Jan 11, 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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  3. It’s been a couple of months since I began blogging, and my traffic is pretty unstable. Sometimes, I think the viewership for every post is dependent on the individual advertisement(and badgering of acquaintances) I do for it. What I wonder is, is my content good at all? Am I ending up over promoting something that is simply not good enough? What does someone who is total stranger think when he/she visits my blog?

    Are these fears/insecurities real, or they simply common, essential even, when someone begins blogging?

    The blog I need help with is thedrownedvoice.wordpress.com.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. So it seems like you have a lot of followers, and the writing on your blog is good. Personally, I’m not a short fiction guy, and I haven’t seen a ton of blogs that are short fiction. There are some pretty good communities on google where fiction writers share stuff and give advice. It might be a good place to land.

      In the navigation you had links for thoughts and stories, but they don’t appear to be working. I think those would be good to fix. It would be a good way to sort through your content.
      Best, Jeff

      Liked by 2 people

      2. And by the way, the follower count is high because my facebook friends are also counted as followers (My facebook account is connected to Publicize). The actual count is pretty low.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Hi there! I think the fears and insecurities you mention are very common. One question I have in response is what is your goal in blogging? In other words, how important is traffic to your blogging goals?

      Also, and this is just my personal opinion, I find the Dyad theme very confusing to navigate. Every blog I’ve come across done in that theme seems to be very hard to find the actual posts in order. I do love all the pictures you have in there, but my personal suggestion would be to perhaps look into a different theme.

      Happy blogging!
      Charlotte x
      https://girlygeekgirl.wordpress.com/

      Liked by 1 person

      1. As much as I write for the sake of writing, I would rather have a journal or something, and not a blog, if my purpose was not for people see it. So I guess traffic does matter. I’ll consider the theme thing. Thanks for your time.

        Liked by 2 people

  6. I’m new to this & would like to mold my blog into something bigger than just a couple likes from facebook friends. Currently my blog seems to be centered around mental health and healing from old wounds. I talk about breaking through my insecurities to cultivate my creativity & just overall lifestyle topics. I guess I’m having trouble seeing it from an outsider perspective and I don’t want it to just feel like my diary. Am I sharing too much, not enough, am I obnoxious? haha Any feedback would be much appreciated!

    https://shelbyetcheson.wordpress.com/

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Just had a look and I think its looking good! I don’t think it is too “diary-esque” at all. You talk about your experiences in a way that people can relate to. When you tell your reader what you’ve learned from your experiences I think they gain something from reading that. Its comforting to know others are experiencing some of the same things you are, and enlightening to see the ways they’ve reacted to it.

      Nice work 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

  7. Hello! Well, I admire my introversion so much but it seems that I have some problem expressing what is inside my head. By problem I mean that I often feel afraid, frustrated, paranoid, or anxious because I am afraid that I can’t defend my arguments. It’s ignorant, I know, well yeah, this is a rant after all. Thanks in advance!

    The Ignorant Introvert

    Liked by 2 people

    1. If you feel like you might benefit from revisiting the stuff you learn there, or need a refresher, we don’t put a cap on the number of times you can take the course. We do encourage people to branch out and take other courses, or start off their own communities based on the connections they’ve made during the course.

      Also bear in mind that some months we have to close off registration because sections get full; every time a blogger takes a course for the second time, it might be at the expense of someone who hasn’t had a chance to participate yet. Again, we don’t enforce any limit on the number of times you might take course, but we’re grateful when bloggers use this resource responsibly.

      Like

    1. Hi Justine! Very lovely post about emotions, and I really liked that you added the chart showing them. I’ve always thought of emotions like clouds — constantly changing, even if very slowly, and there’s not a ton we can necessarily do to make them move faster or slower.

      Just a few friendly suggestions for your blog itself — perhaps a different and larger font for the body of your posts, and a link to the home page at the top.

      Happy blogging!
      Charlotte x
      https://girlygeekgirl.wordpress.com/

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Hope everyone is having a good night! What are some insights on posting full works of writing, either academic papers or short stories, etc? What are the risks of doing this, or are there any?

    Liked by 2 people

      1. Thank you so much. I’m still working on my blog so I’m not sure what I would call it yet haha. There’s actually an About page in the sidebar :). I just checked out your blog love the layout and everything is cohesive which I love about your blog.

        Liked by 2 people

    3. Hey there, welcome to the blogosphere!
      I noticed you have a contact widget, but considering all you’re sharing is your email, perhaps remove the widget to make more space and instead put your email in a text widget or on your About page! 😛 Just a suggestion, though!
      Happy Blogging!

