Jul 11, 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).

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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. This piece informed me of an event I have not previously heard of. I was thinking that an interesting additional piece would be to see this region as it looks now. Might be an interesting viewpoint.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Maybe that could be. But for now, there are only the dioramas that depict the tsunami in 2004. Because this Aceh Tsunami Museum is designed as a symbolic reminder of the disaster, as well as education center and an emergency disater shelter in case the area is ever hit by tsunami again. Hope you can visit this museum when you travel to Indonesia. Thanks!

        Liked by 1 person

  3. Hey friends!

    Hope you’re all having fun mixing around here!

    So I gtg for now but if you want to have your site reviewed? Feel free to respond to this comment and I will check it out as soon as I am able to 🙂

    For those who don’t know me, I will respond to and review EVERY SINGLE COMMENT’S BLOG so again, if you want someone to review your content, reply to this comment here and check out my site and leave me a review too while I’m away or while I am reviewing yours for you😀

    I promise, I will get to it as soon as I am available😉

    Stay chirpy you guys!

    Your pal,
    Benjamin
    http://www.projectbiy.com

    Liked by 4 people

      1. Hey ahmeliahmeli, I think your blog’s layout and color is easy on the eyes so that’s good. However, I did notice that there’s no archive section so I strongly recommend that you add one so that your readers can refer to your older posts.

        Also, I don’t see any “About” page anywhere! It’s the page ppl usually go to first to find out who they are listening to so it’s important! Add it asap bud!

        That’s all from me, hope you have fun blogging!

        Your pal,
        Benjamin
        http://www.projectbiy.com

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Benjamin, Thank you for the comments! I actually just removed the archives section this week because I felt the widgets were becoming too crowded; based on your feedback, I will put it back on the page. I have an “About” section, it appears when one hovers over the “Home” tab. Perhaps that’s a bad idea? I chose it because it does not fall into the pattern of the other tabs on top. Should I make it a widget instead? Thanks for your thoughts and time!

        Liked by 2 people

      3. Ah ha! Now it looks good so don’t worry about it!

        Normally, one would expect the “About” page to be visible and obvious so if it isn’t they may just think “Oh this site has no about page”.

        Not that it’s a sin to not have one- That page serves the purpose of allowing your readers to feel more connected to you so it’s a waste if you don’t include it or make it visible for ppl to see and read, don’t you think? 😉

        And also, npm bud! Always happy to help!

        Anywho, I’m working on a new project and I need help from bloggers like yourself so if you got time, feel free to check it out over here!
        https://projectbiy.com/2016/07/13/friends-i-need-your-help/

        If you got no time to, naturally, don’t have to force yourself to assist 😉

        Your pal,
        Benjamin
        http://www.projectbiy.com

        Liked by 1 person

      1. Hey bud! Went through your blog earlier.
        You got some cool stuff there hah!

        Anywho, just some feedbacks. A clean site, much like a clean and organized home, is always a good place for visitors. That’s definitely what you got here so that awesome.

        Good use of photo images to help illustrate your thoughts and experiences. Sweet touch there.

        Hmm the only thing I noticed missing is your incomplete “About” page. Get it done ASAP!

        It’s the page where visitors would usually head to first to know who they are “listening” to and perhaps, “Talk” to 😉

        Aside from that, you’re doing awesome so far!

        Keep up the good work bud! If you got any questions, feel free to ask 😉

        Your pal,
        Benjamin
        http://www.projectbiy.com

        Like

      1. Hey Catherine! Alright so I’ve checked out your site.

        Site looks clean and neatly organized but honestly though, I don’t really know what to say. Something feels missing here…

        The shared content isn’t bad but for some reason I just feel like the site isn’t complete. Maybe it’s the color scheme or perhaps the theme itself.

        Things may look organized (Which is a good thing!) but I just… It feels empty?

        I’m curious now bud. Try this. Go to your blog’s homepage and imagine yourself as a new visitor. Look at your blog.

        What do you feel when you look at your blog?

        Your pal,
        Benjamin
        http://www.projectbiy.com

        Like

      2. Thanks for revieweing my blog Benjamin. I have changed the color scheme. The theme is still Gateway. I previewed other themes and the only other theme that I feel fits my blog is Button. I previoulsy had the Scratchpad theme but I didnt like how it made some of my posts look.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Woah amazing what colors can do to appearances and the feelings it gives someone lol!

