Oct 9, 2017 / Community Pool

Community Pool

Where WordPress bloggers support each other with 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 more information about custom domains, advanced design options, and other enhancements for your blog? Find the WordPress.com plan that’s right for you.

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.

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.

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.

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  3. Hey everyone, please click on my name to visit my blog. I’ve just published a post today about a government initiative that sounds too good to be true weighing the pros and cons. Feedback will be greatly appreciated.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. You mean the “Make In India” post? (I ask because it doesn’t show at the top of your home page like most people will expect it to. You probably should actually provide the post’s URL to make sure we go to the right one.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Yes, I meant exactly that one. I didn’t put it up as featured. Thanks for pointing it out and letting me know. 🙂

        Although I wouldn’t mind it if people would critique me on my other posts as well.

        Liked by 2 people

    4. Also, 2 more suggestions: 1) I think you should explain or at least give a clue in your About page as to why your blog is called “Spice Witch”–sounds like there might be a great story there. 2) Get your Home page to NOT have the full text of all your blogs on it; you can do this by going to your My Site dashboard, click on the Customize button next to “Themes” then select “Content Options” and then “Post Excerpts” under “Blog Display.”

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Thank you! This is all really helpful, especially about not having the full text show on the home page. I’ve been struggling to decide whether to have excerpts or full posts, so this is good feedback!

        Liked by 2 people

  5. Hey everyone,

    It’s my first month on WordPress so it’s obvious there isn’t much buzz but what I wanna know is how do I know that my posts are ok if no one’s commenting anything. So if anyone of here could at least check it out and tell me if it’s alright then I’ll be really grateful. Also if you want me to check out yours then feel free to ask.
    http://www.luchismita.wordpress.com
    Thanks.
    Happy blogging!

    Liked by 4 people

    1. There may be several reasons that no one has commented yet, but I imagine that the largest reason is that your content has not inspired anyone to the point that they feel they must say something or to ask a question. Creating a blog that does that kind of inspiration is hard work; I certainly haven’t mastered it yet. You’ve only been blogging for a month, so keep working on it, reading the blogs of others to see what seems to be in them that makes readers comment and not comment.

      Liked by 4 people

    2. You have a nice site–very spare design, which is good. But I didn’t know straight off that The Arcana Chronicles was a book and that you were reviewing it. Maybe all caps or italicize? Or say, “a review.” Or, maybe your site’s subhead could provide more clues as to what your site is about?

      Liked by 2 people

  6. Hi all, I recently started my blog and have been customizing it while trying my best to add content regularly. It’s a blog dedicated to adding diversity to media and entertainment through short stories and creative writing. I was hoping someone could give me advice on how to make my “About” page a little more user friendly and attractive. Keeping in mind that I’m currently using the free version.

    To anyone else who enjoys fiction and short stories I’d love if you read my recent posts and gave me some feedback/constructive criticism as well. Thanks all! 🙂

    https://caelsonata.wordpress.com

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Hey Cael!
      I just checked out your about section. I think a suggestion I’d make would be to maybe use a larger picture, and one that shows the more exploratory/creative side to your personality. Just to give the reader a better insight into who you are as the writer.

      Please check out my blog too. If you like what you see, please do follow 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

    3. Lots of fun stuff here. I’ll give you the same advice I always give, “Practice, Practice, Practice!”
      I like the way your imagination works!

      Like

  8. Hey Everyone. I am still all over the map trying to get back in my writing habits. My latest blog is yet another ‘feel good’ story I thought I would share about how a Flower Shop messed up our wedding anniversary- but it happened on a day I needed it most.
    Have you ever had an ‘Accidental-versary’? Would love to hear similar stories of anniversaries getting mixed up in the comments. 🙂

    Happy Accidental-versary

    Liked by 6 people

  9. Hello, Happy Thanksgiving to all you crazy Canadians! I’ve just published a post about making the most out of shopping at Ulta Beauty. Please let me know if my explanations of certain aspects make sense. I want to sort of make this into somewhat of a shopping/money saving series, but I want to be sure I make sense and I’m giving everyone all the facts. Thanks!

    Make the Most of Your Ulta Rewards

    Liked by 5 people

  11. I would really appreciate feedback and advice, tips, etc on photos. I still a lot to learn about the camera I have, and photography in general. My blog is a book blog and I feel like photos are a very important part of drawing in new readers. Let me know what you think. Thank you in advance.

    October Recommended Reads

    Liked by 6 people

    1. Great-looking site. You could even fit more in your sidebar if you wanted. Most popular posts, etc. And your photos look great to me (someone who isn’t a photographer). I do think showing book covers is important. I was more impressed with the photography than the blurbs, but that’s just me.

      Liked by 2 people

  12. Hi All,

    I only started my blog in April 2017. Although I enjoyed writing I didn’t realise just how much until I actually began to start posting more consistent material from September 2017. I am now focused on increasing my readership and audience and also followers where possible. I wanted to ask for any tips or advice that could help me to do this.

    My blog is http://www.theodora-b.com

    Looking forward to hearing from you all.

