Jan 25, 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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  1. Hello friends,
    I write stories about crazy stuff that has happened in my life. It is all written from my first person POV and I try to make each post as entertaining as possible. Recently, I have begun a series where I personify the phrase “love is a drug” in a fictional story setting but with a real life woman I am interested in. I will be a great writer someday, however I am just getting started. I would love absolutely any type of feedback.
    Thanks!

    you are one step closer to hitting bottom

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hey! I only read your Its Us series. I don’t mean to be rude, but have you considered asking someone else to proof your writing? Its called editing in the publishing industry. I just noticed a few grammatical mistakes, is all. 🙂

      I loved the short installments of the series though. The idea is really cool!

      Liked by 1 person

    1. I like what you have so far. Simple, efficient-looking.

      I’m not sure why the word “coaching” is in the title. You coach people?

      I’m glad I’m not the only one who packs Vitamin I (Ibuprofen) in a gym bag.

      Good job.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Coaching is in my title because I have been doing that to myself for the past 8 years , plus a a few. I have literally coached my mind to change my habits towards food and exercise. And, yes coaching is there also because I do want to coach others. People ask me what I do frequently. I plan to get certified to coach. One of my goals for this year. Thanks for the question…and I appreciate your feedback. This is what I need! Thanks.

        Liked by 1 person

  5. hey pool

    BIG ask today – am ALMOST at the point of switching from my blog to my website and so have a whole new look and would love some honest feedback as to the initial look and feel of the site – am not finished yet – is still a little white for me so thinking of injecting colour down the side [light pastelly] but could you take a look at brettfish.wordpress.com and brettfish.co.za and let me know what you think…

    Also i woke up this week with a poem on my mind relating to the black/white situation in South Africa and so got up and wrote On Point and would love feedback on that as well – https://brettfish.wordpress.com/2016/01/24/a-poem-on-point

    Much thanks for your time
    love brett fish

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Hello people of the internet, I’m Praxsi. If you like games and truly think gaming can make you a better person, then you would love my blog. I talk games and I talk about life. I give my opinions and I try to educate people on gaming. I truly believe if we embrace gaming, we can change the world for the better.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Hey there. Glad to know you just started your blog. Have you tried attending one of the Blogging 101 or Blogging 102 classes here on wordpress? That’s how I started. If you want followers just basically like or comment on their blog and follow them, most likely they will follow you back. It took me a while to start receiving followers but its not about the numbers its about what you write and how you express your writing. I just started back writing again and I will write what comes to mind. I’m excited for you and congrats on your first blog. I will follow you. Have a blessed night.
      https://spiritualbluejay.wordpress.com

      Liked by 3 people

    3. Hi! I just started like a week ago, and it’s really fun! All you need to do is advertise your blog and get people to go to your site. Include your link in almost every comment you post to the public, and follow other people’s blogs as well. I f you need any help, follow me and choose a post to comment on, and we can talk from there. Good luck!

      Liked by 2 people

  10. Helllllooo everyone! I’m a full-time writer and puggist, currently pursuing a Degree in Singapore now 🙂 I write about things that matter, things that annoy me and people that tick me off on public transport. It’s not a ranty blog, though I can get a little mushy from time to time. Do check me out (haha, not in THAT way!), and let me know what you think 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Hi Sumedha!
      The theme seems pretty good but it would be better if you upload some content first, it would help us judge whether it is befitting or not in a better way I suppose.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks for your reply! I have uploaded content but put a static page for when you open up the blog. You suggest I remove the static page?

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Sorry, the page wasn’t showing any content.
        I’ve read it now though, the writing is great! 🙂
        Would love a lighter contrast in your theme though.

        Liked by 2 people

    2. The theme is nice and neat, but to brighten it up, and make it more visually appealing, I’d suggest using pictures in your posts and putting an image at the top of your sidebar (or header if your theme allows!).
      Happy Blogging!

      Liked by 2 people

      3. Hi, I like what you’ve done with it! The starry background is subtle but effective! And I like the big slideshow of posts so people can easily access posts despite the static page! Very cool! 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

  13. Hello everyone! I recently restarted my blog and have taken a new direction. I have only posted a few set up articles, but I would really appreciate any feedback on expanding my blog, as well as the layout. All the help is really appreciated and I will make sure to check yours out too!.

    http://www.mcchesneyblogs.wordpress.com

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Hi – your blog looks beautifully clear and clean. I like the butterfly at the top!

