Feb 15, 2016 / Community Pool

Community Pool

The place for feedback, advice, and blogging camaraderie.

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’ve just written my first post on mentalshape.net – any feedback on writing style and format would be much appreciated – thanks in advance 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  2. Hey Everyone,
    I asked for feedback on my blog last week but I did not get as much feedback as I would like so I wanted to ask again. I started my first blog in October with little to no experience and, since then, have been having trouble turning one time views into longtime viewership. I think that maybe I just write about too many things and my blog is not focused enough but anyways I would love to hear any advice you had on how to improve my blog or anything you liked about my blog that I could expand on. Thanks.
    http://ellieslittleadventure.com

    Liked by 2 people

    2. Hi, Ellie…I was determined to only read one post tonight (because it was late by the time I got around to it), but I saw your request, and I couldn’t ‘say no’…I made an exception because your request sounded so sincere,…and, I found your determination to receive more feedback endearing and brave 🙂 I read–and thoroughly enjoyed–your post of 3 book reviews. How delightfully-written, astute, comprehensive and insightful. Very entertaining….I will read the remainder of your posts this weekend some time–for sure. There is a breath-of-fresh-air way about the way you communicate. It has depth, but a lightness as well…very appealing 🙂 I would appreciate if you would read my post dated Feb 13/16 (I only have that one, and the first one, dated the week before). I would really like your feedback, when you have time. You can find it at
      http://www.trulyunplugged.com
      Take care 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks for the encouragement. I cannot give you much advice on your posts because both of them are far beyond anything I could ever write. You are a really talented writer and both the posts were fantastic and a joy to read. Keep up the good work and I hope to read more posts from you in the future.

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Wow….what a generous and unexpectedly-kind and encouraging comment. Thank you! Having said that, there is no comparison…you have a way of connecting and writing that is uniquely your own, and I really enjoy and appreciate it….don’t underestimate your talent, Ellie…like I said, there was something in your writing that connected with me…that is huge…that is what it’s all about! I will be sure to read more and comment 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      3. I’ve just checked on your comments and it shows my comment but says ‘your comment is awaiting moderation’ which usually means you will receive an email asking you to approve it and then it can be seen 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

    2. I joined MrsDavies in awaiting moderation. 🙂 You might have to actually go into your comment section and approve from there. Whether you get an e-mail or not depends on settings – I never do on my blog, I moderate comments by checking the comment section in WP admin (if there’s a comment awaiting moderation, there’s a red dot on it with the number of comments on hold).

      Liked by 2 people

    1. you are authentic, erudite, and truth shines through your writing. The only thing I would ever change about your blog is my ability to find the comment button! Absolutely fantastic idea to make the entries all be pictures……..LOVED that!

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Absolutely, positively, loved your Bitch-troverted post. I can seriously relate. I have a horrible case of RBF, and my entire life, to this very day, constantly get asked “what’s wrong?!” Due to my RBF and general quietness. Ugh. It’s exhausting.

      On a separate note.. Your post was such an easy read. It kept me interested and engaged. Loved it! I say keep doing what you’re doing. 😊

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Hi everyone…

    (This is my first time trying to post here so I feel a bit nervous! )

    I blog about books although not in the traditional book review fashion, so no little pictures of books leading you to Amazon… 🙂 Anyhow, just in the last couple of days I read a book that is not usually my kind of book but I was very impressed by.

    I thought I’d like to recommend it to people so I tried to write a post to make it appealing and I’d really appreciate some #feedback about whether I succeeded in your opinion? I mean would you want to read the book after reading the post?

    The book is Moscow Stations by Venedikt Yerofeev: http://philturton.dscloud.me/wordpress/2016/02/19/moscow-stations/

    Thanks!

    Liked by 2 people

  16. A T T E N T I O N B L O G G E R S

    I need help!! I’ve hit a writing/inspiration blank! Please give me ideas or words to inspire new pieces.
    I am wanting to connect with other writers and to be inspired by you too. Will take a look at your blog/work and give you feedback, too.

    Much love, exulansiss.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. hiya. thought provoking posts there. just as an aside, i’ve been blogging for a few years and just this past month had my first follower. it takes a while to be “discovered” sometimes. just keep on doing what you are doing, use tags, share on social media and it will happen.

      Liked by 2 people

    2. I read your post on Habits and Meditation. I could relate to a lot of things you mentioned in there! As different as people can be, I find it amazing how so many of us are on similar journeys! Keep up the good work. We’ll find our followers!
      If you’re interested, feel free to check out my blog. I’m relatively new to this world and like you, trying to find my spot.
      Happy blogging!
      Natasha

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Hi
        Like your blog. In my research before blogging I read that keeping your paragraphs shorter will help readers stay and read your post. Large chunks of text can sometimes deter a reader. Obviously keep the same amount of content, just make the paragraphs a little shorter?
        However, I’m only a month in so this is all just hear say! 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

  21. Hi guys,

    I have recently started a blog times towards which is aimed towards admin professionals as I myself am an EA.

    I would love to get a bit of feedback about the usability of the site and if it could be spruced up at all?

    Id love to know if the content appeals to a wider audience also 🙂

    http://www.theassistantroom.com

    Looking forward to any constructive criticism I can build upon!

    Jess http://www.theassistantroom.com

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Hi Jess, love to look of the site. The only thing I found confusing was that when you first land, I was presented with one full post and then a link to an older post. I found that confusing when I first visited although het it now with the popular posts section. Maybe make more posts available from all categories on your first page? (Just a suggestion, I might be on my own!)

