Dec 7, 2015 / Community Pool

Community Pool

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

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.
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  • 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.
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  3. Hello everyone! I’m really new to blogging, and writing for the public in general. If someone would read one or two of my pieces and give me some thoughts it would be hugely appreciated. Like, are they easy to read? Do you think there is a personality apparent in them? What parts or points do you find uninteresting/interesting?

    Thanks!
    gelwicksblog.wordpress.com

    Like

    1. I like the header of your website, with the name and the picture. Looks really modern. I read your ‘Tragedies’ post and it does have a particular voice. It’s nice and it’s sort of like you’re telling a story but (if I’m understanding right) they actually happened to you. Some thing that would make your posts easier to understand is if you would add an about page. It would make the posts easier to understand because there would be some background knowledge on who you are. Also, add some pictures if you can :).
      Blog: https://goldnuggets.wordpress.com/

      Like

  4. Hi everyone! I am Doroteja.. and it would really mean the world to me if you could check out my blog that I started a couple of months ago.. I am still new to all this and some feedback would really mean a lot! https://dksstyle.wordpress.com

    I hope I hear from you,
    Doroteja xx

    Like

  8. Hello everyone! I started blogging a little over a month ago and would love any and all feedback! My blog, Trekking on Two Feet, chronicles my adventures running, hiking, and trying other outdoor activities around Upstate & Western NY. Here is my latest post:

    http://trekkingontwofeet.com/2015/12/03/throwback-thursday-my-first-half-marathon/

    I would love to hear your thoughts, opinions and yes – even criticism (hopefully constructive!). What types of posts might be more helpful or interesting to readers who share a love of the outdoors?

    Many thanks and best wishes to you all!

    Liked by 3 people

      1. Thanks, I appreciate the feedback! I just followed your blog – I loved your “Step Forward” post, particularly your message about being kind. I wish you the best look forward to reading more of your content!

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Hello!
      I loved your blog! I enjoyed seeing all the pictures. Definitely makes reading your posts a lot more fun. I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed your marathon experience. You guys seem so adventurous and daring! Keep up the great work 🙂 The only thing I’d suggest is, maybe you can make categories for different type of activities that you do. That way readers can easily navigate to different sections and adventures you guys go on. I hope that helped! Cheers!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you Debra! I look forward to following your insightful posts. Thanks for following me, and please feel free to share your thoughts and feedback!

        Liked by 1 person

  9. Hey everyone! I started blogging in October this year. Initially I started writing posts on Facebook and the positive feedback I got encouraged me to start blogging. My writing started off as funny perspectives on Nigerian life, but since I discovered that I can write poetry, a lot of my writing now seems more solemn. My question is if I should stick to either funny or serious themes, or just stop overthinking and just go with the flow? Please see my write-ups on http://www.classicallyivy.com. I look forward to your insight 😀 Ivie.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. My two cents: don’t stress about not having a specific “theme” of your blog! I think it’s completely fine to have some serious posts, and some funny ones – your blog should be a reflection of who you are, and I imagine you’re both serious and funny so it makes perfect sense to showcase both aspects of your personality and writing on your blog.

      Liked by 2 people

    2. I enjoyed reading several of your blogposts, Ivie, and don’t think you should restrict yourself… although you may find that your blog takes a particualr direction after a while. What you can do is make sure that you add categoris to your blogposts and could add these as headers, so that if someone wants to read your poetry, they can find it all with a single click 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    3. I completely agree that adding categories will help you and your readers differentiate. Once you have more posts it helps new readers browse too. And you are absolutely under no obligation to “stick” with a tone. I’ve asked the same thing before about mine. Now I just say it’s “mostly humorous with a few sticky emotions”.

      Liked by 2 people

  10. Hi all! I’ve had a few blogs before but none have even really gotten fully started – my most recent blogging venture is https://smalltowntrash.wordpress.com and I would appreciate it if anyone could check it out and give me some feedback. I don’t necessarily have a specific topic that I write about, I just write of things that have happened or are of interest to me.
    Thanks in advance! Cerys 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I read your ‘A few words to my younger self’. You have a nice voice and it was very interesting to read of what you thought about yourself. Your website is simple and easy to navigate. What I really like is the photography! I’m not sure if you took those or not, but maybe you could find a way to highlight those more.
      Blog: https://goldnuggets.wordpress.com/

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thankyou for your kind comments! I did indeed take the photos myself and now I’ll be sure to state that fact. I just checked out your blog and I think it’s written well and the way it is done makes it feel easy to relate more to the posts, I also like that you write about Katniss and the Hunger Games as I love the franchise! Also, typically I wouldn’t like such a colour theme but I think it fits nicely with the personalities portrayed and the whole theme!

