel. 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

  10. Hello everyone…. I’ve been reading through some of your blogs. Brilliant work! My blog is about life, love(failed love), and music. I’m a newbie just coming out of the gates here…. Hope to learn more from everyone 😊

    Liked by 4 people

      2. I took a look at your blog and I think it’s great. You put out a lot of content which is good. Perhaps a word of advice: Maybe you can make categories. So that your posts can be more organized and readers can find your work easier. Also, if you made an About page. That way viewers can better understand what your blog is about and also connect with you more personally. Other than that, you’re doing great. I wish you the best of luck!

        Like

  11. taupeworld.wordpress.com guys it’d be great to get some feedback and for anyone who’s interested in the endless cycle of fashion will hopefully enjoy my blog, and i’m also ready to look at anyone’s blog as i understand the struggle of attracting traffic on your blog. :]

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I love interior design! It’s absolutely beautiful 🙂

      I enjoyed your blog as well. How everything is in these boxes makes it easy for readers to just click on whatever interests them. So definitely your layout is clean and concise. Keep up the great work 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  13. Hi! My name is Heather. I started a science blog: http://theotherscienceblog.com/. Let me hear what you think.

    As a reader, does the theme distract you? Would you be interested in learning more? Why or why not? Would you be interested in writing or submitting a blog post? Is science something you read about?
    These questions are here to help you get started. Anything else you want to tell me would be appreciated.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Just followed you almost for your theme alone before I even read anything! So no, theme does not distract and looks quite original in fact. I don’t do nearly enough reading about science, either here on WP or in general, so I am happy to come across the science blogs when I see them. In general my science reading comes from FB sites and or the occasional newspaper or magazine article. Music and photography are my blog specialties so I don’t think I would dare write a post for you, but I look forward to reading more

      Liked by 2 people

      1. My goal with the blog is to make science fun by adding humor and things that people don’t get to read in the news. I find the news makes science either amazing or boring. My goal is to make my blog take a personal route. I want to write about the experiences I had, but still make things interesting.
        I’m glad you like the theme. Someone bought it for me for the science blog. I can’t return it!
        There was a lecture at a local college about the science of music and healing, and how music can help people heal (and I love music!).
        Anywho, thanks for the visit and the awesomesauce comments!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I love the idea behind your blog. That sounds wonderful. Science can be very dry sometimes, and also very daunting, no matter which field of science you are talking about so I appreciate the context of making it more personal. Love the theme, don’t try to return it lol! In case you are interested, this is as close as I have made it to writing about science! https://robpatdoy.wordpress.com/2015/01/09/soundtrack-of-a-photograph-part-15/

        Liked by 1 person

      3. That’s a great piece! Pretty epic. You don’t have to be a scientist to write about science (just look at me. I don’t even know what I’m doing!).
        Sorry it took me forever to respond!

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Hi!
      I loved your blog. Especially the creative writing and random contemplations categories. Your writing style is fantastic. I encourage you to keep up the great work 🙂 Definitely giving you a follow! Looking forward to seeing more!

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Hi,
      I liked your blog. Your header images are nice as well. Your layout gives your blog a very clean and elegant look. Very easy on the eyes. Your post is also great 🙂 The only thing I’d suggest is if you made an About page so that people can better understand your blog and people can also connect with you better. Other than that, I think you’re doing great!

      Liked by 1 person

  19. Hi everyone,
    Please come check out my blog @ cookingwithkaelyn. that would be awesome. BTW I just started so I might only have a couple posts. Please don’t Judge.

    Liked by 2 people

  22. Hi everyone! I created Finance&Fitness almost a year ago now to write about exercise, diet, running and also some personal finance tips. Lately I have really been looking at my design and content with a critical eye. I have chosen a template with small pictures because admittedly my photo abilities aren’t great. But I’m not sure if it takes away from my posts. Any insight you can provide is greatly appreciated!

    Liked by 1 person

      2. Your blog looks great. I like the about page with the photo on the right. Good theme choice. I would perhaps consider making your photos a little large. You can do that by clicking on them in edit mode, hitting the pencil, and then adjusting the size. They might stand out a little more. Best of luck!

        Liked by 1 person

    2. I dont know that there is a right or wrong way. And I think you have a wonderful start. Your page looks smart and clean. Keep up the good work! You are on the right page by sticking with the daily post. You will learn a lot from their viewers and from their lessons. Best of luck to you.

      Liked by 1 person

    3. Let blogging just be an extension of yourself. It’s all about self-expression. Don’t worry about what people think and how many views or followers you get. Let this blog be for you and you alone 🙂 I hope as you blog and go down this path of self-discovery, you can truly feel liberated! I wish you the best of luck!

      Liked by 1 person

    2. I love the theme you chose. I like the big large photos like that. I think you have a great start. I would consider adding a search box so users can search through your content. Keep up the good work!

      Like

    3. Welcome to the blogging world!
      Your layout is very neat and clean. I like it 🙂 The only thing I’d suggest is if you made an About page so that people can better understand your blog and they can connect with you more personally. I wish you the best of luck!

      Like

    1. Enjoyed your blog. I think it’s great to see fellow Christians here on the WordPress community! Keep striving to live a lifestyle of worship to Jesus Christ.
      The only thing I’d suggest, is if you made some categories. That way readers can better navigate through your blog. Perhaps you could make one category about your personal walk with God and another category of creative writing. Or whatever else. I hope that helped 🙂

      Like

    1. I love this idea of random photos. I think sometimes it is fun to just see a quick photo with a quick word or two instead of committing to reading a long blog piece. Way to go. Love the randomness.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks for the tip Karuna. If I remember correctly, I forgot to switch on the flash, that is why it looks so dark.
        But anyway, thanks again for the tip & I will use that site for my future posts

        Liked by 1 person

  29. Hi there everyone.

    I am a University student in the UK studying at the University of Warwick. i have started a political blog – if anybody would be kind enough to follow and have a look at my article it can be found here: charlierichardsblog.wordpress.com

    Thank you all.

    Liked by 1 person

      2. I would recommend adding something to your about page so we can tell what your blog is about. It might help viewers identify if they want to follow you or not. I don’t know if your blog is a finance blog or something else yet because there isn’t too much content yet.

        I love your theme though. That is one of my favorites. Good luck.

        Liked by 1 person

  30. There’s loads of stuff on my blog if you’re interested or just want something to entertain you for a bit 🙂 newest post here: I Hit a Wall
    Writers block is so annoying. I’ve got everything in my head, like, everything is there, because I can see it. I know it’s in there. But I can’t get it out.  I rarely get writers block when I’m writing this, I don’t know why but it just never happens, I think there’s less pressure with […]
    idea, author, book, writers block, writing
    https://emmasguidetothegalaxy.wordpress.com/2015/10/18/i-hit-a-wall/

    Liked by 2 people

    3. Just keep trying. I think sometimes it’s just there and multiple posts flow and sometimes it is forced. Just try to embrace it and not get frustrated and take advantage of the moments where you can’t type fast enough because stuff is flowing out of your fingers like lightening!

      Go for a walk or a drive to clear you mind so you can only focus on whatever it is that you want to write about. Or turn on music or try draw something or photograph something. Change your perspective.

      I don’t really know what I am talking about but those things work for me. Treadmill, driving, and walking are my favorites.

      Like

    5. It’s bound to happen. We are all human and thus, we can never be perfectly consistent in our work. Don’t beat yourself up for it. You’re doing great 🙂 Be patient, and keep trying. I wish you the best of luck!

      Liked by 1 person