Nov 9, 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?

Did you just start blogging and you’re not sure how to get going? Has your blog been dormant for a while but you’d like to give it a jolt of life? Join our free Blogging 101 course (or any of our other offerings at Blogging U.).

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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    2. I thought it was great! The way you write is very captivating. I felt very entertained haha. I loved your categories as well. Especially the singing one. You should do more of those too! Keep up the great work Emma 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    3. I really like your blogs galaxy picture! I do advise you to use fonts and bolden letter and stuff a bit though because it gets too many words. I guess even pictures will help. I liked the post it was cute and interesting too! Cheers! 😉

      Like

    1. Love the end of Confessions of a Shot Girl. Filed under things you can’t make up 🙂 I would suggest fleshing out your About Page. I’ve only been doing this a few months myself but I find when I look at other sites it’s one of the first things I read, especially if a site is mire established with years of posts.

      Like

    2. I like your writing, but recommend creating an About page, especially since you’ve recently created your blog as people can’t flick through several posts to see what your blog is all about.

      Like

    5. Hello,
      I loved your header image. It’s definitely an attention grabber. Your posts are all great as well! I enjoyed the contents of your most recent post haha. The only thing I’d suggest is if you updated your About page so that viewers can better understand your blog and also connect with you more personally. I wish you the best of luck!

      Like

  3. Greetings and a happy Monday! I just wanted to share my blogiversary joy. I’ve been blogging for a whole year now! Sure, there may be a week or so between posts, and I may have forgotten my password a half-dozen times (which is the reason for the lapse between posts). But a year! And I actually think I’ve improved a bit. The content is still a bit everywhere, and my widget game is still evolving, but I think I’m growing and getting better at it. Wahoo! A year!

    https://findingaid.wordpress.com/

    Liked by 5 people

      1. Thank you for having a look at my blog. I just checked out your blog too and I just have to great work, really great work, and what make your posts really is that your stories are coming out straight from your heart. Sincere and honest. You also have managed to have a good audience too and i would love to be part of it. One tip! Keep the good work up and thank you for checking my blog

        Liked by 1 person

      1. Hi jade
        Thank you for checking out my blog. I had a look at your blog too. I think you ve done great work. Also i like the layout of the blog. Simple and easy. Keep it going!

        Liked by 1 person

    2. I t is obvious that you have just posted your first post, congratulations.
      Now take your time to learn a few things, create a page (about me), look at the widgets and see which ones will suit you.
      Happy blogging!

      Liked by 2 people

    3. Welcome to WP. I echo the thoughts on the About page, and other than that, just keep going for now so there is more for people to understand whether or not read.

      Like

    5. I thought everything was great! You seem to be on the right track. The only thing I’d suggest though is if you uploaded a picture. That way your avatar isn’t just some tribal looking design like all the other hundreds of new bloggers. It brings something more personal to your blog 🙂 Goodluck!

      Like

      1. I’ll definitely upload a picture . thanks for the suggestion . Please don’t forget to read and comment on my next posts too.:)

        Liked by 1 person

    6. Hey! I like your theme and how it looks. I couldn’t really find the like button or the comment section though. I read your post too its interestingly funny and cool! Great going! 😉

      Like

      1. Thanks for the theme 🙂 I’ve changed it few hours before your comment . & well , you can leave your comment by clicking on the ‘ leave your comment’ option which is in the last of the post only.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. I just read it and it’s beautiful , especially the line ‘you will keep searching for her in everyone you meet ‘. Hey! check out and tell me about my new post too 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks for your feedback! I just checked out your blog and some of the things you talk about I have experience of myself and I find it brave that you are talking about them. I’m going to have a good read through your posts now. 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

  13. Hey Everyone

    I’m completely new to the world of blogging as reader and a writer. I’ve recently started a travel-log which is my musings on the world as I experience it. My question/feedback request is to do with the mix in the posts. I have blog posts which are about 5-600 words in length and highlights from airports, running and moment in time observations, which have very little text. I set it up that way to share experiences but now that I have a few followers I realise that even empty-ish photo posts will get sent to them. Does it make sense to keep as one blog or separate out ?

    https://safarigirlblog.wordpress.com

    Observations and insights on “blog etiquette” appreciated .. Thanks !

