Jan 4, 2016 / 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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  2. Hello and Happy New Year! Here we are first Monday, First Community Pool and the beginning of another adventurous year!

    Prompt Stomp is all new this week after taking a lil Christmas Break. We are having fun with Bokeh Photography and Superheroes! Please come and take a look! https://themomhood.wordpress.com/2016/01/02/prompt-stomp-week-13-welcome-2016/

    Also, lots of new photos! I would love any feedback. It’s a new year, a new camera and I really want to “upgrade” my skills! 🙂 Let me know how i’m doing so far! https://themomhood.wordpress.com/category/photography/

    Hope you have enjoyed these first few days of the new year and CHEERS to the rest of the year!

    Megan- The Hood/MLJ Photos

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I love your bokeh Christmas photos, and the one of the frost on the extension cord! I’m not a photographer by any means, but I enjoy your command of symmetry and lines. Very nice!

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Hey, may I suggest this blog if you have not been there: Randoms by a Random. She has a Mental Health post mostly every Friday of guest bloggers sharing their mental health journey. You will meet a few bloggers with similar blogging journey as you. I have been blown away certain Fridays:

      Mental Health Friday #18

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Love the topics. Maybe rearrange and declutter your sidebar? It’s not the easiest to navigate, and creating an archive page for categories and tags instead of in the sidebar would clear it up a little. And a most popular posts part would be nice, cause people like checking that for posts usually.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. I actually like the puzzle piece look of your layout, but I do have to agree that the side bar seems cluttered. You can usually do away with the blog stats and the Meta.

      But you seem like a very positive, and conscious person! And congratulations on your great score!

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Hi Everyone! Happy New Year to all of you! I started my site about two years ago but only got more serious about it last year. I went from 2100 views in 2014 to 11,000 in 2015. I would really love to see that number to continue to rise. Something I find I have trouble in, is receiving comments from readers. I have read articles and they always say to ask questions to engage the audience but I had no luck with that either. If you could check out my site and let me know, I would really appreciate any feedback. My top viewed post last year was https://joannathemontrealer.wordpress.com/2015/07/04/the-wonder-of-wanderlust/

    with NO comments. I also do recipes, interviews, reviews etc.
    I am getting more comments lately but not as many as I had hoped to be.

    I really appreciate any time spent responding to me. If you want to e-mail me suggestions/feedback/advice please send it to joannathemontrealer@gmail.com

    Thank you so much everyone!

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Hi Joanna, if I might make one quick observation from glancing at your blog posts – you seem to centre all the text, rather than use left-aligned. Personally I find this a bit jarring, since it’s generally never used in blogs, books or magazines and produces some odd spacing.

      That aside, it’s a nice looking blog with a friendly and accessible style (and a great profile pic!) As for getting more comments, it’s hard to say if there is any secret, or whether it’s just something that happens organically over time. For me it’s still too early in my nascent blogging career to figure out what type of content gets the best / most feedback. Seems a bit random..

      All the best 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Hi Jason! Thank you so much for the feedback. Looking at the posts now, I do see what you mean about the centre alignment. I think I got used to using it for Recipes so I just used it for every post. I will definitely look into this and will most likely fix that. Thank you so much! You have really helped me out! All the best to you as well for the new year! I love your site- your About Me cracked me up! I look forward to reading more.

        Liked by 2 people

    2. Majority of my comments come from blogging group shares on comment threads. Asking a question is more encouraging of comments for sure, it just takes time. A lot of it is about what you write about ad if it is relatable to them at all. Hope this helps 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  7. Happy New Year, everyone! I hope your holiday season was restful!
    This week, I’m celebrating my one year blogiversary! To kick off the milestone, I take a look back at my favorite posts from 2015 (one post per month). If you would like to check out my picks, lookie here: http://nerdilyblog.com/2016/01/04/nerd%E2%80%A2ilys-niceties-of-2015/

    I also have a question, mainly to those who collect comic books. I am trying to plan the ultimate comic DIY, and I need some help. If I were to post a survey, would you be willing to answer a few short questions? I’m trying to determine the best approach for this project, so any help would be appreciated! If you would like to help, I will post a survey next week on my site and on the Pool.

    Thanks all!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Actually, your English is quite good! I think that 30 Day Writing Challenge you discuss will be the most useful exercise to help your writing. What helps me the most is reading my writing out loud. That way, you can hear if something doesn’t sound right.

      Also, we’d love to know more about you! One major suggestion I would say would be to include some information about yourself. This helps your readers connect to you a little bit more, especially if they are first visiting your site.

      Good luck! And never hesitate to ask questions or look for feedback! 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

    1. I wanted to return the compliment and read 3 of your blog posts – it was thought provoking but I liked the fact that you remain pretty impartial. In my brief experience of blogging this is a rarity. Thanks for an interesting read, Martin

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thank you for your kind words Martin! That is my aim. I try remain impartial as people can form their own opinions – my job is to just to supply the information. Thank you again 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

    1. I think you convey all of your mixed emotions quite well. it’s evident that you are both proud and scared of the milestones your child is rapidly reaching. You also give the reader the impression that, while these accomplishments are seemingly small, they are much more important in the grand scheme of growing up. I thought it was well written, in total.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thank you very much for reviewing and commenting on this post. It was just one of those situations where no matter how many revisions I did, it seemed to never really flow well to me.
        Beginnings and endings always seem the most difficult to me.

