Dec 14, 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. Hi guys, I’m Mikey and I run the blog Screenkickermovies.com

    My problem is that I’ve been going for 3 years and I’ve kind off run out of new ideas. Has anyone here ever expanded from the main focus of their blog and write about other things? How did this go down with your readers?

    Thanks,
    Mikey

    Liked by 1 person

    1. If you go off on different topics, at least tag them in broad topics, so you can add a menu bar.

      Also change your About Page. You might need to slightly tweak your branding..

      Like

    2. I think it’s fine to broaden your subjects – the only thing I would say is keep it to something you really care about. Passionate writing is always interesting.

      I was really worried about this at first but now I’m much more relaxed having found that some of the ‘new’ subjects seemed to be just as well received as the old ones. I wouldn’t change the character of the blog overnight though, just weave new subjects in.

      Liked by 1 person

    3. I post whatever I like on my blog.
      And so far, it’s been a great experience.

      Though in your case, you should tread more carefully as your blog has a solid theme and purpose.

      If you want to diversify without compromising your blog, try guest authoring other blogs!

      Like

      1. Hey there, sorry about the late reply, i’ve been swept up in all the Star Wars commotion!

        This is great advice. In theory it shouldn’t be too hard to write around the topic of movies and still cover lots of other things. For example i wrote about having cancer and how the movies get it wrong.

        I’m going to spend the holidays figuring out the tone of the site. In the meantime i can just write review.

        Thank you so mujch for your advice

        Liked by 1 person

    4. The blog seems very focused so I think it would be very difficult to introduce stuff outside of movies. Maybe try to think of things to compliment what you already do. Reviews on older films, pieces on particular directors, or even introduce some material on up an coming indie film makers, they are always looking for more publicity.

      Like

      1. hey thanks for sharing – some good poems there – definitely something you should keep on at – i have been experimenting this year with some thing called micropoetry which is really really short poems that convey a huge amount of meaning – mine are probably still too long but here are some of the ones i have come up with if you have a few minutes: https://brettfish.wordpress.com/2015/07/14/micropoetry-2015/

        As someone who generally writes too many words it has been great discipline for me
        all the best
        love brett fish

        Like

      1. Took a look and left some words – great stuff, thanks for sharing. [in the one i commented on about popularity one of your headings has “saddest” missing a d, might want to sneak back in and edit that sucker!]

        But good stuff and keep on – like how you are using your space to challenge and inspire.

        love brett fish

        Like

    2. Very cool, thanks for sharing, left a few words on your blog – as someone who has been trying my hand at micropoetry this year it is helpful to find someone else who really gets it…

      keep on
      love b

      Like

  7. What theme would you suggest I switch to?
    I like Dyad, but a branding/flagship header would disappear, because theme offers wonderful slider header which I wish to use.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. There’s plenty of free ones so you can chop and change before deciding to go for one you like. I’ve done this many times in the last 18 months before deciding to cut out the bright lights and stick to simple imagery which lets my content speak for itself. No gimmicks. Best of luck!

      Like

  8. Hello @BenHuberman,
    I’m re-addressing this query to you since there has been no response (see below for original comment). I’m hoping you will be able to help. Thanks in anticipation.

    Hi all – I am wondering whether anyone can help me. I use the Lovecraft theme. Whenever I upload a post to this site it does not appear in the reader. I am thinking this is probably why I do not have any visitors. In the last 6 days I’ve not had a single visitor. I’ve checked and rechecked every aspect at WP admin and cannot find the cause. I use less than 15 tags, my site is set at visible and I’ve read relevant info at WP Help. I’m at my wits end. Does anyone have any wisdom they can pass on about this please?
    I do recall accidentally deleting something (I don’t recall what) whilst doing some admin and am wondering whether this might have anything to do with it.
    The site in question is https://apurposedrivenachiever.wordpress.com. Any constructive ideas/solutions would be gratefully received.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you Ben. Sorry. I wasn’t being impatient. I just didn’t see the message. I will try and remember the contact address for tech support and look forward to hearing from someone who can resolve the problem.

