Jan 25, 2016 / Community Pool

Community Pool

The place for feedback, advice, and friendly blogging chatter.

Have you just published a new post and are dying for some feedback? Did you recently start your blog and could use some layout or design advice from your more seasoned peers?

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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).

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    1. The photography actually looks great. One thing I noticed with design was that there’s a lot of scrolling involved while looking through the photography page. I don’t know if it’s like this for others, but at least with my Macbook’s trackpad the scrolling is a bit sensitive, so as I go down the page it’s a little hard to smoothly scroll just to the next photo. Maybe they could be arranged such that there’s multiple photos per row with captions attached to each, to reduce the need to scroll? 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Ha!
        That’s a disagreement I’ve been having with the organization’s founder. I’ve wanted to put it all in a slideshow so the page isn’t as long.
        I’ll tell him that it’s two against one now 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

    2. Hi,
      The website looks great. I noticed that when you click on ‘what we do’, it goes to events and coming soon. And if you click on the options below then it is fine. Looks like a noble cause. Good luck!

      Liked by 1 person

    3. It’s a beautiful site! I love how it doesn’t leave any question in the readers mind and it is Soo easily accessible! The pitures are stunning and its a great initiative! Good going! Goodluck!

      Liked by 1 person

    4. Hello “into the mild” I checked out the site and the mathare foundation looks like a nice organization. I know it is a work in progress and when I peeked at it today I noticed the home page was mostly all text! There were a few pics with the headers and then a small collage at the end, but it felt too much like an “about” page rather than a home page (if that makes sense). Also, some of the paragraphs needed some editing – a little choppy and would maybe rewrite the paragraph about the age and background of the students you work with. It is fine as is, but could be cleaned up a bit (only because you asked). Lastly, I think a homepage should have less long writing (repeat a few things – but give us a link for more) and glad you cleaned up having too many pcs to scroll (I read the other comment), but it needed more rich visuals. Also – near the bottom of the home page you could have a “donate now button” and maybe even a video option- or a small slide show with a dozen photos maybe. At this point it felt like the home page was a detailed “about page” and not an introductory overview homepage. 😊

      Liked by 2 people

    7. Normally it’s beautiful and talented young always need assist for a better tomorrow , I strongly supports whatever means African development , specially youths by focusing on today’s Africa . I’d appreciate your blogging habit.

      Liked by 1 person

    8. It’s lovely – simple and clean to navigate, nice images.

      There are a few bits of prose that could be cleaned up – words repeated a couple of times in close succession, maybe a quick proof read would help – I have to get someone else to look at mine as I only see what I think I’ve written not what’s actually there!
      Brilliant – great charity too

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Would you like to make a difference? If the answer is yes, then you can. My name is Mark and I am a new writer about to launch my debut novel. I have been busy piecing together my story for exactly a year now and I have just entered the editing phase. My book is a psychological thriller so if this genre is of interest to you, please do stop by and follow if you can. You would make a new writer extremely happy as I need all the support I can get. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
    Take care, Mark.
    http://www.markdraycott.com

    Liked by 13 people

      1. Hi! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂 it’s great to meet a fellow writer, I’m sure you share my pain! 🙂 hey it’s a great feeling of accomplishment when you reach the end though! Keep going and good luck to you too! Mark

        Liked by 2 people

    3. I published my first poetry book in 2014. It’s a crazy process but an amazing one as well. I will be stopping by you blog page. Good luck during the process. Enjoy all the aspects of it.

      Liked by 4 people

    4. Old, but comfortable habits. Resonates. I shower and dry according to the information in “Cheaper By the Dozen” as this is the most efficient and quickest way. 🙂 But the old habits of word usage is something I needed to change and, for me, using SmartEdit was one of the smartest things I have ever done. My hand almost freezes when I go to write the word ‘just’. ‘Only’ was another word I fell upon too frequently and now try to restrict use to describing someone who has no siblings.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. It sounds like you feel my pain! It is only now that I am editing that I’ve noticed them. Change is a good thing though, remember that! Thank you for stopping by. It is much appreciated. Take care, Mark.

