Jan 18, 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).

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  1. Cheers, all! I’m Leisel from geeky food blog Skill Up Skillet. Despite everything, I finally managed to get a new recipe up (with an Assassin’s Creed twist). You can check it out here: http://skillupskillet.com/2016/01/16/from-the-shadows-assassins-creed-cookies/. What do you think? Have I still ‘got it’? It took a lot of effort to force myself to post, but I want to think it was worth it.

    Psst, I’m also still seeking guest bloggers! Interested in gaming and/or food? Give this page a look: http://skillupskillet.com/guest-post-for-sus/.

    Liked by 9 people

    1. I do love me a geeky recipe!

      And I totally hear you – I can watch my Dad playing the Witcher forever, but I wouldn’t dare pick up the controller myself.

      There’s something about winter that gives everyone the blues. Go you for doing something so cool.

      Liked by 2 people

    3. Assassin’s Creed eh?? I love it! Actually, I think I will give this a try! Seems like you’ve still got it because it’s easy to understand which is huge considering your niche

      Liked by 3 people

  2. Happy Blue Monday everyone. I’d like to thank everyone has supported my music blog on the radio show! It’s going to get even bigger and there will be more prizes. If you get a chance let me know what you think – you can take a look and a listen here.
    http://talkaboutpopmusic.net/2016/01/17/icymi-talk-about-pop-music-podcast-the-radio-request-show-16th-january/

    Have a great week and hope you can join in with me!

    Steve

    Sent from my iPhone

    Liked by 4 people

  3. Hi everyone! I wrote a reflection about my sophomore experience, specifically discussing the lingering effects of my policy debate experience and how I feel about the friends that I made during freshman year. I’d love some feedback about my writing style and content! Is there a way to make my points clearer and easier to understand? Thanks in advance, I really appreciate it 🙂 http://catherinezhang.me/2016/01/06/sophomore-spotlight-5-debate-freshman-year-friends-academics/

    Liked by 4 people

      2. Extremely flexible. plus I’m still living with my parents which is great cuz we all financially support each other. also since I live w medical problems since I was 9 I do my studies when I’m not sick and rest when I need to. Then go out with friends whenever I want to

        Liked by 1 person

    2. I love your writing style! It’s definitely clear and easy to read, and your points are relatable, even for those of us who aren’t yet in college (or have already graduated…or didn’t go…or, well, you get my point).

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Hello bloggers…. welcome to http://www.salorocks.wordpress.com : Know Your World
    A blog which will give you a different perspective of the same world because what I express is just my view for world which may be different from what you think as. I write what I feel and what i experienced through poems, paintings, articles and short write ups . Reading my blog will surely will make you think in a different way about the same world. As my tagline says
    The Same World but A Different Perspective..

    Liked by 9 people

    2. I agree with Nandini, your blog design is very appealing. You are doing a great job with post titles as well because almost all of them caught my attention and made me want to read more.

      Liked by 2 people

  5. Good morning/afternoon everyone! I have recently posted a few articles, including ‘Top 5 Strangest Things Ever Stolen’ ( https://colinblogsite.wordpress.com/2016/01/15/strangest-things-ever-stolen/ ), ‘Jack Shepard – Prison Break’ ( https://colinblogsite.wordpress.com/2016/01/08/prisonescape2/ ), and a list of 2,015 facts ( https://colinblogsite.wordpress.com/2016/01/01/2015-facts-about-everything/ ). Can anyone give me some advice on my writing? Thanks!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I read the stolen one – pretty good overall, but you should break it up with images. Makes it pinnable that way, too! 🙂

      2,015 facts – I wanted to read but got bored. WAY too much. What are you hoping to achieve with that post? It’s impressive, but I’m not sure what you’re going for with it.

      Liked by 2 people

  6. Hey fellow bloggers,

    I’ve done another couple of posts since last week about our travels, the most recent on getting to experience some wilderness in the US – here’s the link, if that sounds like a bit of you:

    A cabin in the Catskills

    As always, I’d love any feedback you’re willing to give (too long, not enough photos, needs more travel tips, etc – anything and everything is appreciated), and if you drop a link below I will of course do my best to help you with yours as well.

    Thanks guys, and hope you all have a great week!

    Liked by 9 people

      1. I love poetry! I like how you kept your blog design simple yet readable. It’s not cluttered at all. I am a fan of your poem “Lonely”. Keep up the awesome work!

        Liked by 2 people

      4. I like your ‘How I survived: 100 days no complaining challenge’ post – quite an interesting idea. I do love a good grumble every now and then, so I’d be interested to see how far through I’d get.

