Dec 4, 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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  2. Hey everyone!! This is my first time writing a blog and I intend to share what I feel and blogging is quite a good platform to express oneself… I look forward for everyone’s feedback, constructive suggestions and views.

    I will be sure to the do the same… Let’s connect!! 🙂
    https://express2feel.wordpress.com/

    Liked by 7 people

    2. The overall vibe of your blog is so fitting to what you write about. It was fun to read the post and have a bit of audience engagement, as I thought about what you were saying and applied it to my own life. I noticed as I was scrolling through that your “About Me” page isn’t filled out. I think, as a reader, that is one of my favorite places to start when I find a blog. It gives me a little insight into the person behind the words, and it helps me put everything into context. As a blogger, I know that the “About Me” page definitely helps bring in the views, so I’d encourage you to make that page your own. Overall, I very much enjoyed your blog!

      If you’re looking for a new blog to check out, I’m over at https://aptlyashlyn.wordpress.com/

      Happy writing!

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thank you so much for your opinion.. it means a lot.. I m glad you liked my post and as for “About me” page, I myself has scrolled quite a few times but unsure as to what exactly to write about me but since you pointed it out, I will definitely fill it up…
        🙂

        Like

  4. Hello fellow bloggers,
    How was your weekend? Mine was beautiful, with a sunny Saturday that ended in a glorious sunset. I hope to share the pictures very soon.
    In the meantime, I would like to take you to Rauma, a small town on the Western coast of Finland, which I visited with my friend Bjørn in July.
    It was warm and sunny, a delight 🙂
    Welcome! Please leave me a sign and share a thought, I’d be happy to hear from you.

    Rauma

    Liked by 5 people

  5. Hello to all the readers and writers out here!

    Poetry has always helped me understand my own beliefs and feelings better. It has always helped me portray the strongest of feelings in their best forms.

    I recently wrote a poem which portrays the importance and need of being kind. Let me know what you think about it!

    Here’s the link:

    Rise

    Would be glad to receive feedbacks!

    With love,

    Meher

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Something to add apart from poetry and short stories; perhaps some reflection from you, especially if several of your poems have recurring themes. Maybe even reflection *on* recurring themes? Something to get fellow poets thinking, you know?

      Liked by 3 people

  9. Hello all! I’m looking for some feedback on my blog and perhaps some new followers if you like what you read. I write about most things including mental health. dating and getting on the career ladder!

    Liked by 3 people

    2. Now that you’ve got some posts down, perhaps start tidying up your blog a bit? Check out Customizer (you’re probably going to spend an entire afternoon there, so I suggest having a cookie ready) so you could start writing more about yourself on the About page, not to mention fixing some of those Text Widgets that are still around.

      Liked by 4 people

      1. I have, so many times, thought of doing that but never got around to actually doing it. Perhaps because it seems to me, kind of uninteresting and time-consuming ! 🙈
        Will start working on that soon enough! Thanks! ☺️

        Liked by 4 people

      3. Oh wow, I am addicted to coffee too! But not to science! Never got my head around it!

        On other note, I personally think it is quite necessary to have a decent- looking blog and others would most probably want that too! I just don’t find it as exciting or fulfilling as writing!
        Will catch up with it pretty soon. Or so I think.😅

        Liked by 4 people

      3. With enough views you can get paid for the traffic, but you probably need hundreds of thousands of impressions to get your first $100. I’m not close to there yet.

        Liked by 2 people

      5. It also depends what plan you are on. You have to be on the Premium plan to use WordAds, but it may not be worth the investment unless your traffic numbers are very strong.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. As Ethan said you don’t earn money for wordads unless you pay for your blog. as a premium or business account. You can make more as a business but it depends on what you advertise. I had 1200 impression my first month and than made .10 You can also become an amazon reseler and make money by posting links to items you talk about. It’s you check out my blog post here you can see an example of this. https://letstalkdepress.com/2017/11/30/5-helpful-hints-to-the-holidays/

      Liked by 1 person

    1. One problem is that you didn’t fix your first post, which has the default text instead of your own writing. Otherwise it may be a matter of posting consistently, finding your voice, and participating in the community. All easier said than done.

