Jan 1, 2018 / Community Pool

Community Pool

Where WordPress bloggers support each other with feedback and advice.

Happy new year! Welcome to the first 2018 edition of the Community Pool. Let’s keep this forum a welcoming, friendly, and productive space — thank you for reading (or re-reading) and respecting our guidelines below. Here’s to another fantastic year of blogging and online camaraderie.

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. Happy New Years fellow blog swimmers! Hope we can connect as I share blogs about things in my life I deal with and work toward overcoming to begin to win more in life! My writings and personal experiances could help you also mive toward winning also!
    Check out my blog at:
    https://momentswithcynthia.wordpress.com
    Like and follow lets make 2018 our year!
    Comment below and let me know your thoughts and how i can follow in return

    Liked by 11 people

  4. Hey everybody!
    Happy New Year!
    Feel free to check out my blog.
    I write poetry, writeups and most of the photography is by me.
    This is my latest post-

    ~ An ode to 2017.

    I will love to know your feedback, so go ahead and check it out, and feel free to give your views!
    Happy blogging, and happy new year once again! :))

    Liked by 9 people

    1. Really nice-looking site and great post. Thankfully, my kids are past the toddler stage! As far as your features, I have to say I always close out those pop-ups asking for a follow–it’s just instinctual! All your other features/layout look great. Well done.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi!
      Happy New Year!

      I loved this post of yours! Most of us are either living the past or the future. Nobody really seems to be concerned about the ‘now’. We all need to know the importance of living in the moment and enjoying the present!
      By this post of yours, I am reminded of one of mine! Here’s the link to it if you would like to check it out:

      Improv- Best For All

      Happy blogging!🌼

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Hi! I like your use of gifs! My advice to you is to stick to one emphasis style because I notice you use italics, bold, and bold italics, and it makes it seem a little busy.
      Happy Blogging!

      Like

  15. Hello one and all, and Happy New Year! 🎉🎈❤️ Here’s to all good vibes and writing goals and everything little thing in between!

    I run a creative writing blog. I post daily about British English vernacular with definitions and original examples. Started the new year out with a new mini series.

    https://britwitblog.wordpress.com

    Hope everyone enjoys! I’m off to the deep end! 💫🌸

    Liked by 10 people

  16. Hello all and a very Happy New Year to you!

    I don’t believe in New Year’s Resolutions but I do enjoy reflecting and inspiring, so I wrote this post if anyone needs some motivation for 2018 or help with goals…enjoy and do share if you like

    All the best for 2018!!!

    Regards

    Nicola

    Liked by 10 people

  18. Hi there! I’m not really sure how to add a link to a comment, but I have some questions anyway.
    So the purpose of my blog is to dispel myths about Christianity and speak to my own frustrations, as well as give advice for various topics. I notice there are a lot of Christian blogs on here, but I haven’t seen one whose posts are quite like mine before (or who are pro-choice, pro-LGBT like I am).
    I guess what I’m asking is, is there any call for a blog like I have out here, or would a different platform be better for me? I really want people, whether Christian or not, to hear what I have to say.
    Also, I know there are general tips and tricks I can find on WordPress, but I’d like to know some specific ones:
    Should I leave my posts open to questions (like ask a question at the end of every post?)
    Similarly, how can I get more reader engagement? How do YOU do it?
    My blog is here: https://fedupchristian.wordpress.com/

    Liked by 6 people

    1. Hi fedupchristian.

      The only advice I can give for getting people to know about your blog. Instead of waiting for people to go to you, make the effort to go to view what other bloggers wrote. That is what the Community Pool is there for.

      Also, are there Christian websites you can go on where you can find people that are similar to you? If there are, you can always just mention that you write about your views of Christianity.

      Life Happening Now

      https://realjoephill25.wordpress.com

      Liked by 8 people

  22. The Jaws of Borrowdale have been called “the loveliest square mile in Lakeland”. In the first half of the twentieth century, a cave on the slopes of Castle Crag was home to Millican Dalton, who quit his job in a London office to become a self-styled “Professor of Adventure”. This post describes a walk up Castle Crag, in which I consider his life, visit his cave and recall a WWI Christmas story that seems to echo his essential message.

    http://www.lakelandwalkingtales.co.uk/millican-dalton-castle-crag/

    Liked by 6 people

    3. I. Absolutely. Loved. This. List!!!! I’m so glad to find another person who has the same reading interests as I do. I tried following you, but for some reason couldn’t…check that out maybe? I wrote a top10 book list as well. Do check it out if you get the time!

      Best Books Of 2017

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Hey! Thanks so much! 😁
        I’m actually have your profile open on my laptop right now. 😉
        I’m not sure why that happened. Could you try hitting follow from the home page? I’m following you right away, so if the home page thing doesn’t work, see if you can follow me through this. 😊😊

        Liked by 1 person

  26. Hey guys! Happy New year, I really hope that this year brings growth, wellness, and peace for all. On my blog, A Dynamic Mentality, I write about things that I’ve noticed in my 20 something years of life. Recently, I wrote about cutting ties with certain people in our lives. if you feel that you are at a crossroads with someone or feel like you and another person have drifted apart, this blog post could give you worthwhile advice and/or help you reach a decision in terms of your relationship with someone regardless of if they are family or not. Feedback on any of my blog posts, in terms of writing style, are greatly appreciated. Here’s a link to my most recent post. Thank you!
    http://adynamicmentality.com/2017/12/28/cutting-ties/

    Liked by 7 people

  27. Hey Guys!
    Firstly, wishing you all a really happy new year! I hope 2018 will be great for y’all.

    Here is a link to my most recent post: https://aestheticgraphy.wordpress.com/2018/01/01/inefficacious/
    I wrote this after I got inspiration from the Daily prompt.

    My blog, AestheticGraphy has a diverse range of content for you to read. From Motivation to Poetry to Lifestyle, there’s everything! It’s my life on a blog, and I hope you’ll like it.

    Follow my blog, if the content pleases you!

    Do leave links of your blog too,so I can check them out!

    Thanks!
    Riya

    Liked by 10 people

  29. New to blogging and just wanted to say “Hi” My focus is inspiring creativity in the kitchen, specifically with beverages. Coffee, tea, cocktails, smoothies, waters, the whole gamut.

    I would love some tips on how you engage your readers in discussions? I tried leaving an opened question on my last post to see what that does, but tips you’d like to share are appreciated. Thanks and Happy Sipping!

    Liked by 7 people

    2. Hello. You have a specialty blog. Keep at it. Your footer needs amending. I use a French press and I absolutely cannot stand flavored coffee. To address your concerns about followers unless you bring your audience with you to WP your follow build up would take time. We all experience that. As I always advise its about reciprocity. Give honest and kind feedback to other bloggers and invite likeminded bloggers personally to to read your posts. If they like what they see they will follow. Good luck.

      Like

    4. Yes – I’ve found that this ‘pool’ works really well – check out other blogs, leave comments / advice and people often reciprocate. I’ve often built readership from posting on social media or sending links to organisations that might be interested in the stuff I’m showing / writing.

      Good luck!

      JB / http://www.dynamicstasis.blog

      Liked by 2 people