Jan 2, 2017 / Community Pool

Community Pool

The place for feedback, advice, and conversations about blogging.

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. I waited the whole of last week for the community pool but they just put up all new year posts and I miss coming on WP for just one day and there’s a pool with 400+ comments! 💔

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Hello !!
    Since we’re still feeling those holiday, New year vibes. Here’s something close ! My final 2016 post ☺️

    Page 365

    And while you’re at it, i posted something close to Community pool, its called ” You Write, I Read”. Don’t be shy to drop off a link or two ☺️
    Have a nice day !!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Just commented! Nice content, good use of images, good use of tags. My suggestion: consider using a few more tags. They help readers find your posts, and just one or two more might make a difference. Maybe something like “letting go” or “grateful”, for example.

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

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I soooo appreciate the suggestion and help !! I never paid too much attention to the tags, but yes you’re right, they make a difference !
        Again, thank you for being kind enough to read and give me feedback ☺️ So nice of you!
        I’ll check your blog now ! ☺️

        Like

  5. Hey guys!

    My name is Eli.

    I am new to the blogosphere with a blog called 4eos-4 elements of surprise. It’s about self-discovery, charting a course in all possibility and dealing with every day and really just having a conversation. I would love it you could pop in look at my page design, content and let me know what you think. Leave a comment. Below are some examples:

    Shattering Expectations.

    P.S I would love a follow too 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I am also new with this! I love this post. The page design works really well- really simple but really eye catching with the different sized fonts and the images. The content was really interesting and not something I would usually read so that works really well!!

      Liked by 1 person

    3. I enjoyed the thoughts in your post. I did notice a few a few incomplete sentences. Also, for “serious 360 in their believing” I think you mean “serious 180 in their believing.” A 360 would turn you in a circle and keep you going the same direction. A 180 would put you going back the way you came (retreating). https://gracelead.co

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Yes, you did ramble a bit; however, it seemed to work with the bantering tone of the post. The second sentence in your second paragraph was difficult to follow because of length. It would help to either break it apart or make bullets of the items you listed. https://gracelead.co

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks for taking a look. You’re right, the second sentence could do with a touch of editing 👍 I’ll adjust it later thanks. A little rusty writing, it’s been an enjoyable Christmas ha!

        Like

  8. My first blog posts were published last week for my new travel/experience/photography blog. I would appreciate any feedback on either of my first two posts and the overall look and feel of the page itself.

    Happy New Year and thank you!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Your site is visually appealing. Your latest post was easy to read. You might want to add “quarter-life crisis” as a tag. I didn’t see an About page to tell me the purpose of your blog site. Many first-time visitors look for that type of information to know what to expect from your site. https://gracelead.co

      Liked by 1 person

    1. With deeply personal topics, such as your views on your father, it’s refreshing to see them handled with a mature and biographical approach. Because of how your post progressed, the relationship with you share with your father was very clear. I myself only wish for this kind of thing, and so it was good to remember my own father in a positive light for a few seconds after reading your post.

      Plus, your entertaining attitude to your own experiences was charming to read. With what you’ve written, it’s hard to criticise anything. But maybe, if it absolutely had to be changed, a few more personal you-and-your-dad stories would give it the complete grounding to appear on your blog. You are indeed celebrating the man you know and love as your dad, and you have put in a few personal things, like how you don’t like his driving, but your blog is allowed to be about you as well.

      But, overall, it was a gem to read. A good and solemn nod to how fathers should be.

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Hello, Helena. I just read your blog. Congratulations on posting for the first time. It can be somewhat scary, putting your thoughts out there. I see you have lots of tags, but not a category. My feedback would be to limit the tags and use one or two categories: love; New’s Years Resolutions, etc. I commented more on the blog.

      Liked by 1 person

  21. Hi everyone. I need advice from fellow writers/authors.

    Exclusive freebies are a good way to incentivize people to sign-up for a newsletter, but my problem is I’m not sure what to give people. I know popular authors give out free copies of their best-selling book, but I don’t have a best-selling book. Because my blog is about history and politics, I feel like what I should be offering people is knowledge. I’m just not sure of the best way to deliver that.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. A t-shirt or ecard with qoutes from your most popular and interesting posts will do I believe. It’s just a suggestion. Have a great day.

      Liked by 3 people

    2. Sarah, I found your blog to be extremely creative…love your concept. Personally, I don’t think you have to give away anything…you are already giving them something when they stop by to read. My suggestion would be to add at the end of your posts, “If you enjoyed this, please share” or something similar.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thank you for your kind words and suggestion. I do struggle with reader engagement sometimes so adding that to my posts might help.

        Liked by 1 person

  22. Hello, Helena. I just read your blog. Congratulations on posting for the first time. It can be somewhat scary, putting your thoughts out there. I see you have lots of tags, but not a category. My feedback would be to limit the tags and use one or two categories: love; New’s Years Resolutions, etc. I commented more on the blog.

    Like

      1. Thanks so much! I’ve just decided that I’m going to ‘fix the bugs’ not create a new app. I like me how I am, so why change that? Also, I think your blog may help me a lot this year, it is inspiring and truthful, which is exactly what I need. Thanks again for the comment

        Like

    1. Your post on the National Park Seminary is a real bummer (not your fault). Seriously, they just let the place down…

      Anyway, you’ve got a good eye for images, but since you don’t write much (’cause your pictures do a lot of the talking, that’s for sure), perhaps you can link to related sites for more info? For example, maybe a link to anything related to the National Park Seminary (or maybe even a Google Map). Some readers are keen on history, but just need to be directed somewhere to learn more.

      https://scicasual.wordpress.com

      Liked by 1 person

  27. I would like some seasoned bloggers to give me feedback on if, when and how their blog has evolved. I began writing to chronicle a career change and now (because I’m back in my original career) it has veered off. I’ve changed my tagline, but is that enough? Here’s my post about it…https://diaryofaragamuffin.wordpress.com/2016/12/26/so-this-is-christmas/
    And here’s my latest post…

    How long does it take to love a puppy?

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I love your blog’s title. You don’t need to worry about the nature of the content of your blog, since it’s your own blog to write. Changing careers, and then changing back again, is just one small part of your journey. Your blog doesn’t need to be confine itself to anything more than that: a place to chronicle your life.

      Liked by 1 person

  28. Hey, all. I’ve been out of it for a while, and just published a new post on our budding lives as parents. I kept it short this time, too. Let me know what you think, please, and I’ll do the same for you.

    Like

  29. Heya people at the pool, I hope you’re all having a mighty fine time.

    If you have some extra time on your hands, (which I’m kinda guessing you do since you’ve decided to visit the pool), I would love it if you checked out my blog:) I’m of course always happy to return the favor;)
    https://ihaveabadsenseofhumor.wordpress.com/
    Don’t be afraid to leave some feedback, or simply just comment and tell me what you think.
    Cheers guys!

    Liked by 1 person

  30. Hi everyone I hope everyone has a had a great start to 2017.
    Just wondered if some of you could take time to look at my first 2 political blogs. Any feedback is very welcome. Just comment and let me know what you think and I will return the favour!
    Thanks everyone!

    Liked by 1 person

    2. Your posts were interesting. I think one issue we have is that most people don’t understand how the electoral college works. Another is that much of the information we get about candidates is not accurate and certainly not straightforward. I agree that P.C. has become a tool to use against people who have legitimate concerns. https://gracelead.co

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Yes that is definitely an issue, my post was an attempt to make it easier to understand. Yes exactly i completely agree! A lot of so called “facts” we get now a days are fabricated lies. Thanks a lot of the feedback 🙂

        Like