      Liked by 1 person

  22. Hi guys,

    I’ve just started to write a bit about my experiences with anxiety and my search for a decent treatment. I’d love to get some feedback on writing style and the content. Please take a minute to check it out and let me know what you think, all feedback would be very much appreciated! Thanks 🙂

    http://www.mentalshape.net

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Hi, there….your writing is elegance and wit…profoundly sensitive and vulnerable…and strong and brave….you could write entire novels…what a joy to read…first class all the way….brilliant and much appreciated 🙂 Thank you for sharing!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you so much for your kind words! I really appreciate you taking the time to read my posts, they’ve been hugely cathartic to write so far, I’m really chuffed that you enjoyed reading. Thanks again! 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

  23. Hi all,

    I started my blog just to share my feelings about life. So far they have been rather depressing and pessimistic, but I hope to have brighter things to write about in the future. Would really appreciate some follows/feedback

    Liked by 2 people

  24. This is a bit of a strange question, but when are too many post too much? I want my followers to read my blogs, but not get bored or annoyed. Is posting daily too much for some people or should I try to keep it to a couple a week?
    Any replies i’ll check out your blogs, always looking for new ones to follow!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I would say that if you want the majority of your followers to read your blogs consistently it would probably be best to limit them to a couple per week. This is only my opinion though!

      Liked by 2 people

    2. For me, I just don’t normally have the time to post every day. I think consistency is key, and maybe up to 5 times a week. This should also depend on the length of your articles, just keep in mind to give your readers time to absorb it! I always find it cool when people do a “Special Saturday Post” that they post every Saturday, as an example. Hope that helped! Please do check out my blog, I’m all about healthy eating, and I post recipes accommodating my allergies, so all foods this foodie makes are wheat, rice, and oat free! Hopefully you follow- I just made a post on a Valentine’s dinner, involving steak:)
      http://fondufondue.com/

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thanks for the reply! I haven’t thought about doing a special post day, I think I’ll do one day a week especially for a diy post or something then do a couple of other post randomly through the week. Thanks so much, I’ll definitely check out your blog x

        Liked by 1 person

      2. then there are those of us with no real life outside of our electronic boxes that babble several times a day, every day……..lol……it all depends on how much you have to say. Don’t try and figure out when people want to read stuff, everyone is different. Just write when you want to and it will all work out.

        Liked by 1 person

    3. I’ve normally have 5 special day themes and then reviews whenever. The themes are short posts and as of this month I’ve been working on a movie challenge for every day. So far I’ve watched 18 TCM classic movies and my reviews have gotten a consistent comment and likes.

      So I think it’s up to you and the length of the post. A few of my theme posts also involve opportunities for my readers to leave their comments with opinions or recommendations, so that’s also an option.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thanks for the reply, I really like the idea of getting readers involved. I have just seen a blog post with a poll at the bottom so I was thinking about have a series focused on one subject then on each post have a poll for what they won’t the next post to be about. Thanks so much for your comment I’m getting loads of ideas!

        Liked by 2 people

  25. I just started my blog this week, primarily to chronicle my journey with recurrent pregnancy loss, but I also include travel photos and plan to write about my job experiences (I work with a nonprofit fighting human trafficking in the US). Although recurrent pregnancy loss is a sad topic, my goal is to empower and encourage others during life’s struggles, even outside of RPL

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Hi, Lindsay. I checked out your blog and I have to tell you that I love the layout. I did read over a lot of it and your content is very interesting. I’m so sorry to hear about your RPL. My eldest sister struggled with RPL very recently. I went ahead and followed you and look forward to reading more!

      Liked by 2 people

  27. Hello fellow bloggers! I hope you’re having a wonderful evening. I wanted to stop by the community pool. Better late than never I suppose. I’ve been looking for some feedback. My blog is about our house we’re turning into a homestead. With elements of our own local small business. I wonder sometimes if the theme is too confused. We’ve been tossing around the idea of possibly re-branding.
    Please, stop by and have a look and let me know what you think. While you’re there grab a simple, but delicious recipe for next week!

    https://gaiascure.wordpress.com

    Thanks so much in advance!
    -Jamie Rose

    Liked by 2 people

    2. I really REALLY like your site. it’s easy to move around and find out information, nice that there is a webstore attached and bully is totally adorable! Loved the idea of old chair backs for a garden…stealing that from you actually. Following now. Suze http://www.suziland.net

      Liked by 1 person

  28. Please, please help me! I do thank you for helping in the past. I just learned that I can group all of my Daily Prompts in one tab, so that they display on one page. That’s great. But I want to have them not displayed on my lists of blog posts. I really want to keep them separate. I don’t want to clutter with the DP. Ideas?

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I’m afraid that’s not possible — all your posts, once published, will appear in the general stream of posts on your blog. Grouping all your posts with a shared category on one page — this is called a category page — is a great way to highlight specific types of posts or topics, but it doesn’t affect the appearance of those posts in your general stream.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi Gilian,

      Thanks for not dropping links with no other message or request for feedback in the Community Pool.

      I’ve also noticed that you leave several feedback requests per week, and we ask that bloggers limit themselves to one a week, so as to help spread the love around and make it more likely that more bloggers receive the feedback they need. Thanks!

      Liked by 1 person