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.
  • 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. Hey everyone! Has anyone taken any of the courses that WordPress offers? Would you recommend them? Also, I would love some feedback on my blog. It is geared towards inspiring people in everyday life. I would really appreciate the feedback! Leave a link to your blog in the response to this message, I’d love to give them a read! https://inspireafeeling.wordpress.com

    Like

    1. I’ve taken 101 and two of the 201 courses. I loved them. 101 is great if you’re new to WordPress, but still fine even if you’re not. You learn a lot, your blog improves and you get to interact with bloggers of all types who are just as passionate as you in a really dynamic helpful environment. So yes, I definitely recommend them!

      Like

    2. Hi – I recently took the Blogging 101 course and I would highly recommend it. I was not able to complete as it is pretty intensive and time-consuming and had to fit this around normal blogging and personal commitments plus my full-time job. I am working through the course as when I’m able but there are others who kept up. You are encouraged to work at your own pace, so there is no pressure. You are given access to excellent supporting material which you can always refer to after the course end. Plus there is the added advantage of a huge community of people on the course who will visit, comment and encourage if asked. Go for it.
      I’ve got 3 posts relevant to Blogging 101 which you are welcome to check out at my site: https://apurposedrivenachiever.wordpress.com/

      Liked by 1 person

      1. That sounds great! I will definitely give one of the courses a try! I just read your post “The Purpose-driven Achiever,” it helped to give me a better idea as to what I would be signing up for! Thank you!

        Liked by 1 person

  2. Hi everyone. I have yet to publish my first post (I’m not counting the three in Latin, published accidentally. Red face, red face). Like you, inspireafeeling, I am interested in the courses offered by WordPress, and tried finding a link on the Blogging 101 above, but it doesn’t let me enrol anywhere. Anybody got suggestions on how to enrol? I won’t publish until my about me page, etc is finished. Blessings to you all

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  3. So I am a new blogger. I’m starting to find it interesting now that I have some more time. Any advice? I just have one blog so far because I literally just started. Advice would be much appreciated!

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  5. Hello everyone!

    I started up a blog not long ago because I wanted a place to share my thoughts (musings), crazy dreams (the crazier, the more I remember of them), and other topics that interest me. Please drop by, take a look, and give me some much-needed feedback regarding the layout! I think my side-bar can be greatly improved upon and am not really familiar with what widgets would be great to add to the page.

    You can find my blog here:
    https://musingsofamapletree.wordpress.com/

    Looking forward to stumbling upon some of your blogs too! 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi Tiffany! Interesting content you’ve got on your blog. 🙂 Some suggestions: the Post Calendar, Archive, and Recent Posts widgets in the sidebar are redundant–they all offer the same information packaged in different ways. You should pick one and remove the other two. In my opinion, the Archive should always the first thing to go, especially if you use Categories effectively. This will then leave you space for more interesting widgets that provide other options or even space for monetization, if you want to go that route. Hope that helps!

      Like

    1. I think you should have an about me section, and I think the blog name is a bit bland. You could definitely add in a witty title to say the exact same thing as it does now, but with a bit more attractiveness to it.

      I do like the grid layout though.

      For the book post, it was short but nice. You added in an unnecessary sentence stating “Feel free to make your own top 30 list and send it to me through email.” But then you went on to say comment in the inbox or email it to me again. I just feel like the first sentence could be omitted. Also, you should put in your reasoning as to why you liked each of the books, and why they are numbered the way they are.

      Now for the movies post. The featured image was just…black? You should have made it a picture of something funny, or your favorite movie, or a collage of your favorite movies to add more appeal. Also, you listed “The Croods” twice.

      Like

    2. Hi, personally I would shorten your lists to an absolute maximum of ten, better five, best three even? Thirty books – especially when posted without authors – is very hard for a reader to interact with. Shorter lists, with more detail, and a short explanation of the reasons behind each choice may work better.