        Like

      1. Thankyou, I just checked out your blog and I have to say it’s excellent and incredibly well written. I love the topics you’ve written about, and as a fellow HonY fan I enjoyed your most recent post! Thank you for the follow 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

    4. Hello!
      I really enjoyed that post. It was very introspective and thought-provoking. Definitely captivated me the whole time. It’s funny because I live an hour away from San Bernardino and so this post really struck me. I really love the way you write and also really liked all the categories that you have. I encourage you to keep doing your best 🙂 If you could also take a look at my blog and give me some feedback, that would be awesome! Thank you!

      Liked by 1 person

  13. Hey guys!

    I’ve recently about two weeks ago announced my arrive here at WordPress, all I would like to do is express myself showing people my thoughts and opinions without being judged, I’m doing new blogs every day and mostly shall be Christmas themed, due to the time of year! Which most people look forward to, unless I have found a more serious situation then, I shall just for that day. But hey if your looking for somthing different some fun, moral blogs , please check me out. So appreciated if you follow me and like/comment on my blogs, I love it when people comment to help me improve and also give me ideas and share there thought. Be sure to take and look, bye.xx

    Like

    1. Hey welcome to the blogosphere!
      Don’t forget to make an About page so people can get to know you and your blog.
      I look forward to reading some Christmas posts! 🙂

      Like

  14. Hello, swimmers! I was really inspired by a cause I find near and dear to my heart. There are several stray cats in my neighborhood that will be left out in the subzero temperatures of a Minnesota winter. I started a fundraiser to raise money in order to feed, shelter and find adoptive homes for them. Please read and visit the link to get more details. I look forward to reading some other posts of yours as well!

    http://www.journeytoanxietyfree.com/support-your-local-animal-shelter/

    Like

      1. Thank you, Aidan! It’s been bothering me for a long time about the strays. This adorable kitten showed up in our yard during the summer, and I wanted to keep her, but my mom wouldn’t let me take her in. So I decided to do what I could to help her and other cats like her. She’s been making regular visits to the makeshift cardboard shelter I’ve got out, so she should transition to the new shelter once I get the funds and build it. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  15. Hey! This is a pretty cool thread, I’ve got to check some of these blogs out! My blog is http://www.short16blog.wordpress.com and I would love it if you would check it out! Currently I don’t need any help, but no one is following me and I’m getting no feedback on the short stories I’m writing. I’m just looking for critics, is all! I’m trying to post a short story a week to improve my writing skills. Currently I’m pretty bad at it, and that’s why I need your help! Thanks so much!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi Ace.
      Small thing but I’d suggest indenting those paragraphs where there is a speaker. Little bit easier for the eye to process and will help with the structure. Good work though!

      Like

    2. Hi thanks you so much for following my blog. I am now following you too. Can I suggest you add an ‘About’ page to your blog. It just tells readers a bit more about your blog, what you plan for the blog and some info about you. It might help generate some followers. If you’re not sure what I mean you are welcome to check out my blog. Also have you added categories and tags to your posts. Again this might help in bringing people to your blog. I will try and look at your stories properly when I have more time.
      From Debra @ https://cultivatingtime.wordpress.com/

      Like

  16. Okay, I’ve been doing social media of some sort forever now but I have to say, this WordPress community is the best. I started my blog mid October and would love some feedback, whoever has some spare time to take a gander. I’ll take a look at some above as well. A community of writers is like this freaking awesome place that just feels like home.

    http://www.threeisthemagicnumberblog.wordpress.com

    Like

    1. I like your voice. I’ve only read a little so far but I’m excited to read more. Like you, I put my writing to the wayside while I got swept up in “daily life” and think the discovery of a whole community of writers is “freaking awesome”. Sentiments echoed. I did notice you have a lot of categories, which feels a bit overwhelming. Not sure if there’s a way to pare down to a few core? Can’t wait to read more.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Tell me more about the categories, does that make it overwhelming as the reader? I could definitely sum them up into just a few, I would love to hear your thoughts.