        It definitely feels a lot nicer to look at now and the feelings you get is just so much more vibrant! Don’t you think bud?

        As long as you are happy with the look, it doesn’t matter for the theme. Even for the color schemes lol, do whatever that makes you feel happy. That’s the reason why I asked you for your opinion on your blog’s look in my previous comment- To know how you feel about the look earlier 😉

        Your pal,
        Benjamin

        Like

      1. Hey NOM, left you some comments on your blog 😉

        I like what you’re doing there. Your thoughts evoked some thinking on my end which is in my opinion, awesome. Never bad to get the brain cracking on new ideas and discovering new perspectives on things.

        I noticed that you got no “Archive” section though so I highly suggest that you add it so that your readers can refer to your older articles.

        Keep up the good work bud 😉

        Your pal,
        Benjamin
        http://www.projectbiy.com

        Liked by 1 person

    5. I love the positivity of your blog, the articles are varied, but interesting, and your writing style is incredibly readable… It’s gotta be working, one new follower 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

      2. It’s predominantly craft, though edging on home. I like to think of it as a window into my real-life! (And all my boys are good 😀 )
        Kx

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Benjamin, I’ve placed each post in one of the 4 Categories (LEAD) in the Menu. When you click on a Category, you get all posts I’ve ever created in that Category. Also, you can keep clicking on more at the bottom of the Home page and it will give you the older posts.

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Hey, everyone! I am a new blogger who writes writing advice and encouragement for other writers. I am also documenting my journey to become a published writer, and I share my stories on my blog. If you love writing, fantasy, paranormal, or just need someone to talk to, please check out out my work!

    Here’s a post I did about Handling Feedback (it includes feedback from my own stories).
    https://ambradleyblog.wordpress.com/2016/07/10/handling-feedback/

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Just commented. Good content, good post length, good use of images. Maybe move the image to the center of the piece, to break up the text a little? Not a huge deal, more of a personal preference thing 🙂

      Would you be willing to look at one of my posts? Click on my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Thanks for the feedback! And I agree with you; I should put an image in the center to break up the text. I’ll do that in the future. I’m actually reading one your blogs right now^^

        Like

    3. Feedback, yes, there’s lots to write about on this topic. I’m in the rewriting phase of my WIP (with help from critique partners) so this is basically my life right now. But hey, I’m a fantasy writer on the road to publication too. So I totally get where you’re coming from and I look forward too reading more about your journey.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks! Yes, there is many blog post about this topic. I tried to make mine different by including feedback from my own story. Good luck with the rewriting and publishing^^ I’ll be sure to post my journey into the publishing world. I’m sure it will be full of tears, self-doubt, and a few moments of joy. =)

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Just commented 🙂 Great content! Here are my suggestions: add some photos! They draw the reader’s eye in and break up the text. And speaking of breaking up the text, I suggest having more paragraphs. Your content is good, but when everything is pushed into one paragraph, it can be a little overwhelming to process. No need to change the words — just hit “Enter” a few more times in the places that feel right, such as when you change topics.

      Would you be willing to look at one of my posts? Click on my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thank you so much! I agree that I should add more pictures. I did not have many that I felt would fit into this piece. Perhaps I will begin to take more photos with the purpose of adding more than one per entry. As for the spacing. I have not yet figured that out. It appears in paragraph form on my computer. Yet even between what I publish, and how it looks on the website, something changes. That is when it morphs into a huge block. On my screen, if I push enter more than once, it drops the paragraph down very far and then I was worried that it was too big of a gap. Any suggestions? Question, what type of device were you viewing it on? I have noticed some differences between a laptop, cellphone and tablet. (Though I didn’t figure out the solution.) Heading to your blog now…

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I’m using a laptop! As for spacing, I would suggest hitting enter just once: that gives a little space without giving too much. I know some people who do two spaces:

        Example:
        1. This is one space.
        I’ve hit enter once.

        2. This is two space.

        There’s a blank line now.

        Personally, I prefer to add the blank line in my posts. But it’s different for everyone!

        Liked by 2 people

      1. Yes, I typically do not write THIS long, but I did not want anything to go unsaid. I wanted to be as open and detailed as possible to show the real picture to the people making decisions. Does that make sense? :-/ Hope so! I’m going to take the spacing advice with my next post. I hope it works this time! 🙂 Thank you for the feedback!