    Liked by 4 people

    2. You have a beautiful blog! I loved all the pictures as well. I think you’re doing great. As for the mix, I think it’s okay to mix them. I don’t think you need to go as far as creating another blog. What you can do though, is just make a separate category. That way viewers can easily find the division between to two. I hope that helped!

      Liked by 1 person

  15. I started blogging on wordpress where most of my friends had their blogs. I began in April and left it soon. I could not understand how the whole system worked and why it was so ugly in the end. I went to Blogger, which was immediately all right. Because some of my friends will not move from wordpress, I have tried again at the end of the summer. No great success and I cannotchange things I hate (why two ists of archives and why can’t I delete one? or add a blog roll for instance? Irritating things. Fonts as well.
    Here is the address of the blog:
    https://camilledefleurville.wordpress.com
    Any idea to improve it, welcome with thanks.

    Liked by 4 people

      1. Thank you for answering.
        I have ot really understood the “categorising” but I suspect it is the “tag” you attach to each entry. And there seems to be a blog roll authorised by the menu but that does not work. I a word ( or three): I am lost! 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Hey, no need to worry! I’m here to help you our
        Okay, lets understand what Category is:
        Let say your blog is about your pet, your favorite places in your city, your thoughts, etc, etc. Now whenever you write a post & publish it up on your blog from any of the above mentioned, you will “categorize” it. For example, if you have written a piece about your pet, you may categorize that post as My Pet Adventures (just a suggestion).

        Now Tags on the other hand are bit different from Category. Writing a post about your favorite pizza joint for example you are, you may insert tags like Pizza, Pepperoni, Italian, Crust, etc.

        These are just examples. Play with them and you will learn more and more!!

        Happy Blogging!!

        Liked by 1 person

    3. I completely understand. There are things I get frustrated with as well. I think I’ve just learned to deal with them assuming that these things won’t really change. Even if I wish they did. I know that if you purchase a premium plan, you have more freedom and flexibility over your blog. Perhaps you can try that if you don’t mind spending some money.

      As for your blog itself, I enjoyed it. The contents are great and I love all your visuals. I didn’t feel overwhelmed because everything was well organized. I wish you the best of luck, my friend 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you very much indeed! I have at ast (!) understood how to make a blogroll and am working in it. Premium would be great but I have no mmoney to spend on it. Therefore, I shall try to deal as well as I can with the material I have.
        Thanks agin for your compliments.
        What’s your blog? We are on a forum to exxchange, youknow… 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      1. Infact, I subscribed to 101 but was re-directed to this blog course. It does not help me in any way as I have no problem writing blogs. But I have met some people who read my blog(s) and discussing them: they enjoyed the blend of text and illustrations. Therefore nothing’s lost! But a more “technical”blogging bourse would be welcome. Thank you.

        Like

  21. Hello there, writers!
    MiddleMe is now 4 months old and I welcome any suggestions to take this website into higher ground than it already have. MiddleMe is actually a portal for me to share career advice and wisdom and to encourage working folks to follow their passion in pursuing their rightful career path. I welcome all feedbacks and comments or else, do drop by http://MiddleMe.net to say hi! 😉

    Liked by 3 people

    2. You have a really great blog! It has a fitting theme and header, is easy to navigate and has good posts!
      There´s not much to criticize…just I would shift your widgets a little and have the ones together which belong together;-) if you know what I mean.. That you have the follow button and then the follow via email button and so on…
      But really great blog, I love your nail designs and your makeup looks!
      XO
      PS: I´d love it, if you could take a look at my blog as well…https://1617sunshineave.wordpress.com

      Liked by 1 person

      3. I love the layout of your blog, but I would consider moving a couple of things. E.g. moving the link to the About page to the navigation bar at the top so that it’s more visible. I’d also suggest moving your widgets so that people can follow you higher up the sidebar to make finding you and following you easier :-).

        Liked by 1 person

    4. Everything looks great! I love the layout and even the header. Very eye catching 🙂 The contents itself is great too. I love books too and so I enjoyed that category. I think you’re doing great and I encourage you to keep it up! Cheers!