      Liked by 1 person

    1. You can’t. WordPress doesn’t allow MOV’s, which is usually the content that YouTube videos use. Sorry. 😦 But, you know, all a link is is the video in a seperate tab.

      Liked by 2 people

      2. Yeah, no offence, but it looks like it’s not meant to be there. If you want it there, then go for it, as it’s your blog and you’re free, but in my opinion, it needs an explanation at least!

        Like

    1. Hi Rob! My understanding is that the Community Pool is a place for requesting and giving feedback on our individual blogs (whether content or layout or design), not on WP itself. I might not have understood your question, though.

      As for your question, I do find that WP takes quite a bit of poking around to figure it all out, but I much prefer it to sites like Blogger.

      Happy blogging!
      Charlotte x
      https://girlygeekgirl.wordpress.com/

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Hi Doug! I’m glad I’ve found your blog — it seems like a nice variety of topics. Here are my suggestions to your question:

      I’d recommend a different theme, first of all. The P2 theme which you’re currently using seems a little too basic in my opinion. I think that adding a menu bar on the top or side, and adding an About Me section would be very helpful to the flow and aesthetics of your blog. Also, I’m not sure if this has to do with the P2 theme or not, but I don’t see like buttons on any of your posts. I’d also recommend a serif font in a larger size. Just my personal two cents, though!

      As far as specific posts go, I’d recommend three things: a title for every post, something to grab the reader’s attention; a “read more” link after a few lines of text to avoid clutter and endless scrolling on your home page; and, even if it’s unrelated, a header image.

      Happy blogging!
      Charlotte x
      https://girlygeekgirl.wordpress.com/

      Liked by 1 person

  25. Hello Bloggers!

    I’ve just started up my blog!

    I would be soo grateful for any feedback. Is the subject area interesting enough? How can I improve the design? Any comments at all would be gratefully received!

    Thank you so much for reading this and for taking the time out to check out my blog at http://wp.me/p6Pl01-z

    Thanks again XXX

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Hi there, welcome to WP! I’m not familiar with the theme you’re using (Trvl), but if it offers an About Me section, I’d highly recommend adding that to the top of your blog. From what I read in your blog, I couldn’t tell quite what the subject matter was. I think an About page and tag line will help.

      Also, one very helpful suggestion someone gave me when I first joined was to always put a “read more” bar after a few lines of text, to keep your home page looking neat and clean, and to avoid lots of scrolling.

      Happy blogging!
      Charlotte x
      https://girlygeekgirl.wordpress.com/

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Hello Charlotte! Thank you for taking the time out to check my blog out and for the extremely useful advice!
        I take on board your comments and will address those issues asap.
        Thank you so much again. You’re a star!
        With very best wishes
        Neeta

        Liked by 2 people

  27. Hello. My latest post is “Free Like a Bluebird.” Please let me know what you think…about any of it…but especially my writing style and voice. Thank you so much. writingwahine.wordpress.com (This is my first visit to the Community Pool. Was anyone else nervous the first time they asked for feedback?)

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Nicely done. I have never read the book, but I have seen all the movies. I have no doubt that the book is even better than the movie.

      I love the lines at the end of your review – so true.

      I don’t know much about writing good book reviews, but speaking as a reader, I would have liked to know how you think the book dealt with the characters’ relationships with each other, especially the three Corleone brothers.

      Liked by 2 people

  29. Hi friends! I keep catching myself changing voice / topic really drastically throughout my blog. I guess just mood and topic and whats happening. Is that fine or do you feel like blogs should be pretty consistent with that stuff?

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Hi Leanne! I do a lot of that stuff, too. But, really, I feel a blog is about YOU. YOU are the writer. YOU choose what too write about, whether it’s a life changing event or a little what’s up. It’s you blog.

      Liked by 3 people

    2. Hi Leanne!

      Firstly, I am so happy I’ve found your blog. It’s fabulous! Secondly, I think it is not only fine but, to me, desirable for a blog to change voice depending on the mood and topic. Granted, I’m biased since my blog is a definite hodgepodge of things (personal stories, recipes, video game reviews, fashion, etc). But I think variety is the spice of life!

      Happy blogging!
      Charlotte x
      https://girlygeekgirl.wordpress.com/

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Ah! Thank you so much Charlotte! For both comments! I can’t wait to follow along with you in your blog too! I’m always happy to make new friends – in any format! ☺️❤️

        Liked by 2 people

  30. Hi fellow bloggers! I’ve just challenged everybody to help me get 50 followers on my blog, Talent For Me, by November 2, 2016. Please, please, PLEASE help me reach my goal!

    Liked by 5 people