      Liked by 4 people

  16. Latest post on Millennial Mrs and Mom, would love if any parenting bloggers stopped by
    “The Importance of Being a Team in Labor”
    There are many life changes during a marriage. Maybe it’s a job change, a family loss, or the birth of a child. How the two married individuals handle these changes is telling and can also either bring them closer together or push each other away. When a couple wants to add to their family, and the couple ends up choosing to add to their family through pregnancy, the mother needs support, especially during labor. The significant other has a huge role to play not only during the pregnancy but during labor. Labor is one of the most … https://millennialmrsandmom.wordpress.com/2017/12/04/the-importance-of-being-a-team-in-labor-married-mondays/

    Liked by 5 people

    2. Hi! Just a small technical note to help you improve your blog: try breaking up your paragraphs into smaller ones.
      Internet reading is different from book reading, so the typical book-style paragraphs that we were all taught to right are just too big. Book paragraphs on the internet just become “a wall of words,” as my young adult daughter says.
      Try to keep your blog paragraphs to only 2 or 3 sentences; sometimes, you’ll see even just a 1-sentence paragraph in blogs! But notice how it helps the online reading process.
      And congratulations!

      Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m so sorry for your loss. It takes incredible bravery to post about something that personal, and I appreciate how genuine your writing is. There is certainly nothing wrong with your post. Don’t worry about not initially having any likes or comments. It takes a bit of time to build up a blog and attract people to read it. I definitely had many posts where the only people reading were the friends I told. If you keep advertising your site and connecting with other people on social networks, people will come, read, and like. How you write is a reflection of who you are, and it’s practically guaranteed that someone out there will connect with it just the way it is. That being said, I’ve received my fair share of advice from the blogging world; most people suggest that shorter chunks of text stringed together and adding pictures are a good way to draw people in. It helps break up a wall of text, but it certainly isn’t a make-or-break thing. If you like how you post, keep doing it just the way you are.

      If you’re looking for a new blog to check out, I’m over at https://aptlyashlyn.wordpress.com/

      Happy writing!

      Liked by 4 people

    2. Hi, I read your post and it was very eloquent. There is certainly nothing wrong with your writing. I noticed that you still have a generic first blog post up. If it’s not in use you may wish to delete. Also other bloggers swear by filling in the About section. I only have a small amount of info there – and even then only added another sentence or two last week!
      Interacting with other bloggers like today helps gain more followers, and also sharing on social media. Using categories and tags on your work helps your posts be identified through internet searches.
      I hope this helps and my sincere condolences on losing your daughter.

      Liked by 3 people

  21. I’d like to invite everyone to come by and check out my poem of the week, “A Sleeping Cat in My Lap.” Poetry people. Cat people. Anyone and everyone’s welcome. Of course, cat people will probably be able to relate this poem. Comments and feedback are always welcome, and please leave them in the comments section of the post page, and click the like button on the post page. If you like what you see, feel free to browse around, and follow along so you don’t miss anything as I post several times a week. Thanks in advance.
    Drew

    A Sleeping Cat in My Lap

    Liked by 4 people

  23. I’d like to invite everyone to come by and check out a photography piece, “Flashback to Spring 2017.” I took this photograph back in the spring on a hike, but never found the right time to post it. As we’ve hit the beginning stages of winter with cold weather and no signs of life, this is a good reminder of what was and what will be. Comments and feedback are always welcome, and please leave them in the comments section of the post page, and click the like button on the post page. If you like what you see, feel free to browse around, and follow along so you don’t miss anything as I post several times a week. Thanks in advance.
    Drew

    Flashback to Spring 2017

    Liked by 5 people

    1. I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of your grandparents. It takes an incredible amount of bravery to write about something so personal, and you definitely have it. The concept of your blog is incredible, and I certainly hope it reaches everyone who needs it. I thought your post was intriguing, genuine, and I very much enjoyed reading it.

      If you’re looking for a new blog to check out, I’m over at https://aptlyashlyn.wordpress.com/

      Happy writing!

      Liked by 3 people

    1. You appear to be doing well. Your blog topic should prove to be very useful to many! The right side of your blog is a bit bare, though. Perhaps you could add a few Widgets to that side. They could help bring some balance to the screen. You can check out my blog to see what I’ve got going on with Widgets, if that will help you.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi there, nice website. It is easy to navigate and the colours are simple but pleasant. It looks like your Art page is empty and your Contact page still has the default text. I recommend updating those pages or removing them from your main menu until you feel they’re ready. Cheers!

