May 2, 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?

The Community Pool is for peer feedback and advice. Looking for more specific information? Check out some of these resources:

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:

  • 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!
  • 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.
  • 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 Ryan!

      I enjoyed your latest post on your blog. I think the overall layout is very nice. I like that you have your categories across the top. I need to do that myself.

      I think the only thing keeping your blog from looking professional and clean is the red bold letters at the top.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Hi I’m new to WordPress I am using the site primarily for my photography portfolio as I liked the idea of interaction with my pics rather than a stagnant page. I’m posting my fave photo each week at the moment and just wanted people’s thoughts……is it engaging? Professional and is my site easy to navigate any other feedback would be great Thanks in advance

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Hi Zoe! Just a few things… do you have a portfolio up? I clicked on it but nothing shows up. Otherwise, love your photographic work!

      Liked by 1 person

      3. oh okay, I see. It just that I was clicking on the actual portfolio tab, that’s why it wasn’t working. Got it!

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Great thanks again for your feedback I’ll possibly make a page there and give instructions thanks Healing through photography. Like your posts too.👌

        Liked by 1 person

  3. Hi everyone, I started my blog a couple of months ago, and am still kind of figuring out how things work! I’d love some feedback on my latest post, or on my blog in general! (Specifically, what do you like or dislike in the writing, and are the images I included a nice addition or a distraction?) Thanks in advance! 🙂

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Love the images and I personally love the layout. I think it’s clean and sleek! Your writing is enjoyable and easy to follow along, which I love.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. This month is mental health awareness month! My blog is all about living with anxiety. I would love for your guys to check it out to learn more about anxiety and mental health as well as give me feedback! Thank you!

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Hi Leigh!

      I loved your latest post on anxiety. And brava on getting to guest post on Rage Against the Minivan! I have followed Kristen for some time.

      Anywho, my younger brother has struggled with acute anxiety for two years now and it’s hard for me when people don’t take it seriously. I have struggled with it myself, but not to the extreme that my sibling has. I love that you are dedicating a blog to the healing and coping of this struggle. It’s so debilitating. I love that you’re being a voice for this community!

      Liked by 2 people

  6. I’m hosting my first ever KAL (knit-a-long) and want to know, from my fellow knitters, is this enough info? Should I put the yarn requirements? It’s a pattern everyone knows and loves – or can see via the original pattern site.

    I’m planning a kick-off post on the 15th itself, with the yarn I’m choosing and why. Should I have a post between now and then with some inspiration?

    https://oneliferecorded.me/2016/05/02/clapto-kal-2016/

    Liked by 3 people

  7. Hey Everyone.. For the first time I have created a blog to tell A story in chapters (I call them Episodes). THEME: Romance; Love; Tragedy; Light Humor. I don’t know if it will work, Please check it out and provide me some of your valuable suggestions… Also kindly follow if you like the episodes…

    About

    Liked by 2 people

  8. My blog began in February. I am proud of the progress I have made. I would appreciate feedback on content and effectiveness of my layout. I enjoy checking out the work of others and would gladly visit your blog as well.

    Liked by 3 people

  10. I just finished the A to Z Challenge in April and that’s really how my blog started. I’m trying to get back into posting my writing and I would love for people to check out my latest entry and give some feedback. I am always happy to read and comment on other’s blogs as well! I’m really looking for some new writing blogs to follow and interact with!

    The Sound of Thought

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I just look a look through your blog and felt like I was reading my own diary at moments. Your voice is authentic and I can really relate to a lot of your subject matter. Keep it up!

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Liked your post – girl who.. it was refreshing and original. You need to complete the “About” page.
      Try to check out my blog – “sduttasite.wordpress.com”

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Hello. My 57 year old eyes would find it easier to read your blog if the contrast between background and text were a little greater. The colors are nice in that they are not glaring, but the text is a little hard to see against the background. Sorry for picking on a mundane characteristic, but making the material easier to read will tend to keep more readers.

      Liked by 2 people

  15. Hi all –
    I feel like I’ve hit a plateau in traffic and interaction. I’d love to grow my network more and find other bloggers who share the same interests. I write about my life & career in Chicago, but I wonder if my personal posts are too personal and deter interaction? Maybe things are just all over the place? If anyone has a moment to look at my site and share some suggestions, I’d very much appreciate it.
    Thanks!

    Liked by 3 people

  16. Hey Everyone.. For the first time I have created a blog to tell A story in chapters (I call them Episodes). THEME: Romance; Love; Tragedy; Light Humor. I don’t know if it will work, Please check it out and provide me some of your valuable suggestions… Also kindly follow if you like the episodes…

    About

    Liked by 2 people

  17. Hello People! I started my blog late last year, and haven’t been getting any views even when I advertise it on social media. I write contemporary literature. Please can someone check out my blog and give me any tips on how to possibly to improve it?

    Liked by 3 people

  20. Hello everyone, I am also new to the Blogging/Word Press community. I blog about art and my imaginative brain. I originally started this blog for an English project, but I’m going to try and keep it alive!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I love they way you welcome people to participate in your blog. Very welcoming. Such a great way to share and encourage others.

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Hey Christina, I’ve never used anything but a self-hosted WordPress. You actually don’t need to know anything about HTML / CSS unless you want to, and most hosts will actually install WordPress for you (or have an easy way of doing it) so you don’t even really need to worry about FTPs etc.

      Hopefully someone else can answer your question on upgrading to business.

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Hi Christina — our Business plan comes with Google Analytics, and while it doesn’t allow uploading plugins (it’s our policy throughout WordPress.com, for safety and performance reasons), it includes many features offered by popular plugins. You can learn more about it here: https://wordpress.com/business/

      Like

    1. I like your style and left a comment on your blog. My only suggestion is to perhaps add a little more variety with images or some short posts. Blessings.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Hey, I liked your writing too for the reason already given that I like personal stories (and recognise a lot of what you wrote).

      As far as the blog is concerned, I think you just need to tify up those placeholder posts and all looks good!

      Liked by 1 person

    1. These are the questions we all struggle with. You have to decide on how much you are willing to share about your personal life. I would limit yourself to one post a day. Many people would get annoyed if you posted two or most posts a day. If you feel the need to write, just draft them and schedule them to post the next day. Hope this helps

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Hey, I think it’s a good start and the blog looks good. I think feedback will be better in a few posts’ time so that we can see what’s happening with the Gopher Hole and other parts.

      Not sure if you’re going to stick with blogging stories, but I think to get readership on blogs like this it would be useful to interact with blogs along similar lines. You’ll probably find some on the Community Pool and if you click the “Postaday” link at the top of this page I know that there are some bloggers who do the Daily Prompt by writing short stories.

      Liked by 2 people

  30. Hi guys I have only posted about five times on my blog because I am unsure of what I should include in my content. Do you think I should keep just talking about my life or try and do a series of something as well? I also need some traffic as well. Any comments that would help me improve would be helpful!

    https://classycorrie.wordpress.com

    Thanks!!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Hey Corrie, what you write about is ultimately your decision. Why did you start a blog?

      I actually really enjoy personal blogs, just telling stories about your own life and experience (hence why I’ve given you a follow). It’s what I blog about. What I would say, from my experience, is try to have a theme for each post rather than simply have them as diary entries. For example, on Snow Day, you could have done a book review about Black Ice (which would have tied in nicely with a Snow Day!). This would mean that your readers could discuss it in comments and you’d have traffic coming back.

      Liked by 1 person