Jul 25, 2016 / Community Pool

Community Pool

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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    2. I had a little look at your blog, and I really like how you construct carefully planned arguments- it makes for a more compelling read! My only advice would be to utilize the “Read More” tag when writing your blogs- it shortens the blog post on your home page and therefore makes it easier to navigate your home page, as it is very long. Other than that I think you’re blog is of an excellent quality.

      Liked by 4 people

      1. I used to have that and then I changed it. Now I can’t figure out how to change it back to “read more” >.< If you can give me a vague space to look for it at, it'll really help 😀 And Thank You for your kind words 🙂 ❤

        Liked by 1 person

      2. When you’re creating a blog post there should be a toolbar called “Visual” with different editing tools (fonts, bullet points, etc.). One of these tools has an icon that looks like a series of lines and dashes- that’s the “Insert Read More tag” button. I hope that helps! 😀

        Liked by 4 people

      6. Thanks. I read quite a lot of posts actually 😁 I love your tagline so so much!!! I actually very much love your writing style, and perfectly seasoned potatoes are da best 😁😁😁

        Liked by 3 people

      2. I feel that sometimes too and I just take some time to read other people’s blog and sometimes I can find some inspiration 😁😁 good luck

        Like

    4. Great post! I’m new to the blogging world so I really haven’t found my niche yet. Diving in to the twitter chats would probably just derail me. 🙂 Right now I’m just posting about what’s going on daily in our family. I am working on trying to fit in more time to write posts that have a little more quality content. It’s a work in progress. I look forward to reading more of your posts. Please consider taking a look at my blog. I welcome any feedback you can give me. https://artsyfartsymama.net/

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Love the conversation here. I would love some input my homepage. I just redesigned the blog to better fit my personality and purpose. To be a place to encourage and provide a different view of the world. Check it out and I would love feedback. Right now I am doing three different series the one on Race is really sparking conversation http://revheadpin.org

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I just checked the front page and about page, and I’m like: “OMG, this blog is awesome!” I’m not overdoing it, but trust me if you do, your blog looks really nice.

        Liked by 1 person

    3. I have to admit that it was the distinctiveness of your name that caught my attention here! There aren’t too many Benedicts around, are there? 😀

      Anyway, I enjoyed your poem! It’s very well-written, and the juxtaposition of war and nature is very different and interesting.

      Liked by 4 people

    5. Seems like your hiatus hasn’t zapped your talent.
      I saw that you have a Tremr and now I’m definitely going to check it out. I’ve wanted to post to Tremr in the past but I’ve always been worried that nobody will care about what I have to say. What do you think of Tremr, though? Is it fun? Do you think it’s good for networking and engaging?

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Haha, thanks, you’re very much too kind. You absolutely should, it’s great, people tend to be very engaged and because it’s mainly politics it’s full of very smart people that are always looking for new voices and perspectives!

        Like

  4. Hi everyone, I hope you had a lovely weekend!
    I recently changed my blog theme and I’d love your feedback on the new look. I’m still making some small updates and would love to incorporate some of your suggestions.
    http://jhaneellockhart.com/
    Thanks, and as always I look forward to checking out your work!

    Liked by 8 people

    4. I love the clean layout and the scrolling. My only thought is that you have the social media buttons in the header AND at the top of the sidebar. Since the header stays put, it seems a little unnecessary to have the links repeat right below the header links.

      I keep cleaning out my wardrobe then ending up at the store…

      Liked by 2 people

    6. I think the style of your blog is very clean and fresh. It works perfectly as a record type blog that captures moments of your life. Well done, I know how stressful finding the right theme is! It took me so long to find mine but it feels fantastic in the end, doesn’t it?
      dayswithfatimah.wordpress.com

      Like

    1. What a beautiful sentiment. I usually enjoy reading longer posts, but I like the little bite-sized bits of information on your blog. It all has a really calming feel. 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    2. I enjoy the alliteration of your website name. It is quite catchy! Your latest post was also very singular. I left a comment — unlike much of what I’ve read on WordPress!

      Liked by 1 person

    1. I love lists (and charts). 🙂

      I love the clean design of your website and the pictures with your post.

      The content was good. I do feel the post itself was a little rambly? There wasn’t a huge narrative flow to it?

      Now I’m inspired to do a “To-Do-List-Of-The-Week” post on my blog…

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thank you, Morgan! I recently changed my theme, so I appreciate the feedback. My posts tend to be rambling and digressive. I try to make them as flowing and focused as possible, but I’m not always successful! I don’t usually have more than one image in my posts. I included more today on some people’s suggestions, but they might have made the actual writing more jarring.

        Good luck with the listmaking and be sure to keep it to 5! Thank you again!

        Liked by 1 person

    2. I do agree with Morgan that it feels a little bit like a random assortment of thoughts about lists. Perhaps giving subtitles to the different sections of your essay could help guide the reader through it a bit more smoothly? Also, great use of images to add interest!

