Mar 14, 2016 / Community Pool

Community Pool

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?

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. Thanks for the response. I looked up this on the WordPress Support page, and it said that the tag in the reader will be the most popular among WordPress users. So it seems the only way to have control over what shows up is to have only one tag.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. To be honest, I don’t even notice the one tag. I look more at the title and blog. I don’t know if others bloggers are like me, but I wouldn’t worry about it too much! 😛

      Liked by 2 people

  3. Truthordespair.org

    Hello fellow bloggers and friends! I’m brand new in the blog world and am having a blast creating my work. I would love to have feedback on my blog and possibly any tips on the fastest way to attract followers. Thank you for your time! ❤

    Liked by 4 people

    1. My suggestion is to take a look at suzie81speaks.com . She had a huge following and frequently runs blog promo events, especially her #sundayblogshare on twitter which is a great way to meet and attract new followers.

      Liked by 2 people

  4. Hi kind readers,

    I have recently started my blog, and the comments about other blogs on the previous Community Pool have already helped a lot. Through my blog,
    I’ll go in depth about the most important and basic parts of human life: friendship & love, body & mind and your own psychology.

    By exploring this, I hope to help myself and hopefully help others. Here’s my latest post: https://bongre.wordpress.com/2016/03/07/how-beat-fears-and-try-new-things/

    How is the layout? Do you find it readable?
    What do you think about the writing style? What struck you and what recommendation do you have?

    To thank you for your review, I’ll also leave feedback on your blog if you wanted. Thanks and I wish you a lot of blog-related success

    Liked by 3 people

    1. The layout is good and your writing is highly readable. Though you’ve done a nice job of organizing the post and using sub-headings, some people may find it a bit lengthy. If you think that could be the case, in future, you may want to break longer pieces into multiple posts. For example, in the first post, you could let readers know it is the first in a three-part series. You could even add Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 to the titles of the posts. http://gracelead.co

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks a lot for your comment. I saw that you commented on a lot of other posts, which is really nice, so thanks again.

        I didn’t think about the length, but that may be a good idea. I’ll look around in my favorite blogs to see how they structure their posts and how long their average post is. Dividing it into parts is also a great idea, because I can easily continue my ideas and add new content.
        I looked at your website, and I like it a lot. I won’t discuss the content, since it’s extremely prone to a flame war, but there many things I liked about your website:
        – The categories above are really nice
        – The book summaries are great: I read a couple of them, and they’re both very clean and well structured. Great job!
        – I like the website layout. The categories are laid out in two rows (I don’t know if that’s intentional), which decreases the content that a viewer can see when they land on your website.
        If you want feedback about a particular thing, please ask.

        Thanks again

        Liked by 1 person

    1. There’s nothing wrong with your writing. If I really wanted to nit pick I’d say things like he or she rather than he/she.
      It has been ingrained in our society? How about
      It is ingrained in our society. It’s just cutting off redundant words but everyone is guilty of that

      Liked by 3 people

  7. Little late to the party, but please take a look at my new blog post and let me know if it’s too out there for my theme!
    (Also it’s helpful if any of you are struggling to manage your time)
    mylifesdesigns.wordpress.com
    Thank you!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. The post looks good to me. I noticed you didn’t assign it to a category. If you plan to do book reviews regularly, that would be a good category. It also appears that you do product reviews, so that would be another good category. Ideally, each post would be assigned to one category. That way if a reader wants to just see product reviews, they could go to that category without scrolling through the other posts. For an example of how that works, see my blog: http://gracelead.co

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Hey everyone 🙂

    I’ve only started blogging a few weeks ago and so far I love it! I’m a bit unsure of the design, though. I wanted a clean and modern theme so as to not scare anyone off, but now I’m worried that it’s too boring. Any comments will be greatly appreciated!
    Also, if there are any readers who understand Danish, I would very much like some feedback on the content.

    Thanks so much! 🙂
    http://www.huskmignu.com

    Liked by 2 people

    1. You might want to add a header for a little visual appeal. Otherwise, the clean look works. Regrettably, I don’t read Danish. Have you assigned each post to a category? As your number of posts grows, it could help readers find what interests them most. http://gracelead.co

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Hi all,
    I have just started blogging two days ago… so, I only have two posts. I have had no luck uploading a profile photo, and am kind of just struggling with the techy stuff in general. As far as I know, I am pretty limitted if I continue with the WordPress’ “free” option. Please correct me if I am wrong about this. Also, I have decided to sort of write about whatever… no theme! I am open to any feedback, both on tech issues and content. Thanks!

    Here is my link https://thoughtsbyamodernwoman.wordpress.com/

    Am I sending the right link? When I open this link, my “about” section says it is just an example… ugh I definitely could use some tech help.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. You can do a lot with the free WordPress version. The ‘limitations’ are actually a good thing. Assuming you aren’t a developer, you shouldn’t find a reason to upgrade. There’s plenty in the free version to tweak and improve your site.

      Take it slow. Look at other sites and the themes they use and choose one you like. Less is more. Strip back the stuff you don’t need. Re theme…don’t worry. Keep writing and you’ll find an audience, and your own voice. My theme has changed many times since I started two years ago before settling.

      Best of luck

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Seems like you had a bit of a hiatus in your blogging. Welcome back! I’d suggest throwing in some widgets for the sidebar, specifically social icons if you want to engage more followers on those channels.

      I looked at your last post about birthdays. It could have been better tagged – best practice is to use 8-12 tags so that people can find you on their reader (and search engines).

      Best of luck

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I am not much of a regular writer already and haven’t had a lot in mind to pen down lately, so yeah!! 😛
        But feedbacks are always bliss! Is it really 8-12 tags (I don’t think I can think of those many relevant tags per post)? I believed 3-4 tags are good enough, but I’ll think about it. Thanks for stopping by.

