Jun 20, 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? Are you redesigning 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).

Looking for free, self-guided courses to help you get started with your blog (or revive a dormant one)? Check out our current offerings at Blogging U.

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.

Are you a new blogger looking to share your very first post? We have a special forum for bloggers just like you in our weekly First Friday posts.

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    1. I read the writing post and just commented 🙂 Good use of spacing, good content. Potentially add an image? Up to you, but more colors draw readers in, as long as you don’t overdo it 🙂 I really liked the shoe image header!

      Would you be willing to read one of my posts? Click my name and pick whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Your site looks good and you already have much helpful content. One thing to consider is that it will soon require a lot of scrolling to review your content. To make it easier for your readers, you could use a Read More tag after the first paragraph on your posts. https://gracelead.co

      Liked by 2 people

  7. Hey all! I’m Jessica blogging about my journey to health and wellness as I try to heal my sudden, cystic acne from the inside, out – no harsh acne drugs for me!

    I really appreciate all of the Community Pool feedback I’ve gotten to date, and I just posted a new-to-me type of post that I’d love some feedback on! I’m certainly happy to return the favor!

    thatpeganlife.wordpress.com

    Thanks all!

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Loved the spirit, messages and definitely the personality! Beautiful blog you have there bud, hope to see more of it!

    If you have yet to received my “Follow” notification, just know that I tried to follow you but for some reason my WP is acting weird and keeps reverting “Following” back to “Follow” lol. I will check it out again later or tmr (It’s really late here and I got other sites to review!) so I’ll talk to you again soon Aki.

    Stay awesome, stay chirpy!

    Your pal,
    Benjamin

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Oops, wrong comment/reply box lol!

      Anywho, if you want me to review your site, feel free to reply to this comment! But I must say that I’m going to sleep soon so I will review your blog when I wake up!

      Don’t worry, I will review everyone who leaves a review of my blog to my comment here. If you review my site, I will review yours as always- A win-win! It’s a promise!

      Till then, wait for a notification of my reply to your comment / review request!

      Your pal,
      Benjamin

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Your poems would be easier to read if you used punctuation. It’s hard sometimes to tell where the line is ending or continuing on to the next.

      Liked by 2 people

  12. Hello fellow bloggers!

    I’ve been writing for about 3 months, about my travels in Central America… My latest post is about my arrival in Leon. Would appreciate your feedback about whether it’s too personal/personal enough, if it makes you travel a bit with me? If it makes you want to read more?

    Also I have been struggling with the layout, can’t find a theme that suits and I don’t find it easy to configure on WordPress (I know everyone loves it! I must be rubbish at it…). Any tips on what I should try and change to make it easier to navigate?

    Last cry for help… I started writing just for friends and family but now exploring the idea to make something more of it (and maybe, maybe make money :P), but obviously at the moment I’m on the free version and haven’t got my own domain. Would you recommend I change that now? And pay for it all although I might never make any money? What would be your top 3 tips to get the blog more out there?

    Any feedback is welcome!!!! Thanks a lot, and keep blogging 🙂

    https://petitbuddhablog.wordpress.com/

    Liked by 2 people

    2. As someone who has travelled through Central America, I would suggest you take loads of pictures! I looked at your site – do you have instagram? Might be worth building up a little community on that, and have it as a widget on the sidebar. I found a paid freelance job while travelling through South America – I did it by connecting with similar sites to my own (my site was travel related at the time and has since changed!), and slowly but surely, by leaving considerate comments on other sites, I made a connection who later connected me to a job opportunity. Best of luck!

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Hi Aidan! Thanks for your comment and feedback. I do have an Instagram (I think I have the social media links somewhere but as I said I’ve struggled to configure my site and I can’t put the icons back somewhere they’re visible!?). But that said, I will try and put more pictures! Was the freelance job photo related?! Thanks!!!

        Liked by 2 people

    1. That was an interesting analysis. I agree that we should be kind rather than use kindness as a strategy. It’s even possible that this is the intent of the expression “kill them with kindness.” In other words, be kind, even to people who are complete jerks and don’t deserve it. Since that would take up a lot of space to stitch on a pillow, perhaps the person shortened it to “kill them with kindness.” 🙂 https://gracelead.co

      Liked by 2 people

  14. Hi guys! 😃
    Hope you are well.
    Here is my blog link

    https://beinghealthyweb.wordpress.com/

    This blog is about good mental health. Being a psychology student I feel that it’s most important for us to be mentally healthy for being more productive and to live a healthy and satisfied life.
    So it’s my first attempt to make people more aware of mental health. Do visit and give feedback. More creative ideas are highly appreciated.
    Thank you!

    Liked by 1 person

    2. Hey, neat blog. I am a psychology student as well! It looks like you are writing on some great topics, so keep on doing that. I encourage you to write a nice about me page so let readers know who you are and what the purpose of the blog is. Right now it is just the template text. You can check out my blog about authentic living and thankfulness at: https://wondersinthewind.wordpress.com/

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi Kimmo. I follow a few book review sites. I’d suggest you leave a rating /10 so that as you build up the reviews, people get a better understanding of where things place in your all time favourites. Also, it might be nice to tease people with what you are planning to read next so they can ‘stay tuned’ for the next instalment. Best of luck.

