Nov 20, 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.

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    3. Great list, and some pretty heavy things to be grateful for too!

      I like to think that just about everything we can appreciate, somebody somewhere can’t. Be it seeing, hearing, being able to walk, being able to breathe easily, being able to taste etc. etc. The list goes on and on.
      It’s just a question of becoming aware of these things from time to time, and saying ‘thank you.’

      I like to say ‘thank you’ to my food when I’m eating it, maybe I’m weird?! LOL

      Liked by 16 people

    6. Thanks for the post! I’m grateful for Community Pool Mondays .. haha. Also for the great life I have lived so far and yet to live, and for having realised my almost life long dream of owning a Mustang I can drive everyday! 🙂

      Liked by 10 people

    7. Grateful for all my fellow bloggers, especially those who–like Michelle Cole for my latest post–are willing to go in on this blogging experiment with me. I find collaboration what I’m most grateful for in this blogoverse!

      Liked by 10 people

      3. Hi Simon… It was pretty strange for me when I found that I was following you though being a part of your short story e mail subscription.
        So followed today and looking forward to read more of you post.
        I would be happy if you give a review about my latest short story as I am a new to story writing.

        Like

    10. Hey dossdocs, lovely post you got there. And the way you write, intriguing sort of. You should keep it up.

      In between; below is the link to my latest post, titled resources. Wrote to explore what resources means, and how we can make the most of it. Would like to hear your opinion.

      RESOURCES

      Thanks.🙏

      Liked by 6 people

      3. Thanks a whole lot. I will definitely give your post a read.

        And as regards the compliment: we all just want to contribute the best way possible. Isnt that why we are doing this? We are the good hands planting good seeds. And when I said “we”, I meant all the bloggers out there.

        Thanks chief, I really appreciate.🙏

        Liked by 3 people

      4. Hmm, in my opinion, I think bloggers contribute in different ways to the community. Some contribute in terms of knowledge, some in terms of providing solace for those who need it, some in terms of entertainment, and many more ways.
        That was what I meant when I said that you contribute greatly to knowledge in the community 🙂 and yes, I agree with you that every blogger is trying to contribute to the community as much as possible in their own individual ways.

        All the best to you in blogging! 😀

        Liked by 5 people

    12. Dossdocs – if you’re serious about getting feedback so you can make your comedy blog more enticing, can I offer a suggestion or two?

      First, style counts in comedy blog writing as much as content. I don’t mean “writing style” here. I mean the actual look of stuff you choose to insert, as well as things like the visuals of line and paragraph breaks. They all have an effect on the reader. So, that parka pic? Find a bigger one. That postage stamp you put up makes no impact at all, which is a mistake if you’re trying to make a point. And maybe consider pairing it with a humorous contrast. Something like: after you post the plain parka pic, write “EVERYONE wore one. Well, everyone except these guys: https://media.treehugger.com/assets/images/2011/10/THONG-Group-pose2.jpg.696x0_q70_crop-smart.jpg . But they don’t count.” See what I mean?

      A big part of my job is doing comedy (radio), and I can’t tell you how often I’ve seen funny bits fall flat because the delivery was flubbed, levels were bad, etc. Comedy is not just about the punch line. The setup matters too. The same applies to humor writing

      Second, and most important: style counts. This time, I do mean writing style. Specifically here, grammar. I’m far from being a Grammar Nazi, but when it gets to the point where you have to pause to figure out what the author is saying, that’s bad. Flow is very important in comedy. You don’t want to interrupt it every couple of sentences because of something that could be easily fixed.

      Take, for instance, your lead-in to that tiny green parka pic. You write, “…busting out that classic green Eddie Baur parka, you know this one.” Think about what you’re writing here, what voice is being transmitted. “You know this one” is an entirely different meaning from, “You know. This one:” (with the colon, indicating the pic is what you’re referencing).

      In the very few sentences that comprise the rest of your piece there are a remarkable number of other gaffes and blatant errors as well. (For instance, mistaking “your” for “you’re”, “to” for “too”, and so on.)

      This wouldn’t be an issue if you weren’t trying to “get your foot in the comedy blog door”. If you’re just scribbling stuff for your own amusement, being pedantic about style and grammar is ridiculous. But you ARE apparently trying to take things to another level, and I think these issues are things that will hold you back. I hope you realize I’m criticizing in order to be constructive here. I’m not trying to tear you down by being a jerk. That story you wrote had definite comedy potential, you just need to get some of the technical stuff down so it comes across.

      Finally: keep writing. It gets easier 🙂

      ps. Feel free to check out my blog to see if I walk the comedy walk myself, not just talk the talk.