        Like

    1. Hi Bruno. I like the theme you used, clean and simple and the content looks strong with good visuals. Something I wasn’t overly keen on is the menu button, which takes you away from the home page. Perhaps a pop down menu would be better? Nice work.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. In today’s times, tech blogs are in abundance and you have to do a lot if you want to stand out.
      Firstly, you’ve got to keep posting, A LOT, ALL THE TIME.
      Secondly, minimalist themes don’t really apply for websites like yours. The most visually pleasing technology website I saw was theVerge, which still had a lot to show.
      I myself considered starting a technology blog of my own,
      http://debootek.wordpress.com
      but I never really got into it and it’s just lying there right now.

      So, about the appearance part- an average visitor would want to see lots of varying content and topics, all organised in a way that he can make sense of it all.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. 8-12 tags is optimal. Anything more than that it it’ll confuse search engines who think you’ll be spamming. I’d suggest making your entries on the front page shorter with a ‘read more’ inserted so I can drill into a specific post f I’m interested. That way, there won’t be a long list to scrawl through where your home page loads. Best of luck!

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Hey fellow bloggers. I just started my blog not too long ago. Its mainly about movie reviews and movie related topics. I love to add a picture of the movie I’m talking about and was wondering if anyone can recommend a good theme for this type of posts. thanks…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. for now, the theme looks all right.
      What you should really focus on is your post-format. You can’t throw some big posters at the reader and b on to writing. The additional media should appear organic and go along with the primary content.
      Have a look at this:

      The Martian (2015)

      The Martian (2015)

      Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

      Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

      Of course, these are my opinion and what I post is obviously my style of preference. What you do is entirely up to you.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. This is exactly what I was talking about! You have a wonderful set up. I thought it was my free theme that was limiting my format, as I cant seem to spread my pictures thru out a post. But I will look into it. Thanks so much for the advice! And good reviews too. You have a new follower, hope you don’t mind. lol

        Liked by 1 person

  14. Can I suggest a better way for the Team at Community Pool and WordPress to manage the comments section?

    Many of the voices, especially newbies who post a comment are likely to be unheard after Page 3 of the comments section and could become discouraged. Can a way be created to tier the comments for newbies seeking help versus, for example, experienced, seasoned bloggers using the community pool each week to jump ahead of the queue and market their own site.

    Just a suggestion. Thanks for the excellent support and advice as always.

    Liked by 6 people

    1. Feedback and community is so important. I believe that if you post here you should therefore repay the favour and visit some other blogs, offering the feedback that they seek. I can’t believe how the same people always seem to be the first commenting. Perhaps they set their alarms! Me I’m in the Southern Hemisphere and fast asleep, therefore if I comment I’m always on the last page! 😉

      Liked by 3 people

    2. Is there a way to number the pages “backwards”? When page 1 is full, it would be automatically renumbered page 2, and the new page designated as 1. I mean, computers can do anything, right? 😉

      Your concern is valid. Today was my first post requesting comments, and I had to be ready at 11 AM my time to get toward the top of the list.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. We do have the option to display comments from new to old, but we find it to be less than ideal in this situation, as it makes it very hard to follow conversations, keep track of who posted what, etc. It works fine in other contexts, not here at The Daily Post (the change would affect the entire site, not just the Community Pool, which is quite different from our other posts).

        Like

    3. Aidan, I think this is spot on. I’ve just gone through all the comments here (yes, yes, I know, get a life) and many of the requests from clearly new users/bloggers have gone unanswered. Of course, one might ask “Why didn’t you answer them?” Um, carpal tunnel, yes, that’s it, carpal tunnel!

      In keeping with the pool theme, perhaps what is needed is a wading pool, a regular pool and the “deep end”, where different bloggers of different capabilities with different needs could enter their requests. I know that this would likely rob the newer bloggers of the eyes of the more experienced, and perhaps that’s what makes this forum better, but I feel that this could at least provide an experienced blogger looking to help inexperienced bloggers one place to find those who need help.

