Nov 7, 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 and guidelines 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, as well as for not starting numerous threads in a single Pool.
  • 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. Also note that including multiple links in your comment might automatically put it in the moderation queue, which will delay its publication.
  • 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. Just commented. Nice content, and good use of quotes! My suggestion: consider adding an image or two. Images break up the text and add a little color to posts; after all, blogging is a very visual medium.

      Would you be willing to check out one of my posts? Click my name and choose whatever appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Just commented. Great content! It’s very easy to relate to 🙂 My suggestion: are you using tags? Categories organize posts within your blog; tags help new readers find you. On this post, you can use tags like “success” or “school” or “self-awareness,” for example. You can have 15 tags and categories total, and they will help new readers find your posts.

      Would you be willing to check out one of my posts? Click my name and choose whatever appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    1. I know far too many people that take politics far too personal. Maybe I’m guilty of it sometimes but I respect opposing views and have many liberal friends myself. In fact most of them are. Great posts! Check out my blog for my political and theological posts. Follow for follow!

      Liked by 5 people

    2. Just commented. Great content!! Good use of images and tags. My suggestion: potentially add a few more tags. You can have 15 total tags and categories. Categories organize posts within your blog; tags help new readers find you. Tags like “meaningful living” and “self-awareness” might draw in additional readers 🙂

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

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Ah this is great advice, I’m still in the process of figuring out the tagging situation and getting posts seen by more readers so thank you!! I’ll definitely check out your posts 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

      1. Wow, that’s a great observation, thank you! I usually don’t put much conscious effort into choosing a color theme, but I definitely think I was drawn to more “peaceful” imagery in quotes due to the nature of the topic 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

    4. Good post. A common theme I have seen in many pre-Election Day posts has been that many are scared and worried about the outcome of the Election. This is a fear that I haven’t seen in many past Elections, at least not to this caliber. If you would like, check out my blog at: http://merrymadnessblog.wordpress.com Thanks!

      Liked by 3 people

  12. I’d like to invite everyone to read my poem of the week. It’s got a western theme, and goes well with the film review I posted Friday. It’s called “They Died With Their Boots On.” I do a weekly poem, so if you like this, follow me so you won’t miss any, and feel free to look through my archived pieces. If you like “They Died With Their Boots On,” please click the like button on the post page, and leave any comments/feedback there as well. Thanks in advance for reading.
    Drew

    They Died With Their Boots On

    Liked by 7 people

    1. In the side bar with your photo/mini-profile the link below it sends one to Gravatar. If you can, change it to your “about me” page to keep users on your own blog where they’re more likely to not only learn more, but stay and read. 🙂

      Liked by 5 people

  15. I wrote a post today where I introduced the character of my current novel in progress (it’s a NaNoWriMo novel) and I used those 36 six questions that are supposed to scientifically make people fall in love as my questionnaire, which I thought was a pretty fun idea!
    I was hoping that you could read the post for me and tell me what you think about how went about it, so I can know if I can introduce more characters in the future.
    https://enetteventer.com/2016/11/07/character-introduction-peggy/

    Liked by 8 people

    2. It is a very interesting idea. Personally, I prefer to get to know a character by reading about them, seeing them do things rather than having them tell me about themselves. If it was a character I was already interested in (if I’d read a cool scene with them in it, for instance) and wanted to know more about the interview technique would be more effective, I think.

      Liked by 6 people

      1. Hey thanks for the feedback! You are right about it being easier to learn about the character through simply reading about them. I trink I’ll give that a try a bit of later on.
        Thanks again 🙂

        Like

  16. Hello, all of you bloggers and blog followers out there; I have a very special announcement that I would very much like to make: I have finally finished my top secret project, and in the next few days or so, I shall indeed make this project public in another special announcement about a very special event that would take place not just at KALEIDOSCOPE, but also as part of National Blog Posting Month…Oh, I am so very excited to reveal this surprise special event that is going to happen at my blog ever-so-very-soon, so I very well suggest that you keep visiting KALEIDOSCOPE for further details at http://www.j2w7.wordpress.com! Meanwhile, I have already made other plans to bring you some traditional stuff for the upcoming holiday season, including one in which I hopefully plan to bring to you again; The annual presentation of my adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”, so hopefully that would be something else to look forward to in addition to that big surprise event that I am about to reveal soon! So, with all of these and so very much more, this is sure going to be one exciting month for KALEIDOSCOPE, and not just because it is National Blog Posting Month! Just keep on visiting my blog often at http://www.j2w7.wordpress.com! KALEIDOSCOPE: It’s a Great, Big, COLORFUL World!-JW 😉