        Like

  7. Hi guys! With all the recent going-ons in America, with the Dallas Shootings and the continuing discussions surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement, I felt compelled to write something. https://thecontemporaryedition.com/2016/07/08/no-more-hashtags/ If you guys could check it and give me some feedback, that would be fantastic!

    If you also want to post your links to posts about similar issues that would be wonderful, I would love to check it out all ! leave links below!!

    Liked by 2 people

      1. Hmm, thank you for the suggestion, and I’ll look over the post and think about putting an image somewhere in the middle. What type of image do you think I could use?

        Like

      2. When I look for images, I use the website flickr. I type related terms in the search box, and then use the search filter “Creative Commons.” These images are free to use as long as you credit the user who posted it. It’s the best place to get a wide variety of images 🙂

        Like

    1. Just commented! 🙂 Good content, nice use of images. My suggestion: maybe break up your post into multiple paragraphs? It can be intimidating for a reader to see a long block of text.

      Would you be willing to look at one of my posts? Click on my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  11. Hey bloggers! So I do a lot of posts with multiple pictures and was wondering: if I am talking about a certain picture, should I put that picture after the paragraph I dedicated for that picture? What I do now is I leave all of the pictures to be posted altogether at the end of the post. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Hey! My personal advice, display the picture first and then write your paragraph under it. This will give the reader a visual to keep in mind while reading your paragraph, thereby helping them connect to the picture more intrinsically. 🙂

      Liked by 6 people

    1. Just commented. Great content! My suggestion: break your paragraphs up into more paragraphs. It can be a little intimidating to see such large blocks of text, especially on a blog, which is a very visual, mixed-medium platform (videos/images and words).

      Would you be willing to look at one of my posts? Click on my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

    2. Hi! You write very well, I enjoyed the tension created in ‘Beware of the Dark’, and the frank way you write in this more recent post, ‘Stand Tall’. I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about this, but because your text is usually fairly long, it is kind of distracting having it align to the left side. With fiction writing especially, I think its more natural to have it centered instead of having a big gap on one side – what do you think?
      I very much enjoyed reading your blog, thank you! And keep up the good work! 🙂 Hattie X

      Liked by 3 people

    1. Cute post 🙂 Just commented! Good content, good use of images. My suggestion — the Joshua Tree post had a few spelling errors (Mile instead of Miles, Friyay in the title). Not sure if Friyay is meant to be a series or something you do on your blog, but if not, run a quick spell check to catch those sneaky errors before posting 🙂

      Would you be willing to look at one of my posts? Click on my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 4 people

      1. Hi Natalie, good advice about spell check. I just corrected Miles’ name (how embarrassing spelling your hub’s name wrong) LOL. Pic Pick Friyay, is a series on my blog. It’s spelled that way to emphasize the Yay that it’s Friday. 🙂 I will happily check out a post and comment. Thank you!

        Liked by 3 people

    3. Hi! Your blog is so interesting, and I love the diversity of posts that come with it. This post is particularly sweet (gorgeous little boy by the way!). Reading the About page was a perfect summary of what was to come, and I think you did that very well. I also like the use of graphics, eg. attaching images from twitter into your book reviews and the use of Gifs – I also love doing this, they are so much fun!
      Thanks for the great read! Hattie X

      Liked by 3 people

  15. Hi everybody, I write a blog called misstery blog. And I love to write, blogging has really helped me to relize just how much I love writing. And just how much the world needs the beauty of writing. I blog about anything that inspires or intrests me, I can get inspirtaion from the most random of things so I am sure you will find something you can enjoy. I hope you can check my blog out, and I will do the same https://missteryblog.wordpress.com/

    Liked by 6 people

    1. Nice post — good content, great use of images, and good post length. Love sounds much better than all of the hate in the world right now!

      Would you be willing to look at one of my posts? Click on my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  18. Hello hello,
    I am fairly new to blogging and I am always looking for feedback, as well as inspiration from other sites. Please take a look at my blog – https://how2revise.wordpress.com/
    It’s aimed at A-level students who are applying to university, trying to revise for exams or just starting their higher education. I would welcome any thoughts on layout, graphics, writing style, colour scheme, anything at all!
    Thanks guys! Hattie X