      You asked for input on your style of writing – all I can say is how I felt, and I am just one among billions – it seemed to me that there were points where your words were close to your heart (at the beginning and at places throughout) and other points where you’d lost touch with them. As I say, that’s just my feeling. i might be misreading you.

      i hope that’s of some help, and I hope you keep writing.

      Best wishes
      Elaine

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Okay. First let me say that I could see the love of words in your writing. so far as composition though there were many sentence fragments instead of complete sentences. Is English a second or third language for you? If so, you are doing extremely well. I would simply watch the punctuation in writing.

      Liked by 2 people

  19. Hey Fellow Bloggers,

    I have been blogging since last month, i have a film analysis-review site here at wordpress,

    https://filmicsite.wordpress.com/

    I would like if you check out my blog and provide me any advice about the template and stuff, thanks in advance and for recent posts check this out

    Shiki- My suggestion to everyone, Do read it completely.

    Airlift- A fast paced emotional thriller-With a “list” of its kind.

    The Hateful Eight – Hate to Love it

    .
    Atiyab

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Hi I noticed at the bottom of your blog you have a recent comments widget, but the font is unreadable unless you hover, so perhaps consider changing that so it’s easy to read. Also, you should update your About page so people can get to know you/your blog!

      Liked by 2 people

  20. Hey guys, I’m a full-time writer currently pursuing a degree in Communications. I would love your opinions/input – Let me know! If it’s too personal/not personal enough, if you want more pictures of my smelly dog etc.

    Thanks,
    Tish

    Liked by 2 people

    1. You write well and I like the concept / title – A nervous girl’s guide to life. I can imagine that as a series of short funny books on various topics, perhaps with suitably humorous illustrations. Good luck with those resolutions 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    2. I just started my blog 1-1-16! I took a quick peek at yours! I’m going to follow you and will give you feedback and hope you do the same! My blog is a huge step out of my comfort zone too!

      Liked by 2 people

      1. I can’t figure out how to comment on your blog. I still have a lot to learn about navigating. I like your style! Very user friendly! I’m a therapist so I can give you some feedback on content too!

        Liked by 1 person

    3. I wanted so badly to reply to your blog posts. LOVED the one about the cold. and what kind of oil is that again? (she asks as her nose drips), could not find a comment button anywhere…did it get thrown out with the piles of kleenix maybe?

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Aha, a lot of people say they can’t see a comment button. You have to click on the individual entry and scroll down to ‘leave a reply.’ I’m glad you enjoyed my blog. It’s much appreciated and I will be sure to have a look at your’s.

        Liked by 2 people

      6. thanks, it is very much appreciated. I don’t even begin to think that I could have done it by myself. i have my own personal “geekette’ that leads me by the nose. LOL

        Liked by 2 people

  25. Hi swimmers, I’ve just recently switched to a new responsive theme.

    For those of you not familiar, responsive designs are those that adapt to whatever screen size or device is being used. It’s a quite minimalist style, which is my personal preference for a blog that is (mostly) humorous musings on life. Would welcome any thoughts or feedback. 🙂

    http://halfbananas.com/

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Everything on your blog is very well done.

      Just a question: does the theme allow you to change the widths of the columns? I felt the right sidebar with the widgets was too wide. I’d rather see more space for your posts.

      Good job.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Hi Brian, thanks for that. I totally agree with your point, but it seems there is very limited customisation with the free version. You can only setup the sidebar to be placed left or right.

        At some point I suspect I’ll have to upgrade to premium as the additional level of control plus the lack of annoying ads would be a big plus.

        Liked by 2 people

  30. Hey there!
    I’ve finally decided to come out of my shell and present my work to a broader audience. My blog primarily involves poetry, prose and short stories. Would love some feedback on whether or not my work is headed in the right direction and a few writing tips would be lovely!
    Here’s a link to my blog:
    https://phraise.wordpress.com/

    Liked by 1 person