      Liked by 4 people

  3. Hello everybody, Simon from To Cut a Short Story Short here with my latest post, just published today. This time it’s Comic Tragedy, a tale of monastic mishap in 900 words. I hope you enjoy it!

    https://simonjwood.wordpress.com/2017/11/20/comic-tragedy/

    Also, I have a limited number of promotional codes to give away for FREE copies of my new audiobook, To Cut a Short Story Short: 111 Little Stories, the ‘best of my blog’ (up to July 2017). If you’d like one, please click the ‘Free Audiobook!’ link in the ‘recent posts’ sidebar on my blog. That also gives you full details of how to obtain and download it. It’s narrated by Angus Freathy, who has done 15 audiobooks to date. I think his ‘voices’ really bring the stories to life!

    Liked by 15 people

  4. Hey Bloggers, happy Monday!
    Last week an earthquake occurred in a neighbouring country of which I experienced the aftershocks. That moment truly, albeit momentarily, presented the unadulterated reality, and transience, of life. And that’s exactly what my post is inspired by. https://ingenuousfantasist.wordpress.com/2017/11/14/unequivocal-transience/
    Hope you enjoy  Looking forward to come across some awesome posts/blogs!

    Liked by 20 people

    5. A very interesting post and one that resonated with me heavily. I was on the southwest coast of Thailand in ’04 during the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, so understand fully the transience of life you are referring to. It’s a stark realization, but an important one. Thanks for sharing your experience and perspective.

      Liked by 4 people

    1. Squee that crab! 🙂
      Gorgeous photos as always.

      Also, well done for getting featured on WP discover. I tried leaving you a well done message, but for some reason I couldn’t reply to that post. Hopefully lots of people will find your gorgeous blog now. ❤

      Liked by 5 people

    1. I love the Maritimes so much! I was in PEI and Nova Scotia a couple months ago and miss it so much! I didn’t make it to Cape Bretton Island on this trip but I’ve been there in the past. Beautiful!

      Liked by 4 people

      1. I miss it as well. The high-quality seafood, the kind people (kind and trusting enough to leave garage doors unlocked and leave keys to the car in the car), and how hiking a scenic trail doesn’t have to be a 3 hr drive away…

        Liked by 3 people

      1. Thanks! 😀 You should definitely go back! I’m sure you could find more things to do now vs. back then as a kid. The province is small enough to travel around easily, but I found there’s so much to do and see that I feel I’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg.

        Liked by 4 people

  8. Happy Monday and Pool Day, Swimmers! 😁 Hope everyone had a stellar weekend.

    I run a creative writing blog, emphasis on the British English learning. Basically I post every day with a new word or phrase and my “sentence” is an original creative writing piece that allows the reader to get a feel for the word of the day.

    https://britwitblog.wordpress.com

    I am looking forward to swimming round and seeing new and old blogs. Cheers, friends! 💫

    Liked by 22 people

      1. It’s actually a fun read to check out, the difference between American English and British English. It is more complicated than simply saying the new American settlers simply wanted to nix the “u” in words like colour and mould and neighbour etc. I’ve written some papers on this topic and could easily write a dissertation on it haha. Thank you very much for stopping in!! 🙂

        Liked by 3 people

  9. Hey Everyone,

    I am doing a little thinking about the design of my blog posts and was wondering if you could give me a little advice. I cannot for the life of me figure out how to change the size of the titles of a post because I don’t really know how to edit code even though I have tried many times. The problem with that is that the titles of my posts are kind of small and I did not want the text in the body of my post to be bigger than the titles. My question is do you think the text size is too small on my blog posts? Does the size make it hard to read?

    Here is one of my blog posts to compare:

    https://kelciemakespatterns.com/master-adobe-illustrator-without-tablet/

    Liked by 13 people

    1. I think the font size is fine, I didn’t have trouble reading your post. I’m using the WordPress app on my phone to view it.

      Liked by 5 people

    2. It’s easy to read, but I see what you mean, the title is about the same size as the sub-headings.

      Is it something to do with the theme you chose? I wonder if you could change it by editing the settings within your theme?

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Ya, it’s the only size that the theme allows, at least I think it is and I have tried many times to make it bigger but the only way I see it getting bigger is if I edit the code which is way above my skill level.

        Liked by 4 people

      1. Oooh! I didn’t make it over to Vancouver island yet, but I can’t wait to get over there to explore! I keep hearing about SUCH nice walks there too!

        Like

      1. Thank you so much! It looks like you’ve been on some amazing adventures! I’m planning a trip to Portland and Seattle, but your posts make me want to go to Vancouver as well. Following you back and can’t wait to read more!