      Liked by 1 person

  23. Hello everyone! I am slowly coming up to a year of blogging, and I’ve enjoyed the journey thus far! I have a logo in the works (to be debuted in December), and I’ve attempted to incorporate more photos into my posts. I’m open to any thoughts and feedback!! Thank you in advance!
    Anhistorianabouttown.wordpress.com

    Liked by 1 person

  24. Hi everyone, Kat here! My blog was initially a food blog that transformed into a personal/writing blog. I’d like to get some feedback on some of my food posts since it’s really something I want to excel on. Here are my links:

    http://katblogs.com/category/review/
    http://katblogs.com/category/recipes-2/

    I just want to get feedback about how I describe/write about food in general. Should I just stop posting food stuff and focus on writing and perfecting my craft first?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Let me say as a big foodie myself, I enjoyed your reviews! They were very well done; good descriptions of the restaurant and more importantly, the food that they served. Keep on the great work!

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi,
      I loved it! Your most recent most is actually really informative and well constructed. I didn’t have any trouble following your thought process. You’re quite talented 🙂 I also really enjoyed your Solvang post! I also went there this year and made a post about it so I thought your post was awesome. You’re doing great 🙂 I encourage you to keep up the great work!

      Liked by 1 person

    1. I think the form is really up to you. If you don’t like to write about them, you could just title them. If the pics are the focus, let them be! Though if you had a certain pic you want to talk about or share how you took it, you could always write about that one. But for the most part, I think the form factor you choose is up to you. There is no wrong way. Cheers

      Like

    2. I completely agree with jovialnarcissist. It’s how you want to express your work to others; if you want to write about it, go on ahead! Just want to show the pictures? That’s alright too. There really is no right or wrong way!

      Like

    5. I personally like some text to go with the photograph to give some context to it, what it means to you etc, even where it was, a picture with absolutely nothing else is just that, a picture. However looking at the other responses it would seem I am in a minority.

      Like

  28. Hey everyone! After a brief interlude (in which I blame not being able to blog at work due to, you know, actual work) Society Camp, a humor blog where we discuss all the annoying and awful things people do and judge them accordingly, is back with another post. Have gotten some great feedback on my blog’s content and made some great connections here, so sharing to meet some more of you. The language is at times, colorful…a warning for the more gentle mannered bloggers among us. Stop by for a visit, I’ll do the same for you. Cheers!

    https://societycamp.wordpress.com/

    Liked by 4 people

    2. I only had a moment to glance around but I love the tone. I’ll be back later for a more in-depth read. I may ask your advice when I sit down to write my post about aggressive gum chewers. I think you may like some of my humorous, less sticky emotion, posts likehttp://sleepingonthediagonal.com/2015/10/14/ants-in-the-dishwasher/ I look forward to reading more of the awful things people do.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Just checked it out, really a fun read. Couldn’t find the follow button, though that may be an indication of my own uselessness with wordpress tech stuff. Bookmarked, I’ll be back for sure.

        Like

      2. Thanks buddy! The follow for me when I look at sites is a tiny little thing on the bottom right that scrolls as I scroll. Will be reading more of your stuff after I’m done my paying the bills job today.

        Like

      3. Just wanted to say thanks buddy! Your comment about the follow button lead me to investigate how to put some fancy widgets on that made it easier to follow. Learning slowly.

        Liked by 1 person

    3. I love all the pictures! It brings depth into your posts. The contents itself is also very engaging and a joy to read. I think you’re doing great. The only thing I’d suggest is if you changed the header image and put up an image of your own. That way your blog layout doesn’t look like hundreds of others who are using the same one. I hope that helped 🙂 Cheers!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks for the feedback John. I have thought about changing the header (I have an image I use for promotional stuff, business card and fridge magnets etc…Only reason I hadn’t changed it was the current picture works so well for the theme of the blog but ultimately you are right in that in needs to change to stand out. Thanks!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. You’re welcome! Yeah the original picture honestly is great. I do agree. It tempted me to keep it when I had it a while back haha. But anyways, goodluck !

        Like

  29. I hope everyone is having a great day. I just completed my 20th post, yay, on my blog about my volunteer experience. I am looking for creative ideas to mix up my post format. Thus far I have tried poetry and short stories.

    Servewithme.WordPress.com

    Thanks is advance for your feedback.

    Like