        Liked by 2 people

    7. Hi Mark, fellow writer here! I enjoyed clicking through your site and just subscribed. I am still in the first draft stages of my current novel (last two have been abandoned, essentially), so I can’t empathize with your launching situation quite yet. But I certainly look forward to reading more!

      Charlotte x
      http://girlygeekgirl.com/

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Hi Charlotte! It’s great to hear from a fellow writer. Thanks for stopping by and for following! I have almost finished editing my first draft so I’m not too far off the finishing line. Good luck to you! You will get there and what a feeling to experience. Even finishing a novel is a fantastic achievement. I can’t wait to get get started on my second! One step at a time Mark, one step at a time! Thanks again and do keep in touch, Mark. x

        Liked by 2 people

  5. Hello bloggers..
    My blog is about my expressions. About what I feel, about what I do, what I think life as and it goes on. You may not agree with concepts or you may like it but one thing is for sure that whatever you will read here will touch your heart because what I write is what my heart says.
    So welcome to my blog KNOW YOUR WORLD where you would see a different perspective for the same world at http://www.salorocks.wordpress.com

    Liked by 10 people

    1. Hey! I loved your work. Really heart touching. Specially your work- “acceptance”. It would be great if you could check my work out and maybe we could work on a piece together?

      Liked by 2 people

    1. I loved this! It reminded me of when I was a kid in the early ’00’s and was super bummed out when my favorite song would come on the radio just when I was leaving the house or getting out of the car.. Oh the things I worried about. Now I can just type it into Google and click the first link.

      Liked by 2 people

      2. Hmm, yes and no. I guess everything has two sides, and although I think it’s great that it’s so incredibly easy to communicate with each other nowadays, I also find that there’s a lot of pressure and comparison going on in today’s society, especially on social media. – People compare their lives to what they see on social media and feel insecure because they feel their lives aren’t as fun and adventurous.

        Liked by 3 people

    2. Hello — this is strange! I see you as subscribed to The Daily Post (with email notifications), so you should be receiving all posts from us — including the posts. Do you receive other posts from The Daily Post via email or in the Reader? This will help us figure out if there’s something specific about the prompts that’s gone wrong.

      Like

  12. Hi all, it’s Leisel from geeky food blog Skill Up Skillet! My brain is trying to take a vacation but I was able to host my first guest blogger over the weekend. If you have a moment, why not stop by?

    http://skillupskillet.com/2016/01/23/guest-post-capt-jills-skyrim-beef-stew/

    I’m still in need of guest bloggers. Do you like geek culture, gaming, and/or food? Yes? Then you should check out what I’m looking for in a guest blogger: http://skillupskillet.com/guest-post-for-sus/ Chances are, I’d love to have you! Happy Monday; I’m going to crawl back into my hole now and wait out the rest of my work shift.

    Liked by 6 people

    2. Hello – I agree with jade that the “ongoing disappearance” post was a bit wordy – which is wonderful for a journal or if it is a post that you feel needs the extra details for reasons (because some posts are written to be steak – to be chewed and digested for diverse reasons) but I quickly found myself move into skim mode – and as a reader I was not that engaged even with a meaningful topic (humanity and caring).
      I contrast, the stranger on the plane post, which preceded this post, was something I read every word of – and enjoyed it much! The flow and mostly succinct writing let us share that ride and couple encounter! The interaction shared was so nice. ❤️
      Best wishes –

      Liked by 2 people

  15. I started my blog a year ago. Still a little slow to get followers, but still I write. Is this thing transmitting? Should I tag more? What’s the secret to get followers? Perhaps when the book I always write about, finally gets released, someone will come and find me! Yeah, I know…maybe:)
    Here it is, just in case someone is curious…

    Home

    Liked by 6 people

    1. I am working on cracking the code on followers as well! Your blog looks great; the content is good and the design of the site is simple and draws you in to the content you have posted. I might suggest having a summary or preview for each blog post and then the read has to click to see the full post. It might help you better track the engagement in each post.

