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).

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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!
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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. From this post alone, it’s very clear your blog is a very you-centred thing, and that’s fine. However, you’ve got to bear in mind that you want other people to read and enjoy, and return for more. At the moment, the post feels like you talking to yourself.

      The best way to manage this without changing the feel of your blog, is to remember you have a (potential) audience. You can still be yourself, of course, but you have to engage the others you’re talking to.

      One of the best ways to do this is through humour. For example, where you talk about your 3rd resolution, it’d be quite easy to interject a personal but enjoyable anecdote. For example, I used to cut cheese into little rectangles and make mini cheese-stone-henges with them. Odd, but funny and memorable. In that way, you’ll have made an impression on your reader. You’ll have put forward something they’ll remember the next time they’re eating cheese, and they’ll be more inclined to join you on your journey of food exploration.

      Another thing you could potentially do, is to encourage people to take up similar resolutions to you. This is, again, remembering you have an audience. I related to the 1st resolution, as I’m terrible with self-discipline myself. As such, you could both ask for and deliver little hints and tips to do with the resolution. If a reader is asked for their advice, they’re much more likely to give it than if they’re not.

      I enjoyed the quotes you injected into your post. It’s clearly something I’d expect you to continue to do, as they fit into your style of writing. They also make the bloggist seem learned, which is a good thing. Your friendly tone and seasonal post are also comforting in the uncertainty of the new year.

      Liked by 3 people

  2. Hello all, This is my first time on here. I’ve just published a post with a recipe and I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on how the recipe is formatted, written, etc. As a pastry chef, I’m used to recipes with minimal information typed or even hand written out on letter size paper and put in a chocolate stained binder–so trying to share recipes with a non-professional audience is foreign to me. Any tips (on the recipe or the blog generally) would be appreciated. Thanks! ~Chef Mercedes

    Liked by 2 people

    3. Ahh, no, I am trying not to eat everything I see following Christmas and now I am starving – they look delicious! And the recipe seems simple enough to follow, love the added variations too. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you very much… I would certainly love to keep writing these types of reviews. I just need more content. But, as soon as I find something that deserves just as much scorn, I’ll review it immediately.

        Like

  4. Happy New Year!

    Have just posted a new, New Year related post, not the standard resolutions stuff though – would love any feedback, criticism, suggested reading etc, gimme whatever you’ve got!

    Will happily return the favour.

    Thanks 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

      2. You’ve got all the hyperbole and exaggeration necessary to create a post dedicated to humour for humour’s sake. And it especially seems to work in relation to seasonal holidays, like New Year. It’d be very thrilling to see what you do for Easter or Christmas, if your style is the count-up formula. And, from reading your Really Awkward Things Guys Can’t Do, it seems like you enjoy it.

        They also make for good, quick reads. You know, you don’t have to sit down and slog through a funny count-up list; you can just click the link, scroll through quickly, and enjoy it.

        That being said, you’ve clearly got a talent for quick, fast-paced satire. But perhaps you could try doing something a little longer. It was most entertaining to me reading through the New Years Day Hangover post to have just read a moderately long paragraph to then read a single-sentence “You weren’t ready, – revert back to stage #4”. It was the contrast; I could almost feel you mentally slapping me like “what were you thinking you fool.”

        So, in conclusion, sometimes a longer paragraph can make the next shorter thing you write even more appealing. But, that said, I’ve enjoyed the posts I’ve read so far, so if you do decide to change anything, don’t change TOO much. I’m enjoying myself.

        Like

    1. I enjoyed the thoughts in your post. You do have some editing opportunities. For instance, “imaginations belong from” should be “imaginations come from.” And, “they imbibe into one’s mind, and becomes” should be “they imbibe into one’s mind, and become.” Also, puttling a blank line between each paragraph would make it easier to read. https://gracelead.co

      Liked by 1 person

  7. hey everyone

    Looking forward to using this forum to meet new people and spy out some blogs in progres. i just posted a quick and quite short [for me] piece on a word i decided is my word for 2017:

    My word for 2017: Interdependence

    i would love for you to check it out and maybe respond with a word you would choose if you had a word for this year.

    I also recently wrote a blog on money [which most people are scared to talk about] and Mentoring [which not enough people do] and would love to know if you found the specific angle/perspective i took on those to be helpful.

    Please check one of those out and let me know
    Looking forward to discovering some more of you
    love brett fish

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Hi everyone, hope you are well! I am very new to blogging and so far I am really enjoying it. I write in the 5mins I have spare when my baby is asleep, and worry that my writing is a little disjointed at times! I would love your feedback and any blogging tips and tricks you can throw my way. Here’s my latest post:
    https://negotiatingwithsmalls.wordpress.com/2017/01/02/swapping-germs-like-pokemon-cards/

    Thanks for you help, much appreciated!