        Liked by 2 people

    1. I won’t pretend to know much of anything about poetry, but I really liked your poem. Your word choice was interesting, and made me think about the poem more, since some of the words aren’t the sort that I use every day. They also helped a lot with the imagery.

      Liked by 2 people

  8. It’s been nearly two years here. This year I’m planning on trying a hand in Travel blogging. For that, I’ll be working on really long posts.

    Is there any way to segment a single post in smaller pages? Like the kind we see on so many websites.

    There’s some short stories that I would try this on first. And yeah, you’re welcome to my blog anyways.
    Would love to hear your thoughts. After all, that’s what made this blog what it is today.

    http://debooworks.wordpress.com/

    Liked by 4 people

  10. Hi everyone! 🙂
    My latest post in the photography category.

    Photos 33-36

    If anyone out there has any tips of how I can improve my (non exitent) photography skills.Let me know.
    I’d prefer someone who takes pictures with the phone.Since I don’t have a DSLR.
    Please and thankyou!

    Liked by 4 people

    2. In your second and third pictures, I cannot tell for sure what your actual focus point is. Are you focusing on the leaves or the sidewalk? If you have an iPhone, the yellow box that appears on the screen is essentially what your focus point is.

      Check you lens and make sure it is clean as debris/dirt can mess with the focusing system of the camera.

      I am no master photographer, but you are en route to good pictures.

      Liked by 2 people

    3. Not bad.
      The next step, in my opinion, would be to start using the Crop tool more and more. For that, study other photos and note their composition, angles, etc. There’s really so much to take. They don’t say a thousand words for every photo for no reason now, do they?

      Liked by 2 people

    5. Hi! It’s always a pleasure to see other photography blogs out there. My most recent works have been used with a DSLR but when I first started out I used my phone as well.
      I enjoyed looking through your pictures. Not just these ones, but the previous ones as well. I think it is definitely not bad with what you’re working with! I think some tips you can use with your phone is light exposure. Try to find the direction of where the light is coming from and use it to your advantage. It always makes pictures more clear and professional. I hope that helped!

      Liked by 2 people

    6. I’m used to working with a DSLR (my phone camera is very, very bad), but my only advice would be to work on focusing/holding the camera still (your pictures were good, it’s just something to watch for, since the second picture and a few others were a little blurred), and rule of thirds. You can look it up on the Internet for a better explanation, but basically imagine your photo divided into a 3×3 grid. Your goal is to put the focus of the photo on the “intersections” of the lines. It’s easy to forget and just center everything, but it’s a super easy way to improve. You did it pretty well in the first photo and somewhat on the others.

      Liked by 2 people

    3. Hello! I really liked this post. I actually enjoyed it being rant style because it helped me better understand your thoughts raw rather than a fabrication of eloquence. You seem to be very introspective which is a great trait to have. It’s a great list 🙂 I wish you the best of luck!

      Liked by 2 people

  14. Hi guys! Hope you had a good week as always. Seeing that as we had the draw for a $1.5 billion Powerball this week, I made a rather wistful list of stuff I’d do/buy with the money.

    If I won Powerball

    I’d love to hear your thoughts and unconventional ideas to do with all that money.

    (Of course, I didn’t really win, sigh)

    Liked by 3 people

      1. I don’t have a large following. I’m still working on it. But if you can juggle both I would keep the yelp thing going at the same time and if you can add the blog link to your profile. Yelp loves their gold level members and you’d be invited to lots of great parties and restaurant events, that you could write about. Good luck with it and keep on touch.

        Liked by 1 person

  17. I look forward to Mondays for the community pool. I love connecting and networking with other writers. Please check out my blog page and this post. I would love feedbackhttps://kjwilliamswrites.wordpress.com/2016/01/15/to-encourage/

    Liked by 3 people

  18. Hi group. I am hoping someone can answer a question not related to content or layout, but just setting up a blog in general.

    I have a current wordpress site, but would like to set up a separate, completely anonymous one with a pseudonym for the ability branch out more in content and writing style.

    Would it be best to just set up a completely new website/login (username, etc) or set up an additional website under my current login? If the latter is the better option, can post on the separate website be set to a different author name? Would my email address associated with the sites ever be visible to anyone for any reason?

    If I set up a completely site and login, can they both be managed within the WordPress iOS app?