      Anyway, I’m a listaholic myself so of course, I always enjoy posts about lists. I strive to keep my daily to-do lists to just 3-5 important items.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Ah, I’m learning (and inventing) several list-related words today. Listopia, Listography and now listaholic! Thank you for your feedback. I usually don’t have more than one image in a post, so I’m glad the images worked today! My writing does tend to be rambling and digressive. Having subtitles is a great idea! Thanks again!

        Liked by 1 person

  7. Hey all,
    I run a blog about baby and character names! Yesterday I went and saw the new Star Trek movie, and was intrigued by the name of one of the characters, Jaylah. Would love it if y’all would check out my new, incredibly nerdy post on it! Feedback (on this post and my site generally) is also much appreciated. 🙂

    Link: https://wellinformednamer.wordpress.com/2016/07/24/geeking-out-crossing-the-streams-and-jaylah-from-star-trek/

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Ooh, I like your blog — now following. This last story is specially good — it’s so original. Your writing is great; approachable, elegant, appealing. It’s cool that you want to be a doctor, but you should seriously consider being a writer on the side.
      Would you be willing to check out one of my posts? I would appreciate any feedback. Click on my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most. Thanks!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Haha that’s actually what all my friends tell me – to take writing as a side profession. I think I’ll do that. I just don’t trust my writing enough to make it a full time thing! Also I’m going over to your blog now 🙂 I’m sure it’s amazing.

        Like

    1. Oh. My. God. You are simply brilliant. You got my follow right after the top half of my top half post. Amazing ugh.

      Would love if you gave my blog a read too! Please feel free to critically give feedback too

      Liked by 3 people

    3. I had to follow this blog. The amount of retrospective depth in the words you write is poignantly touching. I look forward to reading more.

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Hey fellow bloggers! Happy Monday to you all!
    Could I please ask you for some feedback on my book blog? Pretty please?

    If you leave a comment down here I’ll visit your blog as well and leave you a couple of likes 😀 Deal?

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Images are always great in blogs, and you have loads of them! Well-designed, and I especially like the feature that shows book covers to let readers know what you’ve reviewed.

      Plus…10 points to Hufflepuff for being an ardent (fellow) HP fan!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I didn’t understand what you told.if its appearing ,it obviously means that im posting it ,wats wrong with that?

        Like

      3. Ya I understood its by mistake,you can also click the name through which you can reach the page too

        Like

      4. Hi guys, the top post is a featured post, where you can stick older posts to the top of the page, I do the same on https://lunastarz.com/
        I would say you need more catchy titles and pictures, it will help draw the attention of your readers to each individual piece of writing.

        Liked by 1 person

      6. Yes, if you click edit on the page you want to put on front page, then at the top of the page by the eye and the trash can, there’s a tab that says ‘mark as sticky’ when you hover over it, just click.

        Like

    1. I think it’s a nice post to spread the love! I felt a bit more drawn to the posts than the blogs but I can’t really work out why considering you outlined what everything was about. Great idea though, and I think if you did it monthly that would give a nice amount of time to get great content together.

      Liked by 2 people

    3. I especially like that you included specific posts, not just blogs. I think you need to take the “s” off and just use http in the address to get a pingback to the blog – and it’s always nice to know when your blog is being talked about 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Start playing with the Customizer so you can fix some of the default text on your Widgets and Pages. Also, use tags so people on Reader can find you. On a related note, find other blogs on Reader with tags that you’re interested in and pay them a visit. You get back what you give to the WordPress community, after all.

      Liked by 2 people

  16. Hi Pool! I’m always conscious of writing a post that means a lot to me and that I know a lot about. I think sometimes I might not explain things well enough to the layperson. Could you check this and let me know what you think? Is it explained well enough?

    It’s called “To What Extent Can The Law Educate?”
    http://wp.me/p4jLZ5-1e9

    Thanks!

    Liked by 5 people

    2. Hmmm. In my honest opinion the post reads like a blog/article/prosecution which can make it difficult to define your argument and ideas. I would suggest having a more clearcut structure either going with a casual tone of voice or with a formal essay tone, not a mix of both. But perhaps that’s just because I’m 17 and not a lawyer. Anyways interesting from what I could tell, keep it up.

      Like

      1. Thanks for that feedback. Most of my posts are informal except when I do one like this, so I’ll take that in to account with the next one! Thanks.

        Like

    3. I think you’ve touched upon a subject that we are all aware about but never speak. It’s important for us to recognize the automaticity of our judgements and the consequences of having them in the first place. I recommend a slightly more organized structure for a post to allow for the reader to follow along with your thoughts because it’s clear you have many brilliant ones. As for the relevance of your post, I find it incredibly important to read about in this day and age. It’s also super cool for me to read things written by a quasi-lawyer, what a unique perspective to explore! Well done!

      Like

      1. Thanks Fatimah, that’s the second comment about structure so something to definitely think about. I have a few posts in draft that I’ve started breaking down in to more sections, so I’ll see if those read any better.

        Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks for the support! 😀 I had a look at your blog- the photos and overall aesthetic are stunning! I’m definitely going to follow your blog 😀

        Liked by 1 person

  23. Hello love!!
    I have started blogging and my blog is all about fashion and fun..
    am a blogger from india…
    come and join make sure you follow me as well on the blog..
    and if you like my page dont forget to like,share and comment..
    Much love..,
    Theallurecouture❤
    Link👇
    https://theallurecouture.wordpress.com

    Liked by 3 people

  24. Hi everyone! I actually have two favours to ask, if it’s not too much trouble.

    First off, I published a kind of “story” a couple of days ago, and it’s not my usual style so I’d love it if you wanted to give it a read and let me know what you think. (There’s an explanation of why I wrote it at the bottom of its second installment, if you read through this one and follow the link at the bottom).

    https://theemptiednotebooks.wordpress.com/2016/07/23/the-gods-never-were-kind/

    While you’re at it – I’ve just totally changed my theme and about page after quite a while, and I am quite happy with it, but if anything is especially good/bad, please let me know.

    Liked by 2 people

    2. I enjoyed your story and I think your blog, design wise, is pretty solid. The header image adds a nice, personal touch. The only thing I would suggest would be to change the “Information” link to something else, as the word “information” don’t necessarily grab my attention. You could change it to something more personal (like “Get to know me” or even “About”) then place the copyright information down in the footer of your blog instead?

      Liked by 1 person

    3. Your theme is classy and nice to follow in my opinion. Your story was also fluent and used incredible detail. I think you are really talented and that it would be a missed opportunity for you not to join my SWOS series! I nominate you to begin the next phrase in the series and to start us writers off! If you would like to know more please visit my blog. It’s a super fun challenge that I think you’d enjoy 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      5. No worries! Sorry that it was confusing for you! Basically the SWOS series involves someone coming up with a single sentence to begin a short story. So for example, “He glared with tired but ardent eyes.” You would post that phrase and write up your own short story following whatever plot line and other writers, myself included, would start our own short stories using the same sentence. The fun comes at the end when we all read and share our short stories that would diverge from one starting source. And the series moves on from blog to blog that way! 🙂 if you decide to start an SWOS on your blog please share it with me so I can share it as well!

        Liked by 1 person

    1. I liked it! I would probably cut the FB display widget, since (At least on my computer) it wanted me to scroll slightly right/down to fully display the image.

      Cute images! Although, the white sprinkles on the birthday image confused me?

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you so much for keen observations. I’ll move fb widget to footer wedgets area.
        Ohh that’s just a design (birthday image)

        Like

    2. I certainly do like the images that you have made; I can get creative with certain kinds of images myself, gluing them into collages, etc. I very much hope that you have continued success with your blog, and when you get a chance, I hope that you please check out my blog, which is called Dream In Music, at http://www.j2w7.wordpress.com! Thank you so very much, and the very best of luck to you, with love-JW 😉

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Hey!! thank you for viiting my site!
        I have checked yours and really like that you’re posting more often! I wish I could do the same 😀
        I would like to suggest to add social plugin if you’ve any social media site of your blog

        Liked by 1 person

    3. If I were you, I’d remove the Calendar widget and Blog Stats widget. While they aren’t bad, they don’t really offer anything to your viewers. Same goes for Recent Comments. I’d bring the “Categories” widget up higher so people can more easily find what they’re looking for.

      Happy belated birthday, by the way!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you so much!! suggestions are noted 🙂

        BTW I really like your blog and it’s niche!! Best of luck for your future goals:)

        Like

    1. Your blog is the greatest blog ever! I very much hope that you have many continued success with it, and when you get a chance, please check out my blog, Dream In Music, at http://www.j2w7.wordpress.com! Thank you so very much and good luck, with love-JW 🙂

      Like

    1. Hey, artsyfartsymamadeb! I think that your blog is ever-so-terrific, and I especially enjoyed your post on your day-out feasts! I have a similar post about that certain subject, however, it explains how to plan and prepare a grand feast for any special occasion such as an engagement or graduation. I do hope that you would have continued success with your blog, and when you get a chance I suggest that you please check out mine at http://www.j2w7.wordpress.com! Thanks so very much and good luck, with love-JW 😉

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Your content is very interesting, and your writing is concise and academic.

      Your ‘about’ page needs more information than just your name. Describe who you are, and maybe what your blog is about (though you already have that on the main page, so not necessary to repeat).

      Liked by 1 person

  30. HOW HERE THIS, ALL YOU BLOGGERS & BLOG FOLLOWERS OUT THERE: I have just published two brand-new pists, I mean posts, as well as another new post that I have posted yesterday at my blog, Dream In Music! Take a look-read, plus also take a look at my past published posts all right here at http://www.j2w7.wordpress.com! Any kind feedback would be very much appreciated! Thank you to all who have just followed my blog, as well as others who have liked my past posts! With love-JW 🙂

    Liked by 4 people