Feb 20, 2017 / Community Pool

Community Pool

Where bloggers come for friendly feedback and advice.

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. Hello and happy Tuesday everyone! I just started up a new category called the Setting Bank where I’ll essentially post little tid bits describing a setting you could use in a story, poem, or another piece of writing. The first setting has just been posted, so take a look.

    https://hailangeliccreation.wordpress.com/2017/02/21/setting-bank-mountain-landscape/

    If you have suggestions as to what I can do next, let me know by popping in the Ink Drops Menu or leaving a comment on one of the pieces.

    As always, happy reading!

    -Author S

    Like

    1. That’s an interesting concept, a depository of settings to help writers. I did find it difficult to believe that I would see carnations, orchids, and daisies in the same field 🙂 Other than that, I was drawn into the setting. There are so many possibilities on what to add next: city street, shopping mall, lake resort, sports event, classroom, library, coffee shop, amusement park… https://gracelead.co

      Like

      1. Thank you so much for the ideas! Yeah, I don’t know how likely it would be, but hey, it’s fiction, right? I’ll work on those next!
        -Author S

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Great poems. Definitely relatable as a young adult making questionable decisions. I do have a bit of feedback…the layout for the blog isn’t the most accessible, esp. using safari on a Mac. Looking forward to reading more of your writing!

      Liked by 2 people

  4. I have a different take on a blog…I look at everyday “young adult” moments and try to turn them into humorous stories. Someday I hope to have a larger readership but know it’s just about the step by step process!

    I would love it someone would have a look at my blog and see how I’m going 🙂

    Thank you!

    https://teenminutia.wordpress.com/

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Love it! Your writing is fun and engaging – keep going! (I tried to “like” your first post, but my computer is being a POC). Also, I did stop by your ‘About’ page. Well done! No need to explain your blog title, though, it’s creative and self-explanatory. Looking forward to more “minutia!” 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    1. nice first post! Make sure you fill out your “about” section. Personally, I am nosey and thats one of the first sections I read in a blog since I want to the details about the writer!

      Liked by 3 people

    1. Zero waste is an excellent concept! Looking forward to following your journey. I hope you’ll include links to recyclers and other zero-waste information as you learn more about the process.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Also, you may want to take your phone number and address off your resume. I’m not sure it’s safe to have it posted so publicly. Potential employers can always contact you through your About page, if they need to.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Hi, guys. I wrote this around two years ago, sitting in a lecture. The teacher was ruggy and old and all together unpleasant to the eye. He was, in that deliciously Nigerian way, an ‘eyesore’, but it was less his appearance that moved me to write this poem as it was the scantness of his knowledge of what he taught. As scant as the greyed stubble on his chin

    Teacher (Poetry)

    Liked by 2 people

  9. Do you ever think maybe you share too much? That one day you’ll regret exposing yourself this way? I think there is power in truth but do you betray yourself when you divulge all? I don’t know. Check this out and let me know what you think. Specifically, generally or otherwise.

    Not Enough

    Liked by 2 people

    2. I really like this post. It takes time to acknowledge and thank those people in your life you are grateful for. I think it is important to show our appreciation and gratitude to the ones who add value and greater meaning to our lives. Thanks for sharing.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. I love you messages. Keep writing. Inspiration can come from anywhere. Look within you or outside you. You can give tips or top 10 something. The sky is the limit. People, attitude, relationships, whatever you feel comfortable and knowledgeable talking about. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

    3. I do try to offer helpful feedback when I can. Generally, I skip ones that ask for feedback on chapters unless they indicate it is a short chapter or short portion of a chapter. BTW, I looked at your Chapter 1a post. You set the tone well. I got a good sense of your connection with your mom and a hint of your dad’s personality. https://gracelead.co

      Like

    4. Hello and thanks for sharing your thoughts regarding the Community Pool.

      This space is open for anyone who’d like to ask for feedback on any aspect of their blog — from the writing to the widgets. And so part of issue you describe stems from people arriving here with different interests and different motivations.

