Apr 3, 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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    1. Joseyphina,

      I love the checkerboard approach! It’s quite fun. You have an image as a background and it is very busy and distracting. Consider a gentle pattern background or a heavily subdued photograph. That will allow your foreground content to show up better. A few of your images are “squashed.” Maybe take the time to resize them for your checkerboard layout. The content itself is brilliant. It reflects the fun-ness of your layout. Wouldn’t change a thing. 🙂

      Regarding your actual question, I am a conservative man, and I think a proposal is an intimate act, which should be done in private. I suspect I am in the minority on that one. 😉

      Liked by 4 people

  5. Hello Pool Patrons.

    I recently launched my new author’s website and while there isn’t a lot of content there yet, I am looking for overall impressions regarding the layout, feel, design, etc.

    Today’s blog post (my first) is about simplifying your work week to sharpen productivity as a writer:

    http://www.scottrcyre.com/simplify-your-writing-week/

    Thanks! I look forard to seeing what many of you are up to, as well.

    Scott

    Liked by 4 people

  7. Hello everyone… I just started my blog this week. It’s largely focused on food – food allergies in toddlers and an anti-inflammatory diet and how we’ll eventually incorporate the two in our home. So far, only two posts. Any and all advice is welcome (here or directly on the blog)… followers appreciated too if the content is interesting!

    https://krystiwithak.wordpress.com

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Krystiwithak,

      First, congrats on the new blog, it is my sincere hope that you have as much fun blogging as I have had.

      You’ve got a great subject/theme to the site. Some of your images are very large and you should know that today, with 2 blog posts, it matters not, but after 4 or 5 years of blogging, your site will slowly start to load slower and your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) will suffer.

      In other words, if you like the idea of people finding you on a Google search engine, you will need to keep your file sizes down. In other words, try smaller images. Your writing style is easy to read and I have added you to my WordPress and I’ll be back!

      Thanks so much!

      Scott

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Followed!

      If I may suggest something: add some widgets to the sidebar. Especially for a subject like yours, I recommend categories, top posts, recent posts, and a search bar. Maybe a tag cloud, too… This way, readers can look for specific subjects without having to scroll all the way down until they locate something relevant to their particular needs.

      Liked by 2 people

  8. Hey people!!
    Its been a year that since i published my first post. I write about, well, anything and everything that comes to my mind! Random epiphanies, situations, problems (and solutions!). Basically – stuff happening in a life of a normal ( actually, not so normal) teenager. I also write about those small important details of life…

    http://www.girl711.wordpress.com

    I’d love for you to check out my blog! I think and hope you would like it. Of course suggestions and any kind of feedback is welcomed!

    Also, i would love to make new friends out here, so please stop by and introduce yourself.

    Cheers!
    Cathy

    Liked by 5 people

    2. I think we would get along well Cathy haha. (We must be around the same age because high school ended about a year ago for me too.) I also post about very random things. I’ll definitely be looking more at your blog.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Oh!! Thats awesome!! I will be looking forward to your posts too!!! Having the same age mind may mean we think in the same direction too… This will be fun!

        Liked by 2 people

    1. Hello! I’m not jelous, high school was a rough time in terms of exams anf stuff) As for your blog, it is so great. There are many ports here (WordPress I mean, but you are very unique, your works are quite dark (it’s not bad at all), they have a feeling! And it is so much better that not having it at all. And I feel like sharing your works with others might be very scary, is it?
      With love, Summer

      Home

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thank you so much for all your kind words! Honestly I love sharing my work! Writing releases so many feeling that I keep inside, and if I can help someone that would be my ultimate goal! xoxo

        Liked by 2 people

    2. Hey Abby! I read some of your poems and I love them! I low-key love that you can take an idea that’s complex and condense it into a short poem with such meaning. I’m a senior in college and I didn’t start writing in a blog until last year. I wish I would have done it in high school like you. Keep writing, keep working. Your stuff is good. You have an amazing talent- continue to use it for good. 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Heey) Love your post on the life, like that we don’t have to waste it and live every moment of it) Really cool! I also loove the layout of the site, being a lover of space myself I feel some sort of satisfaction)) Liked some of your blogs I enjoyed) Keep it up))
      With love, Summer

      Home

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Oh yeah that widget! Thanks for reminding me I had almost forgotten that mess. I’ll clear at my earliest convenience. Thanks a bunch!