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Hello there,
      wonderful idea to start a blog on that! You already have very helpful content on there. Well done on that.
      Your layout is very professional and pretty easy to handle. I´d just put the follow button on the top in your right bar, just because a lot of blogs have that and your readers will see that first there. But that´s just something minor.
      Your content I´d divide in different posts, to break it up a bit, because you write pretty much;-) which is not a bad thing. Just break it up by doing part 1, part 2 posts, that way readers also click around your blog, if they want to read part 2 – meaning more traffic for you!
      But all in all, well done and happy blogging!
      Hope I could help!
      XO Little Sunshine

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Hi! Thank you for your lovely comments and feedback, it is very much appreciated. I will amend those things now, as looking at it, I do agree with you! Your blog is also very easy to navigate and visually I like how its laid out and the design! Your posts are friendly and absorbing, and I like the way you write it like a diary, with a mixture of lots of different ideas, events and thoughts. Thanks for the great read, I’ll be sure to follow to keep up to date! Hattie X

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Great I could help!
        Thank you so much for your kind words and compliments. That means so much hearing that. Thank you.
        Happy to hear from you soon;-)
        XO Little Sunshine

        Like

    2. Though I’m done with college, I found your guides informative and well-thought out. Good use of images, good content, good post length. Keep it up!

      Would you be willing to look at one of my posts? Click on my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Hi Natalie, thanks for your lovely comments! Your blog looks very professional and its easy to navigate. I personally really enjoyed your post on ‘Orlando’, it was very moving. Keep up the amazing writing! Thanks for checking out my blog! Hattie X

        Liked by 1 person

    3. One of the most professional sites I’ve ever seen on this site. I’ve actually just completed my A Levels and so a lot of the posts you put up spoke volumes. A brilliant site that I would recommend to any college student – you’ve done an awesome job here 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    1. I like the concept behind your name and how it ties into your pieces of poetry. Likewise, the top image draws me in. Question, will all of the pieces be geared towards love/heartache? I am only assuming this from the first few posts and the title. Interested to see more in the upcoming months.

      Liked by 3 people

      1. To be honest I don’t really know, so far that’s what I’ve found myself writing about but I’d like to branch out a bit in the future 🙂 Thank you!

        Liked by 3 people

    2. Though simplistic, I think your site’s design is really nice. The simplicity and black and white colours helped me focus directly on the poems, which were by the way really good. 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  20. Did you guys check out the latest post on the blog…Go and visit…Am sure you gonna love it..❤
    (Direct link in my bio)

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Your choice of an image with a short post makes it easy to read – I think readers will like that. Question, do you know that your “about” section is blank? It only have the generic wording about what to write in that space. Just a heads up!

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Just commented. Good content, good use of images. In a post that long, I would suggest adding one more image, or omitting a few paragraph breaks. Not a huge deal, though!

      Would you be willing to look at one of my posts? Click on my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thank you.
        Paragraph breaks sound like a good idea. Thanks. I´ll fix that next time and more pictures is also something that I can do. Thanks for the tips.
        Sure I´ll take a look at one of your posts!
        XO

        Like

  22. Hey there! Please check out my first “official post” about missing my best friend and the story about us. My previous post was just a starter one! I will share my story within my blog, or anything that really comes to mind. All stories are true, but names have been changed! Any feedback? Please let me know what you think!

    Once I get going, I will be posting alot more about the world I live in, things I am interested in, stories, journal entries, etc!

    My Missing Link

    Liked by 4 people

    2. I love this! I work in a substance abuse treatment center and head our prevention and wellness unit. Love reading about other people who are interested in self-care and holistic wellness!

      Liked by 3 people

    3. Good content, good use of images, good post length. Awesome! 🙂 My suggestion: your paragraph spacing was a bit off in the self care is letting others take care of you post. You normally have a blank line between paragraphs, but I saw at least one where there was no blank line, and the next paragraph just started (at least, on my monitor). I’d keep it consistent, if you remember.

      Would you be willing to look at one of my posts? Click on my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Hi Natalie, thanks for checking out my blog and your comment. Had a look at that post and some of the formatting had gone weird for some reason which is strange as I normally just type and let WordPress do its thing!

        I’ve checked out your blog, really interesting stuff. One thing I noticed on your Orlando post is that you could use the caption option on your photos to say when you had sourced it from Google images. I also guess you should probably source the original website that it comes from? Google images will find it from another website. Hope that helps.

        Liked by 2 people

    1. Good emotion, but your prose needs some tightening up. I would especially watch for repetitive wording, and there are some logic issues. For example “footsteps of nothing” doesn’t really make sense. Good start.