      Liked by 2 people

  17. Hi Bloggers! If you have time, please stop by my blog. Comment, subscribe, suggestions, and likes are welcomed. I will do the same in return. Continue to have a beautiful day.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi Accidentally Single, I’m Accidental Iowan! I like your posts, but have a quick question. Is there somewhere you have an About page? It would help to have a blurb or whole page dedicated to who you are and your blog.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Hi! I do have an “About Me” page. With the new layout I didn’t notice that it took the link away. Thank you for pointing that out!

        Liked by 2 people

  18. Hey guys.

    I can’t find where my replies are; so, bare with me. I took my site off of private but when I put it on Facebook and Google + it still says “protected blog. Log in”. When you press the “protected blog” link, it goes to my site. So, why does it say protected blog when I changed it? (That, and this is the same thing that happened with my other site before the layout changed to one column without my doing anything. Here is the site: https://byacc.wordpress.com/ Let me know if it is still on private.

    Is there a tech I can send feedback or a comment to?

    Thanks.

    Jess

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Hi! I am a new blogger and I would love some feed back. If you have time, please check out my page. Likes, comments, and suggestions are welcome. I will return all, thanks in advance☺️

    Liked by 2 people

    1. It looks like you are off to a good start. If you will be putting your posts on your Home page, you don’t need a separate Blog page. It would be nice to see a few words on your About page to tell us the purpose of your blog. In other words, will you be doing just movie reviews or will there be other categories of information for your posts? https://gracelead.co

      Liked by 1 person

    2. I love the purple colour you chose! Like paminat0r suggested, updating your About page is a good idea, as well as fixing the Home Page, as it seems to be an unedited general page.
      Happy blogging!

      Liked by 1 person

  20. Just commented 🙂 I love your images! I don’t take many photos, so I can’t participate in your compilation, but I think it’s a lovely idea.

    Would you be willing to read one of my posts? Click my name and pick whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Hi Victoria,
      I just looked at your blog. My suggestion is that you write more descriptive posts. Convince me *why* I should go see Finding Dory, or read that Agatha Christie novel. Liking it is very important, but readers want to find a story that will draw them in and persuade them to do the activity! 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

    2. I would suggest getting a little more descriptive, give the readers a reason to keep reading, make the readers feel something, grab them with words and keep them hooked convince them they want to see or read what ever it is you are writing! Explain the ways you felt you don’t have to tell them exactly what happened but you can keep them hooked by adding some feelings and the way you felt during it

      Liked by 1 person

    3. I agree with wellinformednamer, give us a reason why we should or shouldn’t read a book or watch a movie. Some extra information might be interesting as well. I am thinking here about the producer, famous actors who portrayed certain characters, are all things that might help

      Liked by 1 person

  22. Great idea, if only I had the time 😦 .
    Anyhow, your blog has changed a lot and I absolutely love the layout.
    I saw you added a contact page, however it still says “This is a contact page”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Surely you aren’t the only one with concerns about moving into adulthood. On your writing, it did occur to me that the part where you spoke of youth today might be better as its own post. It seemed to distract from the flow of your key point. On the other hand, I appreciated your observations that contrast your childhood with children today and I think they deserve a post of their own 🙂 https://gracelead.co

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Hey great homepage and I like your post. When writing a long post like this it might be a good idea to break your text with pictures or quotes. Most people read a blog quickly and a long uninterrupted text can cause people to drop off.
      Finally, take a look at your homepage, about page and contact page they still need a bit of work.
      If you have time, I would appreciate some feedback on my blog as well.

      Breakfast at Tiffany’s: an incredible starter

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Hey I read you blog, I thought it was really well written, well formed I love when authors get the readers to feel empathy and create a way for the reader to see who they are reading about! I would suggest some Grammatical changes but all in all a great post!

        Liked by 2 people

  26. Hey fellow bloggers!
    I have a question for you all. Does anybody know what the benefits of having a self-hosted blog are?
    I’ve heard of wordpress users choosing to self-host and they all say it’s great, but I’m not sure why… 😛 Am I being really dumb here? Haha! Is there any reason why I should opt for self-hosting?

    Liked by 5 people

    3. A lot of people self-host so they can really own the site and have total control of everything. WordPress’ free things are really great but not 100% customizable. Also, when one self hosts, there is a possibility to make money from ads and whatnot, so really serious bloggers who do this for a career do self host so they can earn a living.
      Of course there’s more to it and I can’t tell you as I don’t self host, but there’s a ton of stuff to read on the subject, including the link Michele posted. It’s a big choice and there are pros and cons to it, so it’s just up to each of us to decide what we want or need.

      Liked by 2 people

  27. I would suggest giving the reader a preview of what they are about to download. Maybe just some snippets from pages or some information on what the short story is about get in depth, get the reader motivated, get them intrigued and wanting more!

    Liked by 2 people

  28. Hey everyone
    I’m new to the blogging scene but I hope you would be interested in my reviews, at the moment I am putting a new one up every day so you won’t get bored quickly 🙂
    I would love for you to read and some feedback would be great so I can improve, thank you
    Zx
    https://zoe169.wordpress.com

    Liked by 4 people

    2. Welcome! FYI: that link goes to your dashboard, which is private, so people won’t be able to see your site. The simplest way to get the public link is to go to your blog’s main page and click on the post title. Then, copy the address you see in your browser’s address bar and use that. Here’s your site: http://mariedjapou.wordpress.com/

      Liked by 3 people