      Another approach that I have seen on other sites is a “new writers” group blog, where new and inexperienced bloggers can get their feet wet while getting many eyes from more experienced writers. A place where you can put your stuff out there and get some constructive criticism without having to pimp your work so hard.

      One last thought, there are many good resources listed in the body of this post that I hope aspiring bloggers use for their most mundane problems. But I do know that the modus operandi on forum blogs such as this is to blast down to the bottom of the comments and hammer in your request, without so much as a glance at what’s gone before.

      My two cents. And that’s exactly what it’s worth! 😉

      Liked by 3 people

      2. i tend to look for comments that have not been replied to and if for example my comment lands on page four then i will visit three or four of the blogs on page four and try comment although typically i will choose to go to later pages rather than earlier pages… so clearly not catching all of the posts but getting some of them…

        Liked by 2 people

    4. This is nice suggestion. When I checkout the post it’s already 5 pages of comments. My idea is then to randomly select page and reply to comments as and when necessary.

      Like

    5. the best solution to that is to be as active as you can in this community.
      Even I miss out posting on the first page of the comments section most of the time, but that doesn’t stop me from helping other people when I can.
      If all members are supportive, the entire community will flourish.

      Liked by 1 person

    6. It is a simple thing that I follow: View and if possible comment and as many blogs as possible. This helps to meet new bloggers and also you create your own traffic.

      As for the last page, if you as a blogger would like to check out more blogs then do it. You have an entire week. I try to use the entire week

      Liked by 1 person

    7. You make some good, valid points, Aidan, and I appreciate the feedback. Our team is aware of the limitations of this format, and we’re thinking about other solutions, but those aren’t going to be feasible in the short term.

      As this is a community resource, it’s really up to individual participants to give back as much as they can (or at least as much as they hope to get in return from others). I’m always impressed and inspired by the amount of time and energy many bloggers devote to their peers, including those whose comments end up on page 5, 6, and beyond here at the Pool. Having more rules and tiers, etc. might solve some issues, but it would also rob this space of its somewhat chaotic, but also collegial and friendly ambiance.

      For my part, I seek to make this as welcoming a space as possible under its current limitations: I systematically remove obvious spam and irrelevant posts; ensure no offensive or disrespectful messages are left here; and answer those technical and other questions that are left unanswered (or only partially or incorrectly answered).

      Also worth pointing out is the fact that this is but one available forum for feedback and community here at WordPress.com. We list hundreds of blogging events organized by community members (https://wordpress.com/dailypost/events/), many of which revolve around reciprocal feedback. And our free blogging courses at Blogging U. (https://wordpress.com/dailypost/blogging-university/) have a strong community aspect to them, each with its own private Commons site, which acts like a somewhat better organized and more focused Community Pool.

      Thanks again for your suggestions, and please feel free to share more in the future.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. H Ian, Your personal post is more interesting because it has pictures. The pictures drew me into the blog more so than the philosophical posts. Hope that helps.

      Like

    2. Good post Ian, it’s an important topic these days with all the misinformation, conspiracy theories and irrational woo propagated online. Critical thinking skills and proper scepticism should be taught from an early age to help people navigate the great oceans of information they will encounter on a daily basis.

      Like

    4. I like how you draw from personal reflections in your writing, very thought provoking. I enjoy the discussion pieces about certain terms, which look deeper at the philosophical issues, but listing practical suggestions, like in this article, is also effective!

      Like

    1. I’m thinking a YouTube video goes parallelly with you blog posts.
      If that’s the case, you should primarily focus on video blogging, rather than a traditional text-based blog. In today’s times, where people are always in a hurry, one always prefers to watch a quick video rather than sit, concentrate and a read a long article.

      Liked by 1 person

  19. Hello. Two years in and I’m really not sure about my blog layout. Im an offbeat creative writer. Also just turned on the mobile friendly format and freaking as can’t turn it off from my app!! Which if any way do you think it’s better. Thankfully writing is my strong point even if blog design is not. Help me. I’m drowning!!!! Http//:glasgowdragonfly.wordpress.com

    Liked by 1 person

  20. Lived in Central America and I’ll I brought back were some blog posts…. but I captured some thoughts on what it means to live in a developing nation. I could use some feedback to keep going with my reflections. Plus, I think my photo – oriented layout might be a bit congested. Thoughts?