        Like

      2. Just at a quick glance it looks like you have 2 separate ones for reblog and blogging which could definitely be condensed. There’s 3 related to writing and creative writing. I think it could give you a cleaner look to condense it down and it could direct your readers to a few solid places. Less is more and all. Like some of the family ones could be under “Family” and tagged with “little sister” instead of a category. Still a way to search. Some wise blogger on this site once told me that WP will sometimes exclude posts from reader and searches if there’s too many categories and more than 15 tags on one post. No clue if it’s true but it really made me pare some of mine down and really think about how I was tagging posts. You want to maximize content and I’m all for efficiency. It helps me edit too. Hope that helps!

        Like

      5. If you go to Posts and Edit for each one, you can change the categories and tags. People follow certain tags like “motherhood” or “dating” so you don’t want to make them too specific like “white rabbit” unless you’re looking to reach the Alice in Wonderland niche. I think of Categories like Main Headings–like categories are drawers to put posts in, and tags are the socks you’re putting in there. Make sense?

        Like

    2. Hi,
      Your blog is neat and I like your writing style. My only critique is that the font you use for titles is a little hard to read due to the little swirl thing on the capitals. It’s not un-readable but it’s not as easy as it should be.
      P.S. RDJ is awesome!

      Like

    3. The blog is really flashy (color everywhere!). It can be a little overwhelming and hard to navigate because of this though, especially since the font turns red when you hover your mouse on it. I thought your most recent post was really charming, haha!

      Like

  17. Why hello fellow swimmers!
    Its been awhile since I’ve stopped by to say hello!
    I have a new week going for Prompt Stomp. Writing and Photography this week! All things Vintage!!!! If you’re interested in a little writing/photo inspiration, stop on by!

    Prompt Stomp- Week 10

    I hope everyone is having a glorious Monday and week so far!
    Hope to see you in The Hood!
    Cheers!

    Like

    1. Hi Megan. Congrats on your first steps with the blog. I’d suggest creating a few tabs at the top – About Me (so I can understand what your blog is about, and also what you are writing about). A blog section which houses your future posts instead of having a long ream of them on your home page. It’s your first post and you’ll find your blog evolve over time! Best of luck!

      Liked by 1 person

  22. HI everyone! This threads have been a great help to me this past year and I have met great people as well! I wonder how many more I will meet along the way? I am not at home right now to have the liberty to check blogs out but when I get home I sure will! Here is my blog and I hope you stop by some time! https://paperspensandperidot.wordpress.com/
    Please let me know what you think, thank you!

    Like

  23. What recommendations does anyone have for increasing traffic? I have a Facebook and Instagram page. Should I use anything else?

    Like

    1. Hi Stephieann8. Correctly tagging your posts will be crucial to start building traffic through Search Engines. Consider catchy tags 8-12 per blog post is best practice and you’ll notice more visitors after a few weeks when the pages start to rank on search engines.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. That was a fun post to read. Gorgeous photos! I used to live in central NJ and would avoid going to NYC unless absolutely necessary because it was always so overwhelming. I wish I had had your blog as a guide of great places to visit in the city back then! Keep up the good work. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    1. I have joined some “meet and greets” and have found some great blogs. Really helps get others to your site as well.

      Like

      2. I have searched other blogs by topic and followed them. You will soon see others who are hosting or offer to reblog your post. I have gotten a good amount of traffic from others offering to reblog. Also, just interacting with other writers and responding to them you will see a lot of meet and greets.

        Liked by 1 person

  28. It’s great to see so many people starting out among a lot of veterans sticking with it. I fall into the latter category. My blog “Riley Central” has been around since 2005. I’ve learned volumes by using WordPress. I am on a self-hosted blog which allows a little more freedom with plugins, themes, and files. I like both platforms though. I do some blogging on .com but my preference is .org

    Liked by 1 person

  29. Greetings, all. Just stopping by to see what’s new that’s going on. Looking forward to gaining inspiration from your work. By the way, I blog about NOTHING, tying everything in neat little knot. If anyone would like to check it out, & send some feedback or suggestions, I’d happily return the favor. Either way, continued success in all you do & Happy Blogging. #NOTHINGMatters

    Liked by 2 people

  30. I hope everyone is doing well. I recently published a post seeking advice on what I can do to avoid secondhand smoke when using public transportation. Any advice, creative solutions, or simply support is appreciated. The link is below:

    Secondhand Smoke

    Have a great week

    Like