    Theodora x

    Liked by 9 people

    2. Hi
      My advise (in the short time I have been blogging) would be to post regularly. Adjust how many times you want to do this. I don’t think that bombarding peopel with posts or posting once every two months would really help, but maybe you can set up a time according to your content.
      Second, try to follow people who post stuff similar to you. Try to engage with them give them honest comments – and trust me you would be resiprocated. Please do not go for the like for like and follow for follow thing it doesnt work – in the short while you may see a surge in your views but it won’t last. And it is seriously easy to build good relationships here. Not meaning to lecture you here I am sorry 🙂
      Also, go through the reader notifications everyday you can find people like yourself there. Look up popular tags also tag your posts thats how people can find you.
      And good luk you have a good start here 🙂

      Liked by 9 people

    3. Great blog! I like your classy layout and inspirational topics. As for growing your audience, genuine connection is where it’s at. Keep commenting and visiting other blogs on the community pool and elsewhere. You’ll grow naturally that way. All the best!

      Liked by 5 people

  14. I wrote this article “Child Attachment Styles And Parents Influence On Their Child” and would love some feedback, thank you!

    Each child is different and will have different needs. The relationship between parent and child is crucial to healthy development. Everyone has heard of “Nature versus Nurture,” but there are psychologists who prefer thinking of that idea as “Nature via Nurture.” In truth, it’s the combination of… https://conscioustalkmag.com/2017/10/child-attachment-styles-parents-influence-child/

    Liked by 6 people

    1. really liked your article it is very informative. The last style of relationship is very scary though. It would be awesome to know how parents can avoid this type of situations. I know you mention it a little bit in your post. but just a suggestion though.

      thanks

      Liked by 3 people

  15. Hi All ! I’m new to blogging, looking to get some feedback on my blog design and some posts feedback. If anyone has any suggestions I would appreciate advice on gaining more readers and followers.

    Follow and I’ll be sure to follow back !

    ClassicThoughts.com

    Liked by 7 people

    1. Hi Marcus you ahave good start there. I would say that add a hyperlink to your blog in the message so its easy to click and visit for the other viewers. I would also advice that if you started your blog within the last month do visit the first friday and post your link there it is for new bloggers to gain an audience and get a good start. 🙂
      good luk

      Liked by 5 people

  16. Question for my fellow swimmers: how do you do on views/comments in response to your re-posts? I can’t always post a book review, author interview, or essay every week–but I want to stay in touch with my followers. So, some weeks I re-post something that pertains to my blog’s mission.

    By introducing a re-post with a few paragraphs that speak to my own experience, I found I got pretty good views/comments–comparable to what I get for a wholly original post.

    https://rustbeltgirlblog.wordpress.com/2017/10/05/what-our-hometowns-brand-says-about-us-and-a-re-post-from-belt-magazine/

    What about you?

    Liked by 7 people

    1. Hey! Your pictures on your blog look great. The content is also great! My one suggestion would to maybe add a read more button, so your content isn’t all on one page. I personally prefer to have a read more button so my readers don’t feel overwhelmed if they see a ton of words at first.

      Liked by 7 people

    2. I think your theme and layout looks great. Your photos are nice-looking and really transport me on your holiday! The one thing that bothered me was that, as a parent myself, I’d love to get some practical tips about taking small children on vacation, but if there were tips, they got lost in all the prose. I might suggest thinking about smaller blocks of text, maybe using numbered lists, etc.

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Thank you Rebecca for your comments. I will definitely take that on board for future posts. I did want to offer some tips on what essentials to take so perhaps I will do another entry for most have items. This was the first time I had written anything like this since leaving school haha. Thank you again for taking the time out to read and offer advice.

        Liked by 2 people

  19. What a busy week it has been for me! First, I published a follow-up to my “Integrity Inspection” post, wrapping up that drama: https://domesticminister.com/2017/10/04/integrity-inspection-follow-up/
    Then I upgraded my WP plan to Premium, which gave me the ability to embed my vlogs directly into my blog–no more hyperlinks to YouTube! So now all my vlog blogs are fixed, and vlog #4 in my Broken Wrist Recovery series is now available: https://domesticminister.com/2017/10/07/broken-wrist-recovery-vlog-4-healed-but-not-healthy/
    AND I also created a Facebook page for my blog! Click “Like” (see the FB widget on the side of my blog) and join in on all the good stuff that will be there! Yes, there will be more than just my blogs; in fact, I may end up sharing one of your great blogs there!
    Whew! I’m tired! 😉

    Liked by 6 people

  29. I wrote a brief post called “Positive Vibes Only” in response to some messaging I have been seeing in real life and online that has served to shame and silence people with marginalized identities when they choose to speak out about what is happening to them.

    https://notesfromanaspiringhumanitarian.com/positive-vibes-only/

    Have you ever wanted to talk to someone about something difficult, or something that you really needed help with, but felt like you couldn’t because they would automatically assume you were being negative?

    Although I address the need to set our own boundaries, my real ask is for us to consider who we might be silencing or isolating when we can only hold room for “positive”emotions.

    Liked by 8 people

    1. Have you ever wanted to talk to someone about something difficult, or something that you really needed help with, but felt like you couldn’t because they would automatically assume you were being negative?

      Alll…. theeee… timeeee….!!!

      Liked by 3 people