        Liked by 1 person

  12. thoughts by a modern woman, to change your profile photo, comment on your own page, click on your profile photo and it should take you to gravatar.com; the instructions from here are pretty straight forward : )

    Liked by 2 people

  13. Hello Everybody!
    My name is Malik Anderson, and I just started a skateboarding blog. I love skateboarding and I love writing, so I figured what better way to write and still involve myself in skating than to start a blog about it. If you wouldn’t mind, I absolutely love any kind of feedback, constructive feedback preferably. 🙂
    I will also check out your blog as well as provide feedback.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Hi, Malik,
      I’ve never skateboarded, and that’s what makes you blog appealing to me…I love getting glimpses into adventures that I wouldn’t have discovered otherwise. Also, you write very, very well. 🙂 Really interesting blog!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Whoa, thanks a lot! I really appreciate that compliment, more than you may know. I’m glad that you find it interesting 🙂
        And also, I read some of your blog and I really love your use of metaphors and word-play, it makes the reading much more enjoyable and semi-thought-provoking. You mentioned that they are so sudden and effortless, which I can somewhat relate to. When you write and it kind of just flows, it’s one of the best feelings.

        Liked by 2 people

  14. I’m running my blog as a hybrid-website and i’m thinking about changing it! let me know what you all think about swapping with jungaSwap! jungaswap.wordpress.com

    Liked by 2 people

    1. The layout looks good for a hybrid site. There are a couple of things to consider on readability. The yellow makes my eyes tired. It is so bright. Also having everything in all caps makes it difficult to read. My site is also a hybrid site http://gracelead.co

      Liked by 1 person

  15. I have recently started my blog, and the comments about other blogs on the previous Community Pool have already helped a lot. Through my blog,
    I’ll go in depth about the most important and basic parts of Medicines, drugs store and all.

    By exploring this, I hope to help myself and hopefully help others. Here’s my latest post: https://lyfspillblog.wordpress.com/2016/03/14/buy-now-ambien-zolpidem-10mg-online-safe-and-secure/
    thanks

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Hello, Rachel!
      I like your blog and it looks very professional! Your header image is a little pixelated so maybe try and make it a little smaller. Also, when you click on the Dating Diary link, it shows up as uncategorized. I would try and match your link titles to your category titles. I especially like the About Me page. Since you are so personal in your topics, it is awesome that your page expresses that!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Navigate Your Life: Thank you so much for the feedback! How do I make sure that my link titles match my category titles? I’m still new to blogging and figuring everything out! Thanks!

        Liked by 2 people

      1. The problem is, after I do a thing I have NO IDEA how I did it, how to do it again or how to get rid of it! I am “user-friendly’s” worst nightmare. I want the main theme and then individually themed images. Front page has box of pictures, each linking to one topic or linking to the main blog of similar topics…? Is it so hard? Am I doomed to create everything in Powerpoint?

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Haha no you are not doomed I promise! I would go to The Daily Post Browse by Topic where they give you an overview of each aspect of your blog. Sometimes concentrating on one aspect of your blog at a time helps. When I finally found my writing groove, I started working on my layout, design, etc, to go with my blog vibe. I am sorry for the long response but I hope that helps! Let me know if you need anymore help!

        https://navigateyourlifeblog.wordpress.com/

        Liked by 2 people

    2. Hi, I suggest working on formatting your text. Right now it’s essentially one long block of text and it’s really hard to read. To fix this, break it up into paragraphs, perhaps add more pictures to give the eye something else. Also watch your grammar, I noticed a few mistakes.
      But overall an interesting story and a good into to your blog.
      Happy Blogging!

      Liked by 2 people

    1. You made me laugh. The humor clearly comes through in your writing. I am also a person who doesn’t waste time with ironing. There is always a better use for my time. On the look of your blog, the header seems a bit large. Is there a way to shrink it a bit? I see that you are making good use of tags. Those may help someone find some of your posts. My blog is: http://gracelead.co

      Liked by 2 people

    3. I like your writing and the simplicity and continuity of your posts with each title being similar. I was going to comment on the undomestic goddess post but I didn’t see comments available at the bottom. Overall a good read!

      Liked by 3 people

    1. Awww, are you using the mobile app or using a computer?
      When you write a post you have the option of adding a category, in your case it will be creating a new one, a word that captures the gist of your post like ‘Photography’, ‘food’, ‘Family’.
      Tags are words or phrases related to your post and these are added and separated by commas e.g. Arsenal, Mesut Ozil, Premier League, 😀 I hope it helps.

      Liked by 3 people

    1. Hello!
      I started to scroll through your blog and the color scheme was good, but the layout was quite ‘confusing’ I guess you could put it? like quite jumbled together and a bit too much going on at once. I’d advise a lesser layout that you can add to such as ‘sela’. you can add a unique sidebar with that one, while still being unique.
      hope I helped!

      Liked by 1 person

      3. I love the layout of it, much easier to read. It fits your writing style and personality well. Overall it looks very appealing and interesting, which I love.
        Keep writing!

        Liked by 1 person

  29. Hi, everyone,
    Truly, here…I would really appreciate some feedback on my latest post (“Night-Fall: What if there’s a monster under my…breath”). It speaks to the challenges related to growing and being your best…though, noble, certainly not a glamorous pursuit. I use wit, imaginative metaphors, and word play to lighten the load, and take the sting out of the ambivalence inherent in change. Thank you so much…I will definitely return the favour. Take care 🙂 http://www.trulyunplugged.com

    Liked by 3 people