        Liked by 2 people

    2. Hi David!

      I enjoyed you post very much. I don’t have kids so your post shed some light on the mysteries of parenthood. I particularly enjoy how you write specifically about your own personal experience but you do it in a way that has universal meaning. It’s your story but your writing allows other people to think and feel those experiences.

      One trick I like to use for introductions is to start short, punchy and vague and then slowly transition into longer, more specific sentences. For your intro, something like, “A year. Such a simple word. But such profound significance.” Then start getting into longer sentences with more specific points. Of course, that’s just one idea and your personal style and what you’re trying to say are more important than using any one specific technique.

      I can spend my entire life editing and rewriting so my suggestion is to leave this particular post alone (it’s already great) and simply try a different tool/technique/mechanism for your next post. Really focus your attention on getting the reader pulled into your world. Writers that have that figured out can get me to read whatever the heck they want to write.

      Great job, thanks for sharing and keep it up!
      James

      Liked by 2 people

      1. James, first thank you very much for reading the post. I appreciate any feedback I can receive on any of my post.
        I agree about your critique to get to the point quickly and that is something I am trying to better hone to make my intros and conclusions more concise and less wordy to grab the reader.
        Again thank you.

        Liked by 1 person

  16. Hello Bloggers, happy new year!
    One of my goals this year is to build a better Facebook following. I’m new to FB and am struggling to understand how to best get my blog’s page seen and Liked.
    If any of you want to give me a Like or some tips, it’d be greatly appreciated 🙂
    http://Facebook.com/coolbeans4/
    Happy Blogging!

    Liked by 3 people

  17. Hi Everyone!

    My latest post is a story about heartbreak and loneliness and I’d simply love for people to read it. I always appreciate the feedback and comments I get from these forums but, in this case, if you could just read through it and give me an inspirational nod or fist-pump, I think that would be more than enough for me.

    Airplanes, Loneliness, Heartbreak and Eye Contact.

    And, as always, I will read through as many of your blogs as I can!
    Thank you,
    James

    Liked by 2 people

  18. Hello everyone! I’m looking for feedback on a new series I’m posting. My blog has a focus on pop culture, and so upon a recent trip to New York City I decided to post about it as a landmark in popular culture. The post can be found here ( https://popculturalstudies.wordpress.com/2016/01/04/pop-culture-tours-new-york-city-vol-1/ ), if you can please give it a read and tell me what you think about it. I’m trying to figure out if it fits in with the rest of the content that I post, and if the post itself is any good. (I’m not looking too much for any feedback on the pictures – my best camera is an iPhone 4, so I recognize that it’s not going to be that good.)

    Anyhow, let me know what you think. Happy blogging! 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Hi, wanted to return the favour so I went to your blog and read one of the posts – Captain’s Log. I like your use of pictures to punctuate and add to the text and I like your passion for the subjects you discuss. If I had a criticism it would be that it jumped around too much but I am guessing that your normal posts are more focused on one thing. I will follow and look out for future posts. Thanks, Martin

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thank you for the follow! And yeah, you’re absolutely right; the Captain’s Log came out of a desire to cover a variety of topics in a short manner, as opposed to what I usually do. But I’ll keep that in mind for my next Captain’s Log.
        Thank you again! 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

  20. Greetings everyone 🙂 Hope you are all having a super start to 2016! My blog is http://www.lifexperimentblog.com and I’m constantly on the lookout for bloggers with similar interests to mine (lifestyle, travel, health/wellness, food and everything here there and everywhere) to network and grow with. If you’re of a similar mindset that many heads are better than one, please stop by and introduce yourself!

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Hi I’ve just checked out your challenges. I really like the idea of the draw or paint your feelings. This really appeals to me. I’m in – thank you! I see you are doing Colour Your World – I’ve got my first post for that challenge tomorrow. I hope you enjoy it. From Debra @https://cultivatingtime.wordpress.com

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thanks again and yes I was excited about Jennifer’s Color your World because it’s a huge challenge and I hope I can make it to it’s end! ☺ I will check out your attempt!

        Liked by 2 people

  27. Hi everyone,

    This is Ramesh and first of all let me wish a Happy New Year to all of you. New Year comes with lots of resolutions. Many people take fitness related resolutions, so I came up with with an idea to write a health blog to share my thoughts. Hope you people will enjoy it.

    https://healthambitionblog.wordpress.com/
    Please visit my blog and give suggestions/feedback

    Liked by 2 people

  28. Happy New Year people of WordPress. I’m Jess from The Bipolar Compass. My latest post (not the reblog) is the most recent in a series of my very personal struggles with manic-induced sex addiction (hypersexuality) and how I fought back against it to save my marriage:

    https://bipolarcompassblog.wordpress.com/2015/12/31/this-girl-is-on-fire/

    You’ll find the whole story on what happened on my blog under the “Hypersexuality” category. My goal is to end stigma associated with bipolar disorder and educate people on the otherwise taboo topics associated with its behavioral symptoms.

    Trying to start the New Year off right. Stigma fight!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Hi there! You rock! I am working on a piece right now with pitbulls and I found a ton of support via instagram. If you have an
      account, share this information with people via hashtags on this topic. I guarantee you will see an increase in your gofundme and a lot of help from others who share your passion to help these animals. You might be able to link up with people in your area, as well. Keep up the good work!

      Liked by 2 people