      In terms of the level of input one receives here, both in terms of quality and quantity, this is ultimately something the community itself determines, even if without one guiding force setting any bar. The more people visit, stay, and become active, the higher the quality of feedback people receive. For some people, even a short, affirmative statement about their writing can be enough to keep going; others might need deeper levels of engagement. Ultimately, these are all fine and acceptable approaches. I will say, though, that our hope has always been to open up this forum for people to get to know each other and find other like-minded bloggers, not for having long, substantive conversations about their blogs — we don’t mind when that happens, of course, but ideally these conversations take place on people’s actual sites, not in the forum that aims just to connect them.

      Like

  18. Awesome post! Followed because any writing tips are welcome. If any one wants to checkout my blog that’d be cool because I just started out and have no idea if I’m doing it right XD

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Just stopped by! Nice post on LBGTQ+ films 🙂 I’ve seen one or two of them! My suggestion: consider using tags and categories. Categories organize your posts within your blog, and tags help new readers find you. You can use up to 15 total!

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

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Hi Natalie! Thank you for reading my post! 🙂 I’m going to try categories and tags shortly… also your post about living a meaningful life really caught my eye… And I’m so glad it did! You have a really wonderful blog x

        Liked by 2 people

    2. You should change the Sidebar over the Customizer. There is a Standard Prefilled text widget there which makes it look weird. Consider adding links at the social media bar to your Profiles or deleting them completely 🙂 Very nice topics in which I’m personally interested! Keep it up!

      Liked by 3 people

    1. Nice blog! I really like your layout, it’s visually engaging and fun to read through. I also visited your travel blog and like your page on Cuban musicians; really nice balance between providing some background and keeping it short and simple (something I need to work on myself!) The one question I have is on that page, everything seems to be over on the right-hand side and there is some blank space on the left-hand side. Is that something you meant to do with the layout?

      Otherwise everything looks great!

      P.S. I am jealous you live in the Bahamas!

      Liked by 2 people

    2. “Three parents???? What else could we want!” – to be honest when I read your title I was not sure what to think. Thankfully I ventured in anyway and found it to be a good read. I appreciate your perspective and totally agree.:)

      Liked by 2 people

  25. Hi folks! I recently finished a post on the rise of hate speech in Canada, and what approaches could help counter it:

    https://pinetreerepublic.com/2017/02/21/a-resilience-approach-to-political-hate/

    I’d be curious for any feedback. I know this is a little long, and I’m still working on what is the most relevant information to include for post like these. Appreciate any thoughts on whether there was too little, too much, or just enough background to understand the issue, and what more I could be doing to encourage reader comments. Thanks!

    Liked by 1 person

    2. I agree, but your writing style can lose readers because of unnecessary distractions. Maybe you could try different styles and see what people respond to. Also, I would’ve related to the post more if you’d included a photo of the stack of magazines itself. I wish you good luck with your blog!
      Happy writing!
      -Author S

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Congratulations on your award! That’s a wonderful achievement after only seven weeks of blogging. I hope your travels and adventures bring you loads of amazing experiences.
      I have to admit I’m a bit jealous, but I’m going to keep working on my blog and my content to improve, always. Perhaps I’ll be lucky enough to have someone nominate me.
      Happy trails!
      -Author S

      Liked by 2 people

      2. Thank you very much! Feel free to comment on anything and send some prompts if you’re interested.
        Happy reading!
        -Author S

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Aside from some small errors in grammar and technicalities, you provide good tips. Decluttering is an essential part of an organized and easy-flowing routine. I hope application leads to great results for you and others.
      Happy blogging!
      -Author S

      Liked by 1 person

      2. Of course! It’s not a big error or anything, but technically speaking, Google is just a search engine, not a source. If you want to cite the picture, you’d have to post a link to the site you got it from. Also, thank you for the follow! I wish you the best of luck!
        -Author S

        Liked by 1 person