    Thanks and have a great day.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Hi, hopefully I have the right answers here.
      If you want your new blog to be completely separate from your old one, then I’d suggest using a new email and making a new username. By using your current account, you’d have the same username and email associated, (email is visible when an author receives your comments) but you’d be able to change which url is connected to the name.
      If you do choose to make a completely new account, then they both can be managed by the app, but you can’t get notifications for both (you set which one) unless something has changed since I made my second account. But you can check stats, write posts and do all the necessary things.
      Hopefully that helps, and if I’m wrong on any accounts, I’m sure Ben will come by and correct me!
      Happy Blogging!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you very much for the reply in regards to my inquiry.

        Even if the app only allows notifications from one site, I can easily live with it and just check email notifications from the other.

        It looks like the best and possibly most anonymous way to go is just set up a separate site with a new username and email.

        Again, thank you. Now the only thing left is to decide upon a name for this endeavor. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

    2. I just want to reiterate previous comments: the only way to hermetically separate one blog from another is by using a different account (requiring a different email address).

      Regarding the app: you’d need to log in and out every time you wish to use your anonymous site, since app login is by account/email address. You can only switch sites in the app between the sites that are listed under the same account.

      I hope this helps!

      Like

      1. Ben,
        Thank you very much for clarifying the situation along with @Iamdonovan. I am fine with logging in and out of each site as this will ensure (hopefully) no accidental posting under the wrong site.
        Thank you both again.

        Liked by 2 people

  19. Well – looked at in that light – I’d like to know, if my site is sufficiently understandable for my anglophone audience. I am German and English being just my second language, having lived in Britain for several years – sometimes I think of myself as bilingual. But that’s streetwise only…

    Liked by 2 people

  20. I posted on comment threads– how we disagree on blogs, how that can be fruitful, or not; and found an argument from irreconcilable views in the comments, which was a chain of insults, and an argument from seemingly irreconcilable views which ended after many comments with “Agree!” What do you think? Are differing views in comments constructive?

    Liked by 2 people

  21. Hi people of a the internet, I recently started a blog and I have felt so incredibly welcomed into this blogging community. I blog about many things from mental health to beauty but most of all I am here for anybody who needs me who is going through anything. Would love if you could check out my blog, I am 2 of 30 which is amazing!!!!

    Liked by 4 people

  23. I started a blog a few weeks ago about my family to share all the documents and stories I’ve collected over the years with my family (and anyone else who wants to read it). Their eyes used to glaze over when I’d pull out the pictures and 10 notebooks but I didn’t want the family history to disappear. It’s here at https://nancyb422.wordpress.com
    Any comments would be appreciated!

    Liked by 2 people

  24. Good morning, blog citizens! I have been working on my photography and design skills in order make my home DIY site a bit more appealing. Last two posts I tried some interesting processes in my picture editor and I would love some feedback about it.

    Jazzing Up A Kitchen Corner- Wherein I Install More Ikea Backlog

    Also, I’d like some feedback about the actual site template. I feel like it’s blah and I would appreciate suggestions.

    Thank you, and have a great week!!

    Liked by 3 people

    2. I really like your site, especially the color, it’s very easy on the eyes. Your photos look great, they are really easy to see and I love how you focus on the details/up close in some pictures and show the big picture in others. My only suggestion would be to make the list of recent posts on your homepage just show one picture and a short paragraph instead of the whole article so it’s easier to scroll through and see what you’ve written about (hopefully that makes sense). Happy blogging!

      Liked by 2 people

  29. Hello everybody,

    I’ve no particular question for my blog personally. However, I would love to know what you think of suggestion boxes on blogs?

    The thing is that I did have a page for it when I first started blogging. I thought it was great to know what readers would like to read (and I still do). At the time, I got only two or three suggestions and then I decided to delete it. Besides, as I often struggle to find new topic ideas, I thought I could reinsert a page with a suggestion box, especially now that I’ve got a wider audience.

    Please, let me know what you think about it!

    By the way, here’s my last post if you’d like to check it out : https://thehighheeledpapergirl.wordpress.com/2016/01/16/the-beauty-of-nature/

    I would love to visit your blog as well if you leave a link!

    Thank you,

    Giulia

    Liked by 2 people

    2. Love the angry apples! Definitely funny (I chuckled audibly SEVERAL TIMES), and I love your voice. I am going to suggest a bit of proof-reading (spell-check, etc). Also breaking up your paragraphs with space will make your posts easier to read. We readers are lazy and we will move on if there’s a big blob of text that looks it might be too much work for our tiny minds.

      Everything is funny, so really you can just pick your subjects at random. Mine often come to me during a road-rage incident.

      Good luck and keep writing!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Will do! My most recent post was hard to separate cause then the list got all screwy – but I definitely know what you mean. I do that as a reader – like WOAH TOO LONG.
        I appreciate the genuine feedback and I’m glad you found them enjoyable!!!

        Liked by 2 people