      Liked by 3 people

      2. Well that’s my point, I’m no professional, in fact I too am in need of professional opinions about my blog. I just wanted you to know that I stopped by your blog and I loved it☺, sorry!

        Liked by 1 person

    1. 1. What exactly did you want to write about dreams? I think if you spin it and talk about dreams from a health angle, you can make it work 🙂 It’s your blog; do what you want!

      2. I’m a super tomboyish girl — your color scheme is a bit girly (purple and pink are both associated with girls), but there’s nothing wrong with that. I would worry more about the content you’re posting instead, since that’s what readers will come to your site for, not its colors 🙂

      Would you be willing to look at one of my posts? Click on my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

    2. Hi there! I’ve looked a bit around on your blog and I definitely think that you can write a post about dreams! Being happy and healthy has so much to do with following your dreams and stuff, (I hope you meant that and not like sleep dreams:P), so I think it’ll fit perfectly.
      Personally I like the color combination, (I’m a girl…), and I don’t think that just changing the colors will make it appeal to men, since the content you write about is to typically feminine:)
      I hope my feedback can be of use!
      Have a nice day.

      Liked by 3 people

      1. I was actually thinking about the’sleep dreams’ and their inner meanings ‘ :-p.. But idea about writing on following ones’s dream is also great.. Thank You for stopping by , would love to read your blog too

        Liked by 2 people

    3. Hi!

      I absolutely think you could write about dreams. Even though you are a healthy & happy blog, I think an array of content is important. Not to mention sleep makes me happy, so dreams make me happy 🙂

      Only thing I can say about your layout/colors is that it feels too jumbled and busy. The articles stacked as they are, and the heavy colors.. Consider adding prints, lighter colors, or spacing articles since you have a lot of awesome content.

      Hope that helps!

      Liked by 3 people

  29. TO ALL SIMS/VIDEO GAME FANS – I recently posted a piece that I really enjoyed doing on the video game, Sims, but there were a few errors when posting and so hasn’t gotten many views and therefore less feedback than I would have wanted. If you’re not interested in that then, I have dozens more posts on absolutely anything over on my blog, and will happily give feedback to any one who asks, THANKS A BUNCH, Matt x

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Just commented! Good content, good use of images. I noticed some funny spacing (which might just be my monitor), but sometimes new paragraphs begin one line down from the previous, and sometimes, there’s a blank line inbetween. I recommend staying consistent, whichever you choose.

      Would you be willing to look at one of my posts? Click on my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thanks Natalie, the paragraphing is actually something I’m experimenting with at the moment. I learnt that if you hold down Shift when pressing Enter to make a new paragraph, it reduces the space between lines. I like this as it makes the posts look less wordy and massive which can be off putting to some that just want a more casual read. With this in mind, would you still say that consistency is more important? Thanks, Matt.

        Liked by 2 people

      2. I think so — either use the Shift trick for every new paragraph, or don’t use it at all. I’ve got a background in creative writing, and my classes always talked about doing something consistently — or breaking that pattern for a reason. Obviously blogging is a bit different than creative writing, but the consistency bit, I think, holds true. It looks more professional if it has consistent spacing, but if you like that experimental look and choose to do it on purpose, you can always do that. It’s your blog, so you need to be happy with it, in the end. 🙂

        Liked by 3 people

      3. Well thanks for the insight, I’ll keep it in mind – can’t doubt a fellow creative writer 😉
        Lovely blog by the way, congrats on the publications and awards.

        Liked by 2 people

      5. Any and all! Mainly prose fictional, but I want to go into Journalism in the future, and so also enjoy writing articles for magazines and other topics. However, I recently posted my first poem on my blog called Beached. I wrote this during my last CW lesson this year, which I found quite symbolic of the progress I made during the two years there. Probably overthought completely but if you want to check it out, it’s one of my most recent posts. Thanks, Natalie.

        Liked by 2 people

      6. That all sounds awesome, and I’ll definitely check it out. I’ll also follow you to keep in touch with your adventures!

        I write mostly short fiction as well, but I’ve recently done an article or two which was way more fun than I expected.

        Liked by 3 people

      8. I wrote an article (personal essay?) for MTV on gender — there’s a link to it on my blog. I’m also in the process of discussing a potential article on dirt bike riding for a teen girl’s magazine (sort of a long story), but that looks hopeful 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

    1. Just commented! Good content, good use of pictures. I enjoyed the memes! 🙂

      Would you be willing to look at one of my posts? Click on my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 2 people