Jan 22, 2018 / Community Pool

Community Pool

Where WordPress bloggers support each other with feedback and advice.

The Community Pool is now five years old! To everyone who’s helped it grow and become such a thriving, friendly space for our blogging community: thank you!

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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  1. I’m glad to be here for the 5th anniversary. Granted, I’ve been on WordPress for less than a month so I have no memories of how the community pool has grown, but I hope to still be around for the 10th anniversary.

    If anyone is at all interested, I’d very much appreciate if they could check out my blog. I have six posts so far which I’d love for people to read, but I appreciate that may not happen so I’ll be linking my latest post.
    http://tifftakestheworld.com/2018/01/22/being-kind-to-yourself/

    Heres to many more years!

    Liked by 13 people

    2. Great post! The hardest part about writing/blogging (publically) is getting the courage to start. It is fantastic that you are writing for you and people similar to you rather than for the general masses. This is how original and creative content is born! Keep it up (:

      Liked by 2 people

  5. Hey there bloggers, It’s been awhile! For the first time my son went into my site, didn’t say much about the content but did say, “I was looking for…and it would have been easier to….” “You need a link here” and ‘it would be better if….” I spent the next week making changes because, I guess, I have built my site based only on how I would use it. Fresh eyes are useful, maybe get someone you know to spend a bit of time wandering through your site for you to see what they see. Just a thought. Happy writing. https://crowdedmind.co/ always looking for ways to improve so would love any feedback.

    Liked by 11 people

    1. Your site looks great to me and your content is really good too! My mom has a blog and I do the same thing to her that your son did to you. It’s because we love our moms!

      Liked by 3 people

  6. Hey! I’ve recently started a new travel blog called the potteringpanda.wordpress.com.

    Hoping for any feedback on the site or any of my posts as I am struggling to get followers at the moment.

    I am posting my favourite one here incase it is of interest to anyone!

    New York City

    Happy to comment back on others blogs!

    Liked by 13 people

    2. I like the photos – have you linked your IG account with your page? I didn’t see it. But I think perhaps that’s how you can gain followers as well. Best of luck!!

      Liked by 2 people

    3. Hi Sophie,

      I like the look of your site. Just about to have a read on some content!
      It’s a slow process gaining followers, but make sure you pop in here and promote your new posts and interact with other blogs on here.

      Good luck!

      Liked by 2 people

    4. Great blog! The pictures along with your text make it easy to get a good sense of what you are talking about. One word of advice, try condensing your menu bar into one row, if possible. This will help with organization and ease of use for anyone reading your blog.

      Liked by 2 people

    5. You have a wonderful site, I will travel virtually with you on occasions. Like you NY was not my favorite City, I think I hyped it up before I got there. Where are you off to next?

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thank you so much – really appreciate it! Haha I’m glad someone agrees, not many people do! I much prefer London. Prague in February! Are you going anywhere soon?

        I still have lots of posts from old holidays to write up so trying to jot notes down and finalise the photos for one a week! X

        Liked by 1 person

    10. Your site looks good. I like your layout and your photos are awesome. I have a weakness for travel blogs so I followed for more. Can’t wait to see where you go next!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you!! I’m in Prague in February next but I literally have a stack of about 30 blog posts to catch up on so lots more to come even before then! Thank you for following! X

        Like

  8. Happy Birthday to the Community Pool and its avid swimmers!

    New in 2018, this Rust Belt Girl is not only reading and writing the Rust Belt but, hopefully, writing it better. For my “writerly advice” posts, I’m collecting some of the best advice I’ve received (and try to apply). My latest: https://rustbeltgirlblog.wordpress.com/2018/01/21/a-bit-of-writerly-advice-7/

    I’m also chronicling my (terrifying) journey into the world of traditional book publishing: https://rustbeltgirlblog.wordpress.com/2018/01/19/hold-up-wait-a-minute-rust-belt-girl-on-ice/

    What do you think of my new “strokes,” swimmers? Happy to check out yours!

    Like

  9. Hello fellow bloggers!
    Below are my recent posts about my experiences trekking in the Everest Region. Nature has given me an incredible insight into the true values of life. How much value does our “stuff” really add to our lives? Would love to hear your thoughts on these topics (as well as any general feedback you can offer in regards to my site). I also write poetry and short stories that provide social commentary on today’s issues. If you write about similar topics, I would love to read your work as well – leave me your links below!

    https://kavarastories.com/2018/01/22/less-is-more/

    Thank you in advance for your feedback!
    Priya

    Liked by 9 people

    4. I love the layout of your blog. You write very well and the images you pick for your posts are great.

      Like

    5. Hi Priya — I noticed you had several comments in the moderation queue; as we explain in the guidelines for the Community Pool, adding more than one link is discouraged, since it sometimes causes our software to automatically suspect it for being spam.

      Like

    1. You obviously are quite qualified!

      The only suggestion I could come up with is maybe move the parts about who you’ve worked for and more of your shorthand of your resume to the top and then have the personal section below that, so people can read more about you personally once they’ve determined they are interested.

      Great stuff!

      Liked by 2 people

  18. Hello everyone.

    Check out my latest post, a poem based on artwork by the genius Belgian Surrealist Rene Magritte. I’ve gone for a Beat poetry vibe in this one, which I’m really into at the moment. Also feel free to follow my blog for all kinds of surrealism- infused arty articles and wacky creative work. I’m going to be adding some surrealist watercolor paintings in the coming weeks too!

    https://surrealistjunkie.wordpress.com/2018/01/22/a-dove-in-flight-poem-based-on-works-by-rene-magritte/

    Liked by 10 people

    3. How awesome! Beat poetry is such a fascinating era and I like the approach you did on your poem. Well done and thanks for the share!! 😃

      Liked by 2 people

      3. Oh definitely! They paved the way for may 1968 I think. I hope we can go back to a time when poetry can have such a massive influence on society! We need a new Homer! XD

        Liked by 2 people

      4. Indeed! Homer influenced my life quite a bit, as did Dante. Poetry has evolved, beautifully I might add; but there’s always something worthwhile when reminiscing about poets of the past….

        Liked by 1 person

  22. Good Morning Everyone.

    My newest article went up today, I would love to hear what you all think of it.

    Monster Hunter World Impressions (PS4)

    In addition, I had no idea where to ask this, I posted on the Daily Post prompt this morning for the first time ever on my other blog. (My main blog Home Button is for gaming stuff only). However, even though I initiated from the prompt itself and did link the pingback didn’t go through and my submission doesn’t show.

    Am I doing something wrong there?

    https://epicdrop.wordpress.com/2018/01/22/quieted-candor/

    Thanks everyone!

    Liked by 6 people

  23. I’m up a mountain in rural Italy with no Wi-Fi and almost nil signal (it only works in the bathroom!)
    I hope you enjoy my latest post and I’ll reply to comments asap. 😊

    historianruby.wordpress.com/2018/01/21/thoughts-o

    Liked by 8 people