Dec 19, 2016 / Community Pool

Community Pool

The place for blogging advice, feedback, and camaraderie.

Note: The Community Pool will be closed for the holidays next Monday, December 26, 2016.

Thank you, Pool participants, for providing incredible feedback to your fellow bloggers in 2016 — especially those of you did it so regularly and generously (looking at you, paminat0r, Natalie, and V Donovan!). See you all in 2017!

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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    2. You are using a very good theme! I suggest you to add few categories that shall display on menu bar and make it easier for readers to navigate your blog. You may also add few widgets to your blog. Happy blogging. God Bless.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Really like your review – makes me want to check out the book! Followed and looking forward to your post on Thursday (we love stories about childhood holidays over at the Nostalgia Diaries :))

      Like

    1. I’m not sure if it’s just me, but for some reason your images aren’t loading when I visit your blog. That’s playing havoc with what I can only guess is a featured posts bar. I don’t know if anyone else can confirm whether it’s working for them or not?

      Liked by 2 people

  18. I recently started a blog with aim of capturing classic hill walks in words, but enriching the experience with stories plucked from the rich history and folklore surrounding the locations. I hope to inspire people to explore these walks for themselves but also to allow others to “experience” them from the comfort of their armchairs.

    To a degree this means balancing the interests of different parties: including enough about the scenery, challenges and the route itself to interest the hikers, while including enough storytelling to appeal to people who just enjoy a good yarn.

    This is my latest post on a walk to the top of England’s two highest mountains. I would really appreciate some feedback on whether you think I’m hitting the right balance. Many thanks.

    http://www.lakelandwalkingtales.co.uk/scafell-pike-and-sca-fell/

    Liked by 5 people

      1. Thank you for your feedback – much appreciated. I’m glad the length didn’t put you off. I toyed with cutting it down, but was sort of reluctant to because I felt it would mean losing too much of either the walk or the stories. That’s why I put the Stand First at the beginning so you have an idea of what’s coming and the little section headings so you can skip ahead if you want. I’ll keep reviewing that approach though. Thanks again

        Liked by 1 person

      4. I’m even more flattered after taking a look at your blog. Great fluid writing style and fantastic photographs. I like it when you get more free and expressive with the words. Jack Frost post is excellent.

        Liked by 1 person

  21. I gave up writing for a few years due to people telling me it’s a waste of time but I feel like I’m coming at my writing a bit differently this time around. Any and all opinions are appreciated. supernovacavus.wordpress.com

    Liked by 4 people

    1. You have to make up your mind who you write for…
      Do you write for others, or for yourself?
      Do you listen to what others say, or to the voice inside you?
      Do the birds in the sky ask the fish in the sea if they can sing?

      Be true to yourself and go for it!

      Liked by 1 person

  22. Hey bloggers! I’m writing about the thing I know most about: ME! I’m telling my story. Think of it as reality blogging. I have written about my past relationships and am all caught up to the present. If you want a taste of my writing style, click here -> https://bexoxoblog.wordpress.com/
    I recently posted A Letter to my ex. You can check it out here -> https://bexoxoblog.wordpress.com/2016/12/12/a-letter/
    Let me know what ya’ll think!

    Liked by 6 people

  23. I just started working on my blog a few days ago. It’s geared toward weight loss and presenting ourselves well. I don’t like the lines under “Unraveling the Mysteries of Life,” but those are the thoughts that I want to convey. Any suggestions? I am doing this as a hobby and to hopefully inspire people with what I’ve done with my life. I get highly annoyed when I read weight loss blogs that are interesting, but trying to sell something.

    How would you phrase this instead?

    “Diet, fitness, beauty, and politics. How I lost 85+ pounds inexpensively without paying for a formal diet or exercise program. I am not here to make money. I am here to give you my secrets.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. “Diet, fitness, beauty, and politics. I lost 85+ pounds without paying for a formal diet or exercise program. I’m here to give you my secrets.”

      The shorter, the better on these sort of things 🙂 I just commented on a post. I think you’re off to a great start! Good use of tags, good use of images, good content. Rock on!

      Would you please check out one of my posts? Click on my name and choose whichever post appeals to you most 🙂

      Like

    1. One day I hope to love Christmas as much as you do. The only bit of feedback I have is on your post about your Travel Bucket List – rather than just listing all these places, maybe you could write a sentence or two about each.

      But you’ve got a lot of great stuff. I can’t wait to read the rest of your Christmas posts! 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

      1. I wanted the bucket list to be just a list but once I visit those places I’m planning on writing some travel guides for them! Thank you for following 🙂

        Like

  26. Hello everybody!
    I have been gone fore so long due to my never ending exams! Even now,they are just giving me a little breather before another leg starts. So,I wrote a blog post on all things I’d been thinking about in the meanwhile.Have a look, Impending Doom. – http://wp.me/p7dhMe-Ha
    Also,I wanted some tips for posts or things to do to keep the blog active when your3 facing acute shortages of time.
    Feedback on the post and suggestions for my query are more than appreciated!
    If you need some feedback,comment below and ask.
    Have a good day!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Nice work. I like your writing style – very engaging and readable – and you reminded me I really must get round to watching Westworld.

      Liked by 2 people