      Liked by 4 people

    1. I thought your theme was appealing and fit the style of your blog very well. The colors all fit together nicely, and the home page was easy to navigate. While browsing through, I happened to notice your ‘Contact’ page isn’t filled out. I completely understand some bloggers prefer to not provide contact information, but if that’s something you wanted, you have the tab to do it. I thought your post was absolutely adorable, and I was completely infatuated with the pictures of that puppy. I very much enjoyed reading it!

      If you’re looking for a new blog to check out, I’m over at https://aptlyashlyn.wordpress.com/

      Happy writing!

      Liked by 4 people

      1. Thank you for your encouragement! Thank you for letting me know about my contact page! I will definitely check out your blog! 😊

        Liked by 3 people

      2. Just FYI, your blog’s Contact page is for your readers to put in their info & a short note so they can contact you “directly” without you having to give out your own personal email or phone number. It’s kind of like WordPress has given us an email venue that keeps everybody’s info private. You will receive any reader’s message at the email you have provided to WordPress. Only if you reply back to your reader’s message will they even come close to getting your personal email (not sure of that; they may get a WordPress masked email address). Still, you can write a short paragraph on your Contact page encouraging people to reach out to you through this venue.

        Liked by 2 people

  30. I need supreme motivation to write. After a year, I have come up with a new post. I would like to know as a reader do you connect with the post? Tell me how to not deviate from the topic altogether while writing a post. There are couple of more posts from last year that I have put up, I am up for feedback for them too, please feel free to help! A word of encouragement wouldn’t harm as well!:)

    Be Comfortable

    Liked by 6 people

    1. I completely understand trying to find the motivation to write. Sometimes you just need the creativity to be there and it isn’t! I found that keeping a collective list of post ideas to refer to whenever I’m not feeling inspired helps me. It takes away the pressure of finding something to write, because I’ve already written down things that spark my interest. As for engaging readers, I find that including personal stories is incredibly helpful. It gives them a glimpse of who you are, as well as what you want to say. You seem to already be doing that, so keep it up! In the end, just remember that what you write is a reflection of you, so there isn’t really a wrong way to do it. No matter what, there will be someone out there who connects to your way of thinking, so don’t feel the need to change to fit what you think is “right”. You’re doing great. Like everything else, this just takes a bit of time, patience, and perseverance.

      If you’re looking for a new blog to check out, I’m over at https://aptlyashlyn.wordpress.com/

      Happy writing!

      Liked by 5 people

      1. Hi Ashlyn!
        You are so right – sometimes you just need the creativity to be there and it isn’t. That’s a great idea to keep curating the list of topics on a regular basis to be able to write when you actually want to! Also, I am thinking may be I can start putting down the pointers and the key words that help to connect to the topic faster when I sit to collate the ideas.

        You have a unique style of writing too. I browsed through your blog and loved the post named “Calling in the Chaos”.

        Thanks for the motivation! Looking forward to reading more of your writing!:)

        Happy Writing!

        Like

    2. I checked out your blog, and you weren’t lying! It truly has been nearly a year since your last post. After reading your “Be Comfortable” post, I encourage you to listen to your own advice: be okay with however frequently or infrequently you write. 🙂 Still, if you wish to write more consistently and master staying on track with your topic, here’s a little more advice. First, just write more. Don’t feel obligated to blog; just keep pen & paper (or notepad app) handy and put your thoughts down in written form. Expect that much of what you write everyday will never be seen by anyone else. The goal is to just exercise your writing skill (which should also help you stay focused on topic) and get those creative juices flowing. Then, when it’s time to meet your goal of a monthly blog, you should have a multitude of options to choose from. Just 15 minutes a day should provide you with enough blog seeds to plant & grow at least one blog a month. Credit for this info goes largely to this blog: https://medium.com/the-mission/how-an-experience-journal-fuels-my-daily-writing-habit-2e59ae0513e

      Liked by 4 people

      1. Thank you Raylene for taking out time to run through my blog. I really like the idea of just writing whatsoever. Also, thank you for reminding me that I shouldn’t be all that worked up with the frequency of my writing. I will try to have 15 minutes daily for thinking about what I could write. The blog you shared makes so much sense. Taking small steps, helps. Thanks again!

        Have a good week!:)

        Like

      2. Don’t just think about writing, actually write– write down whatever your thoughts are. The goal is to get a strong connection between your brain and your hand. Lots of people struggle with writing what they are thinking (because it requires more of the brain than just talking does), so you have to practice writing what you’re thinking.

        Liked by 2 people