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Oooh yay!
        Well, it is really lovely here in Vancouver – but it depends on the time of year that you’d like to visit! If you are coming in the summer then it is a brilliant place to add to your trip! It’s only a couple of hours drive from Seattle too! 😀

        Like

    10. You have a fantastic eye- great post! I have heard that the tall cacti that looks like they have arms (might see them in a cowboy movie) are usually over a hundred years old. Any truth to that? Love the post and the pictures!
      Thanks for writing,
      C. W.

      Liked by 3 people

    1. Great idea for a blog. I learned something new straight away too: Vodyanoy from Mieville’s Perdido Street Station are from Slavic folklore! Very I, great work

      Liked by 4 people

    2. At least on mobile, your design looks good. It’s clean and I like how you have just the right amount of photos. Very nicely done. Also, thanks for sharing and teaching me something new today! Followed.

      I like anime too, but I haven’t been able to talk about it a whole bunch on my page yet. If you feel inclined, I’ve done reviews of Spirited Away with Howl’s Moving Castle coming soon. I’ve also talked about Berserk, but be warned it’s my first post so it’s kinda rough. I’d love to know what you think though or if you have any suggestions for shows/movies to talk about next.

      Liked by 3 people

    3. An interesting read indeed. I found my first impression of the design basically wasn’t what I expected for a anime based blog. I don’t really know what I expected, but this wasn’t it. But as you get further into the blog seeing the anime image against the background design i found it complimented it very well. Perhaps it might be worth considering having a more colourful anime image closer to the top of the post – perhaps even in the banner? Not vital by any means, just a thought. The image on the Slavic mythology post for instance I thought worked really well. Regardless, looks good

      Liked by 4 people

    5. I’m keeping this info in mind when I need to talk to friends about their questionable living quarters that are borderline unsanitary…

      Interesting blog. I look forward to following!

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Thank you! I’m so happy you like my writing. Feel free to check out the other stories that I’ve written as well as my poems. XD

        Liked by 3 people

    2. There are many scents that trigger memories for me. Here are two examples: (1) The smell of mud brings back the memory of making mud pies and convincing my brother to eat one. (2) The smell of wet leather brings back the memory of carving designs into damp leather which I used to create belts and billfolds. https://gracelead.co

      Liked by 2 people

      1. The smell of a brand new box of Crayons brings me right back to my first grade class. Weird thing is that is only for a brand new box and not a box of used Crayons.

        Like

    5. I think remembering things through your senses, especially smell, really does bring flashback memories. For me a smoking pipe and even some cigars bring back old memories of my grandfather who use to smoke a pipe, the sweet scent hidden in those puffs he would blow with his pipe bring back the same memory. It is also one of the smells I like when I come across it.

      Liked by 3 people

    3. Your blog is delightful and full of color, which I absolutely love! And to top it all off, it’s simply in its elegance. I can’t get enough of it quite frankly. I look forward to devouring more of it. 😃💫

      Liked by 3 people

    4. Love love love love this poem! I left a comment on your blog, but I can’t get over how you painted such a beautiful and vivid picture in my mind with a 25 second poem. Just followed and I look forward to reading more!
      Thanks for writing,
      C. W.

      Liked by 1 person

      2. Oh I mentioned it was mental health and illness. I’m not sure if other countries call the field clinical psychology or have a different name for it so I didn’t want to say clinical psychology in case people would get confused or not know what it is

        Like

    1. Being someone who works in Special Education, I’ve dealt Autistic children before. I think you put it beautifully treating your child with more respect is essential. Never get up, and always show your child that they are smart and that they are loved. Great post, it hit home for me

      Like

  28. Happy Monday all o’ y’all ! Been a slow week for me blog wise with a bit of emergency travel and few other things I had to take care of.

    Did manage to catch up on the One Plus 5T reveal and the Tesla Semi & Roadster Unveil which I am still writing up on and really excited about!!

    Read up on the One Plus 5T – an amazing & yet affordable smartphone!!

    https://allaboutthattechweb.wordpress.com/2017/11/20/one-plus-5t-amazing-and-affordable/

    Liked by 7 people

  29. Hello wonderful WordPressers!

    I am currently working on a microfiction series based on sci-fi/fantasy. The way am planning to roll the story out is to use non-linear story-telling (jumping back and forth in time), so each part will be like a separate piece of the puzzle that, linked with the rest finally make up the complete story. I hope you will all enjoy! This is the first part:

    The Order Of The Forgers (A microfiction series)

    Liked by 7 people

  30. Hi, I normally do very silly posts indeed but a local news article infuriated me recently. So I write a piece today which I hope doesn’t get too ranty, has my normal elements of humour and hopefully with a point made.
    If anyone feels like reading it’s at: https://thebryntinproject.wordpress.com/2017/11/20/to-err-is-human-to-collide-is-what-we-call-it/
    What I am looking for feedback on is whether the mix is right, ie the main point isn’t too lost in the humour. Thanks.

    Liked by 8 people