      Like

  12. Hey i know many of u guys checked my blog… can you guys please tell me how you find it… please

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  13. Hello!!!
    So i need some general feedback about my blog (layout,posts, anything and everything )
    Criticism is very much appreciated!
    Thankyou alreadyyy!! :*

    Welcome

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I think that when you enter the blog it lacks the feeling of….life. I, in my personal opinion, feel like it needs something more popping out, whereas right now the visual is plain.

      I love the name.

      I noticed some grammatical errors in your about me page, mainly capitalization at the beginning of the sentences.

      That’s what I immediately got from it. 🙂 Hope that helped.

      Like

  15. Hey guys. I was hoping to get some feedback on my blog if possible. I want to know the general feel you get when you enter, and what you think about my posts. If should add or change anything. Let me know!

    Thetalesofketchupandmustard.wordpress.com

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  16. Hey everyone! I’m a relatively young blogger, just 17 last month. I’ve been blogging for a few months, basically the first ones were about when I got a concussion and got amnesia. And if you’re a spiritual person, you might enjoy some of my testimony posts. I don’t get feedback about my writing skills often, so i’d appreciate any 🙂 krisalliss.wordpress.com

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi Kris,
      I took a look through your blog and loved it. I commented on a few posts already haha. Seriously, great job. It’s so awesome to find other Christians here on WordPress. I gave you an immediate follow 🙂 I love your style of writing and the level of introspective value it has. I would just like to encourage you to keep striving for a heart that loves Christ. I hope this year brings more blessings!

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      1. John, thank you so much!! I appreciate that sooo much. It’s so nice to have another christian’s feedback. I’ll check out your blog as well! Thanks again. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  21. Hello All. I was just wondering if anyone knows what it takes to be Freshly Pressed. I’ve been blogging for a few years now. I’ve even had commenters say on a few of my blogs that they were Freshly Pressed worthy. Any suggestions on how to get noticed for that coveted page? Thanks you. Have a great holiday season.

    Like

      2. Christina, it was really kind of you to share a link with Lori above, but I should clarify that the information included in that post is highly inaccurate. The link I posted below contains the most up-to-date details about Discover, our new showcase.

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    1. I took a look at your website, pretty interesting and a lot of variety. I left some likes; I hope you’ll do the same.
      TSP -https://thesocialparalegal.wordpress.com/2014/11/05/home/

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Hello,
      I really enjoyed going through your blog! I get a very artistic vibe from your layout and posts. Your writing is very entertaining and enjoyable. I definitely find it thought-provoking and introspective. Keep up the great work!
      The only thing I’d suggest is making multiple categories as your journey of blogging extends. That way, viewers can find other types of posts you make instead of just your About and Contact. But for now, I think you’re doing fine 🙂 I wish you the best of luck!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you!! Funny enough I’d already considered doing that!! I only found my way around the menu buttons yesterday! Thank you so much!

        Liked by 1 person

    1. I checked out your blog and left some comments and likes. I hope you’ll do the same 🙂
      TSP -https://thesocialparalegal.wordpress.com/2014/11/05/home/

      Like

  26. Hi! I’m not a writer at all. I’m pretty terrible at it actually, but I’m going through a tough time right now and am trying this blog writing thing for therapeutic purposes. My blog will never be anything incredible but if someone wants to read my posts that may be feeling the same way or going through similar experiences I’d welcome their views.

    Like

    2. Really enjoyed your blog! The only thing I would suggest is maybe either changing the font or the size of the font for the tagline as it is difficult to read. Amazing work! Hope you keep it up. Cheers 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    3. Loved your blog! The layout is beautiful and eye catching and the theme is very applicable. I know a lot of people who are facing these problems everyday and I am always trying to understand them better. Your blog is one of the ways I can do that.

      Liked by 1 person

  29. Hi everyone, I would really love if a few people could let me know what you think about my blog? I really like it but I would love to get some outside views! Thanks
    mylifeasek.com

    Liked by 1 person