    Liked by 6 people

  17. Hello! I write short stories and poems on my blog 🙂 Would love some feedback on my latest poem, called Kill It Softly. It’s a bit darker than the works I usually write. And I made every stanza a haiku.
    I’d appreciate knowing how this style felt to you– whether the stripped down writing reflected the sentiment/mood. And how the ending felt. Did you feel satisfied, was it too abrupt, etc?

    https://sonderwriter.wordpress.com/2016/11/06/kill-it-softly/

    Thanks a bunch! Also feel free to check out my other stuff, and leave some comments!

    Liked by 8 people

  19. In the WordPress spirit of owning my own site/data, I’ve recently IndieWebified my blog. I can now post on my own site and syndicate it to various social media platforms (like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr, Google Plus–hooray for JetPack!), but I’ve also built the ability to have all the likes/comments from those sources come back to my site so I own them as well as having a complete version of the rest of the conversation from the web about my posts on my own site.

    I’m hoping people can help me test it by vising: http://boffosocko.com/2016/11/03/so-yeah-this-happened-today/ and then at the bottom of the post clicking on one of the icons for the “Syndicated to” copies (try Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Flickr, or Instagram since I don’t have Tumblr or Flipboard working yet) and then either liking or replying/commenting to those syndicated posts in one of those locations to make sure things are working properly (as well as potentially load testing the system a bit).

    I still have a bit of work to do for displaying things the way I want (perhaps a facepile for likes?), but i think I’ve got a good start. Other thoughts are also appreciated as well.

    Thanks everyone!

    Liked by 4 people

  22. Hi, everyone, Truly here….you would do me a great honour if you’d take the time to read my latest post, Nov 6/16 “You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woodsman”. As the title suggests, it is riddled with word play, but also speaks to the challenges inherent in being true to who you are–and, if you get it, it is sure to amuse you. It would be great to hear from you–and, I will definitely return the favour. Take care 🙂
    http://www.trulyunplugged.com

    Liked by 3 people

  23. My fellow Americans, Election Day is tomorrow. Do you think you’re vote doesn’t matter, and aren’t going to participate? Please read this short thought piece, and let me try to change your mind. I’m not giving you reasons to vote for any certain candidate. I’m not telling to vote for any certain candidate. This is a piece encouraging you to just vote. Get out and vote, if you’re legally eligible. If you like it, please click the like button on the post page. You can leave feedback and comments there as well. Thanks in advance for reading.
    Drew

    Go Vote – Election Day 2016

    Liked by 3 people

      2. Shelbydorris, Kevin Marks recently wrote some great stuff about websites and contrast. His article and the comments on it have some great tools you could use to help test things out to improve your contrast settings.

        Like

  28. Hi there, I am an aspiring writer and trying to get into feature journalism. I have been writing on this blog for a little while now, but really lacking any feedback on it. I would be so so so grateful for anyones input as this is what I love to do and I will be more than happy to check your stuff out too. This is a link to my latest stuff https://keekel.wordpress.com/category/writing/
    Thank you!!!

    Liked by 9 people

    1. Hi Keekel love that you’re an Aussie too and you write beautifully. Something went wrong with WordPress so I couldn’t “like” you on the blog but loved the post about fitting things in your bucket. Will go back and visit later.

      Liked by 3 people

    2. You have a very cool blog and like you I love to write and travel! Always wanted to go to Australia, everyone I heard who’s been there always says, “Why would anybody want to leave this place.” Look forward to more of your blogs 😎

      Like

    3. Don’t aspire! Just start writing the kind of stuff you’d like to be paid to write. I know this can be difficult when it’s travel related and you may not have the funds, but do your best. I once had two friends in college who started a travel magazine and just did it. One eventually became the Frugal Traveler for the NY Times and later an editor at Bon Appetit. you write now can be samples of your work for being hired later. Also be sure you’re reading your competition to see what’s cool/different/interesting in the space so if you’re asked, you know what’s going on.

      Many of your blog titles have your name/site name in them and I’m not decided whether this is a great branding thing or not. Generally your site has enough metadata that adding it in is extraneous. Use those titles to write catchier “I have to read this” titles.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you so much for your comment! Your advice helps me so much and I will take it on board. I am going to make sure I’m reading the competition now! Thanks again 🙂

        Like