    Liked by 1 person

  11. My blog is very theme specific and I know that I appeal to a niche audience, but I was wondering if anyone could give me pointers on how to reach and hold a wider audience. My blog and posts are about fasting, diet, health, nutrition, and exercise. Any feedback would be helpful. I’m kinda new at blogging. Thanks in advance.

    https://fastandfitweb.wordpress.com/blog/

    Like

    1. Hi Nina, It’s hard to know what to suggest since you haven’t given any hints as to why you want to rebrand. What isn’t working for you now? One thing I would suggest for search engine optimization is to map your domain rather than masking it like you are doing now. Just something to consider. All the best.

      Liked by 2 people

      2. Jen,
        I’m thinking of changing fonts, colors and themes.
        Can you tell me what mapping my domain is? (Sorry.)
        I’d like to make it easier for people to contact me.
        I’d like to redo my section on previous posts and the category cloud. Are they passé?
        Thank you!

        Like

    2. Hi Nina!

      In case it helps your goals, here’s a roundup of resources on customizing your site to better match your blog’s (or your own personal) brand:
      https://wordpress.com/dailypost/2015/07/29/colors-lines-customization-roundup/

      We also a free email course on customization, with lots of tips and resources to get your site’s design to where you want it to be:
      https://wordpress.com/dailypost/blogging-university/#intermediate-customization

      As for your question below regarding domain mapping, that simply means associating a custom domain (sometimes called a web address) you’ve registered — either here on WordPress.com or through another domain registrar — to your site. You can learn more about this here:
      https://wordpress.com/support/map-existing-domain/

      Liked by 2 people

  17. I’ve been working on my lastest blog post for the last few weeks http://wp.me/p6PjiL-3w and I’m not sure if I have the balance between a little humour along with emphasis on just how difficult I found my house share quite right. Comments most welcome. Thanks!

    Like

    1. Sorry, did not see much humor…probably because Stompey is such a good villian. I could not stop reading; it is such a good story. It reminded me of all the passive aggressive a-holes I have known in my life. Good read. Hope your next flatmates are much better.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Hi, thanks so much for taking the time to read my blog post, really appreciate the feedback. I think I might inject a little humour, not quite sure how I’ll do that considering what a nightmare housemate I ended up having but let’s see.

        Thanks again.

        P.s my new housemate is my sister and her adorable little family, I’m loving it 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Fantastic on your new living arrangements. I’m just not sure humor, unless it is extremely self-deprecating, is appropriate for this post. But see what you can do. I’d be happy to give it another read and see if the humor works.

        Like

      3. I’ve given it a shot – nothing too crazy funny but more conversational with the reader. Hope you like it. And if you don’t, would appreciate the feedback too. Thanks for your time 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  18. I was thinking about writing a post that shows an subtle feeling of feminisam on screen. No matter if it’s movies, tvshows or anything else!
    If you are not sure about what I am talking about that to all you LOTR fans I am giving the famous scene I am no man in the last movie of the trilogy! To others Zootropolis and the little rabbit! All good examples, now I am askig you to tell me which are most memorable scene like that in all your favourite movies and tv shows?

    Like

  25. Hey you guys!

    Happy New Year! I’ve been contemplating starting a blog for the last three years and finally took the plunge: beautybeyond125th.wordpress.com

    My blog will solely focus on short and sweet book reviews. I’ve posted two reviews on “When Breath Becomes Air” and “The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo.”

    I’ve gotten feedback from friends who like the format of my blog but would love to hear what others that do not know me think about the content and minimalistic layout!

    Thanks in advance!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I also like the format of your blog. From first glance, it made sense. I didn’t have to search to find things. They were obvious. Your recent posts were on your home page. You had an obvious About page. You had categories for previous posts. All those made it easy for me. BTW, I also like your short, sweet reviews. https://gracelead.co

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Hi there, enjoyed reading your book reviews and look forward to reading more. The only possible suggestion I could make is using category pages in a custom menu. As you read and add more reviews to your site, category pages (favs and current) would update automatically with the blog posts you mark with those categories instead of needing to manually update them. I see you are using a category widget as well in your footer. Good idea using both!

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Hey Jen! Thanks so much and really happy that you appreciated the reviews. I love your suggestion — do you mind pointing me in the direction of how I could add that in? I have a widget at the bottom that points to categories but it would be even more useful within the menu!

        Like

    1. By “advertising your photography,” do you mean letting people know what photos or photographic services you have for sale? If so, it might make more sense to have two blogs, one for expressing your thoughts and another to advertise your photography. The reason I suggest that is your prospective customers, might prefer to just see what you have for sale or what services you can provide. https://gracelead.co

      Like