    Liked by 1 person

  22. Hi all

    I wanted to get some general feedback on the content of my blog (I am happy with the theme etc).

    The blog seems to struggle in terms in that there is little interaction on it from others, even though I think I do interact with other blogs.

    Some days it gets a good number of reads/like etc but mostly it seems to be pretty dead in the interaction stakes and I am trying to work out what is wrong, and I thought the first place to do that was the content itself, perhaps it isn’t focused enough, I know that I have not really seen other blogs in the same vain so perhaps it just is a bit blergh

    Any options welcome, both good or bad as long as constructive.

    Thanks in advance

    https://habitatforheavyhearts.wordpress.com/

    Liked by 2 people

    2. I like the way your site looks. The menu made from categories works well, too. You have more than twice the “follows” as me, so you’re doing something right. Just stick with it.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. thanks for the kind words Brian. Most of the people that follow me are not active in terms I get little to no interaction from them, they are what I call ghost followers.

        Like

  23. Hello wonderful people! I have been working on my blog for a few months now and I have been exploring different styles of posts, some with photos, others with drawings, others longer or shorter. I have also explored different themes to do with cities and would really like some feedback on which of these posts people can relate to or not?

    This is my latest post, it’s quite versatile, pleas check it out: https://urbandialoguesblog.wordpress.com/2015/12/12/chess-life-city-and-some-terrible-drawings/

    I’d love some feedback! I am still trying to find my niche so if anyone has any suggestions they would be greatly appreciated! Thank you! 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Hi – thanks for the post. I do love a good game of chess, and it’s great to see it being played in the city streets. About your post – I just found that it lacked a consistent drive and focus. I found myself skim reading it rather than engaging in detail as it went into great depth but didn’t seem to make any particular headway. So my advice would be to try to be very precise about what it is you want to convey, and structure your post towards that end.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Wow, you’re an excellent writter. And no, I didn’t know anything about what you wrote. Law always seemed so strange to me. Ha, and I certainly didn’t know anything about Canadian law. I guess I’ve always seen law as something easy manipulated.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Well hopefully my blog can be a way for you to express your views on certain laws and learn more about the Canadian system 🙂 I hope you’ll like, comment and follow.
        Have a wonderful day!

        Liked by 1 person

    3. The theme works well to display your text. I think you need to break up those big blocks of text for easier reading.

      Is there an ABOUT ME page? I couldn’t find one, and I’m always interested in that.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Yes, I actually am trying to make my paragraphs more reader friendly. I did this in my third post, which for some reason isn’t show up under any of my tags or catagories. I’m going do several about pages, one about Epic Pop, one about the intent and one about me. I had one but I accidentally posted it before I was finished and deleted it.

        Like

    3. I wasn’t really clear just what you were going for in your poem.

      I think it would be better to use a more common word for cold than “algid”.

      Like

      1. Hey there,

        Simply, I was just noting down the things that I was encountered with in my trip to Japan.

        Ah, for that. It was intentional — for I wanted to express the intensity of the coldness and rather than using mere “cold”, I figured “algid” had a stronger connotation.

        Like

  28. Hi everyone!! My blog is mimisw0rld.wordpress.com

    I’ve been blogging about my experiences living and working as an English Teacher in Seoul, South Korea. Please check out my blog and let me know what you think!! Also, if you have any questions/curiosities about life in Korea, please comment!! Thanks so much!! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  29. Hey everyone! I recently changed the format of my blog. I like how the first thing that comes up when you visit my blog is my About page. I would like people to read that first so people know my mission for my blog. But it is sometimes hard to get to recent posts if someone is new to my site. Any suggestions on format? I would love other feedback as well! (:
    – https://inspireafeeling.wordpress.com

    Liked by 1 person