        Liked by 1 person

  11. Hello again, bloggers and blog followers out there! All this week, which happens to be the week before Holy Week, my blog KALEIDOSCOPE will be presenting beautiful words of Scripture from the Holy Bible to accompany images of some of God’s most incredible creations; It is called “WORDS OF FAITH”, and you can find that, plus, my other past post, all right here at KALEIDOSCOPE-It’s at http://www.j2w7.wordpress.com!-JW

    Liked by 4 people

    2. I enjoyed the photos and the narrative was helpful. The palace and aqueduct were my favorites. I especially appreciated the photo that contrasted the size of the people with the aqueduct. They are bigger than I had imagined and beautiful. https://gracelead.co

      Like

  15. Helolo everyone)))
    In my last post I share something really important with you, something which I’ve been working on for the past few month) and it’s my clothes collection) I would really appreciate it if you gave it a read and share some of your thoughts either in here or in the comments on my site))
    Thanks in advance)
    Love, Summer

    marble

    Liked by 5 people

  18. I love writing… I used to do it a lot. Life and kids happened and so it’s been a while since I made a practice of it… so I have a three questions, what are some of the ways you keep yourself writing when you’re too busy or not “inspired,” what different avenues do you use to share your posts, and what feedback can you give me for my new blog…
    This is my newest post but any feedback on my site would be welcome.
    Thank you!

    https://wordpress.com/stats/day/holymessyfiercelove.wordpress.com

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Your baby is ADORABLE! And I don’t even really like babies! They frighten me! So really, that is a huge compliment to your baby. I hope they stick it on their mini fridge.

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Hi Messy Rev,

      I can’t actually read your post since you gave the link to your stats page, which just takes me to my own. Could you maybe provide a link to your homepage?

      As to answer your question about sharing avenues…I use Facebook and Twitter, though most of my site traffic comes from google searches or other blogs that write about similar things! You can also tag your posts so that other WordPress users can find them under relevant subjects.

      Liked by 2 people

      2. Thanks – and your blog looks great! I only have one suggestion…try to use fewer tags on your articles. WordPress blocks posts with more than 15 tags and categories from the reader, which means that your posts are probably harder for other bloggers to find.

        Liked by 2 people

  19. I’ve joined WordPress about four or five days ago and find it amazingly helpful to share your short stories, poems, and overall ideas. I’m just wondering what it takes to keep this up (I am very dedicated to blogging) and overall, how to earn more followers. Thanks so much for reading guys!

    Liked by 5 people

    1. I enjoyed your Rascal post and your Hooves Hitting the Sand poem. It appears that you are off to a good start. To keep up with blogging, I find that it helps to have a plan. You can create several draft posts and schedule them to publish on whatever schedule you like. Strategies to get traffic to your site include things such as: (1) having your posts feed your social media accounts, (2) putting tags on your posts so internet searches find them, and (3) using the WordPress Reader to find posts related to yours then putting likes or comments on them. https://gracelead.co

      Like

  23. Hi guys
    I have written a post on finding time to regularly write and the issues I have regarding time. Please have a read and I would appreciate your ways how to manage your time and get to post regularly.

    Northern Natter | Lover of cycling, real ale and a good old natter
    https://theianhope.wordpress.com/

    Thanks
    Ian

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I realized early on that I would not be able to write a post each week. What I do is write in spurts. When I’m in my zone, I can write a dozen or more posts. I leave them in draft mode and schedule them to post one a week. That way, when I don’t feel like writing, I don’t have to worry because I already have several week’s worth in the bank. https://gracelead.co

      Liked by 2 people

  26. Hello everyone! I run a lifestyle blog where I write about beauty, fashion, life and everything in-between! I always try to keep my content genuine and fresh, and add a little Sass! I recently revamped my blog design and would appreciate if you checked out my blog! And if you shared your thoughts! Have a wonderful day! https://unabridgedsass.com (the site looks best on browser!)

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Hi Claire. I commented in your blog post. I really liked your post and even though I didn’t know what a “Hack” was (I must be a lot older than you. I’m 46.) I could relate to a lot of what you said. I hope many others will give your post a look see too.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. I think just about everyone can relate to your post about “fear no more”. As for the “stop waiting” post, I very much like motivational posts. Do you plan to continue with such posts? I think you’ll definitely find a following.

      Liked by 2 people

      2. By the way, I’m really enjoying your blog, too! The layout is neat, and the writing is refreshingly human. Definitely continue writing – you have the knack for it!

        Liked by 2 people

      3. I’m glad you like my blog layout. I do kind of like it simple and neat. I like to keep it easy for others (and myself) to navigate.

        Thank you for the extra compliment. You’re very kind. Today I was so happy with the response to my post. It’s funny, yesterday’s I think was only so-so. Some days just click and others not so much for me.

        Liked by 2 people

      4. Yeah, you can’t catch inspiration 100% of the time – I’ve experienced the same. But it helps to not force it when it doesn’t “click”, may click tomorrow, no rush 😉

        Liked by 2 people