Feb 12, 2018 / 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.

Show Comments

1,774 Comments

Comments are closed.

Close Comments

Comments

    1. Looks like you’re a triple threat: photos, writing style, and layout. All wonderful! Really, for new bloggers, this “pool” is a great place to start. Just jump in and engage with others–you’ll find followers. Like me! Looking forward to what comes next. My blog is a reading/writing/reviewing blog centered on the literature of the U.S. Rust Belt–but I think there’s a little something for everyone. One of my latest posts: https://rustbeltgirlblog.wordpress.com/2018/02/09/for-the-love-of-dog/

      Liked by 6 people

      1. Thank you!! I appreciate your comment and I also checked out your latest post. Loved what I saw. I think most people crave goodness and positivity in the world, so thank you for sharing that.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi!
      Your blog looks great! But, I noticed that you don’t have an ‘About’ page. I would suggest you to add the ‘About’ page. You can give your introduction in the page and also let the readers know what your blog aims at. Having an ‘About’ page would help the visitors understand your blog better!
      Happy blogging!🍀

      Liked by 2 people

      2. It’s quite simple. All you have to do is go to the ‘My Site’ section and click on ‘Add’ button next to ‘Pages’. There you can add new pages. Just give a title to the page and add the content and you’re done!

        Here’s the link to the post where the how-to of adding pages is given:
        https://wordpress.com/support/pages/

        Hope this helps!

        Like

      1. Yes, I’m sorry if they conveyed the message that I had other social media profiles. I don’t.
        I was just lazy so I didn’t remove the icons , sorry. 😂
        But thanks for checking it out! 😊💜

        Like

    1. That’s a huge accomplishment to get your first blog post out. Congrats. Also… your plan to post three times a week sounds like a solid way to establish a blogging habit and build a great blog. Good luck!

      Liked by 5 people

    4. I agree with the others, your post is fine the way it is because it’s not too long. Another option to consider if you don’t like just piling the images at the end is to use a gallery or carousel so less space is used.

      Liked by 1 person

    3. I can relate on a very visceral level to much of what you say. I also have sustained a traumatic brain injury as well as PTSD and related medical conditions. Thank you for your vulnerability. I’m sending you and your family all of my love and encouragement for healing.

      Liked by 1 person

  18. Hello! It has been awhile since I have posted in the Pool! My blogging has been a bit spotty lately….however I recently wrote a short poem on what it is like to suffer from depression and insomnia. Would love for you to check it out. Feedback always appreciated.

    My Soul (A Poem)

    Liked by 14 people

    1. I liked it. And I sort of got the feeling like Yoda was the narrator of this poem, maybe because of the speech figures that you’ve used.
      I also write poems. Do chk out my blog if you feel like it. Would love a fellow poet’s feedback

      Liked by 1 person

  20. Hello everyone! I am new to blogging, like wee-naked-baby new. I have a few flash fictions, up and would love some feedback on them. I am also hoping I can get a little advice on setting up my blog because I have never had one before, and it is all quite confusing. Short Story/Flash Fictions:

    http://nicoledarkwrites.com/2018/02/12/prompt-captian-obvious-shows-up-whenever-his-name-is-called

    https://nicoledarkwrites.com/2018/02/11/ocean-funeral-flashfiction/

    https://nicoledarkwrites.com/2018/02/11/facing-death/

    Thanks and happy blogging!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi!
      You have a nice blog! However, when I was going through it, I felt like there needed to be a ‘Menu’ where all your pages or maybe top posts and stuff was linked. Although you do have the search option below but, I would still recommend you to add a menu!
      Happy blogging!🍀

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Firstly, it’s good to share the URL of the post you’d like us to read. It is so much easier to click on that and then I don’t lose my place in the thread when trying to give you feedback. And then share the love and read and comment on a few other blogs. 🙂 I’ve found engaging with other bloggers really helps send traffic to your blog.
      Secondly, you can add your social media links to your blog depending on your social followers you can gain a lot of traction with that. Depending on your theme you may find a group on Facebook that you share in. My Twitter feed is rubbish to be honest, but then it’s mostly anonymous.
      Thirdly, use tags and categories up to a max of 15 combined and these help search engines find your posts. Think about titles, I’ve a couple that are regularly picked up by search engines 3-4 times a week and I’m convinced that I’ve inadvertently chosen the search terms that people use for my title.
      Hope this helps. 🙂

      Liked by 4 people

    4. Right off the bat, amazing blog name! Creative otter teddy-bear name, like wow 10/10, and your dog’s really pretty, love a good doggo picture, so thanks for that! This is one promising beginning, don’t forget to check in on the First Friday threads too, good-luck, keep the blogging going. Great stuff!

      Like

  28. Hi there, fellow bloggers and readers!

    My latest post is the first in a series about my Podfest experience. Please check it out:

    https://infranc.wordpress.com/2018/02/11/podfest-2018-part-1-before-the-message/

    I have a question in regards to user interface. I shared my blog with some friends that don’t have a WordPress themselves, and they found it hard to find the subscribe via email area. Does anyone know how I can improve UI? I’m not quite computer savvy, so does anyone know of a better theme that may help me accomplish this?

    Thanks for your help!

    Liked by 15 people

    1. You should customise your theme. Add a widget “email follow” in the appearance option. You can change the theme if this one doesn’t help your interface. This all can be done on mobile browser like Google Chrome.
      I also use mobile for blogging. You can check out my blog. If you like the layout, I would be more than happy to help you out customising the blog.
      Happy blogging!

      Liked by 4 people

    2. Good question. Some people I have shared it with say the same thing. I don’t know the answer to it. I do notice that different themes on WordPress show it better than others. If I find an answer I will share it with you. – Robert

      Liked by 5 people

    3. You have an interesting blog theme in which the little file folder icon reveals the subscribe area. I don’t know if a file folder is a good symbol for that, hence why people may miss it. If you can’t change this in the settings, perhaps try a new theme.

      Liked by 1 person