      Would love your feedback on my blog if you have a chance! http://www.dramalessfood.com

      Liked by 3 people

      2. I agree with DramalessFood that adding a “Read More” button after a few lines of text is important. Also, make sure you are tagging each post amply and appropriately, if you’re not doing so already. Other than that, I enjoyed the clean, simple layout and easy navigation. Happy blogging!

        Charlotte x
        http://girlygeekgirl.com/

        Liked by 1 person

    2. The trick I THINK to followers in yes tags, yes good content but more importantly – a direct and consistent involvement in the WordPress community. Commenting, liking and following other blogs will allow for your work to be seen and people tend to like returning the favour when you comment on theirs.
      Also – try your hand at guest posting on someone’s blog that has similar content as you. Then you will be viewed by your followers, but also theirs 😉

      Liked by 6 people

    3. Yeah i think all of us are trying to find the magical spell for followers. Unfortunately there isn’t any. You seem to be going great. Try reading blogs which give tips about traffic and try participating in challenges. That gives exposure and follows. I host a challenge every month called The Topic Thingy. Maybe you can check it out!

      Liked by 4 people

    4. Social media always helps, too. It’s a great marketing vehicle, especially if you want to build up a readership for your new book. It may not get you a lot of followers to your site at first, but it will generate traffic, and then more people will know what you’re all about.

      Liked by 1 person

    6. For followers, I think these might help:

      1. Keep on posting great content, true to your blog.
      2. Keep a layout that’s easy to understand
      3. Interact with other bloggers. Appreciate others like you would want them to appreciate your works. The community pool is a great place to start, 🙂
      4. Join other blogging networks, like Bloglovin, etc.

      Liked by 2 people

    7. If I had to guess, personally I think I’ve gotten most of my followers because I went looking for new posts to read and comment on, and in turn they checked out my blog and decided it was worth a follow.
      As far as tags, you use plenty, but maybe try some more general (and popular) ones. I like to refer to this – https://wordpress.com/tags/ to see what’s popular. 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Thank you Jade. I should have taken more time to clarify. Writing is also welcome on the group page. The point of creating the page was to allow creatives to share their work – nearly any type of creative work they have, without feeling as though they were spamming.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Oh my bad. It said painting and drawing when I went in. Thank you for clarifying. I ll hop in there in a bit. That is seriously a great initiative! I would love to join in. Thanks!

        Liked by 3 people

  19. How do we build exposure to unpopular ideas?

    “Words Arranged” is about exploring the unseen, those stories that don’t make the headlines, that lie deep beneath mainstream media, that hide the inner workings of the corporate oligarchy, the Deep State, the Shadow Government, the Power Elite.

    These is not popular, happy posts. This is gritty reality.

    How do we build a following for unpopular content?

    Liked by 2 people

  20. Hey everyone,

    Come check out some sweet photos! It’s the pics I’d like some feedback on this week, actually: we switched from the usual DSLR to a GoPro for most of the travel snaps on the latest post, and I’d like to know – what do you think? Does a much more active series of shots make up for the slightly lower quality? Also – would videos be a good thing to add in, or would they break up the flow too much? Do people use videos often in blogs?

    A sailing adventure (Turkey part 1/2)

    And of course, if you’d like the favour returned just drop a link to yours in a comment below.

    Thanks,
    Alex

    Liked by 6 people

    2. Your pictures are amazing!! I find that I prefer a lower quality/not staged image that makes me experience what you did! Also, I prefer videos to be at the end of blogs- I can’t always watch them while I’m reading it the first time, and it can break it up! Cheers 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    3. Hi Alex – I checked out your post and agree that the photos are amazing – the post seemed to take a while to load – and maybe your images are too big – I think you can use a smaller image and still have it be vibrant in a post – or it might just be that I viewed via mobile. – but it took forever to load and other photo blogs I visit did not.
      And this is just my opinion (because you asked) but I did not think it was missing any video and if a video was there I likely would not have watched. Don’t get me wrong – beautiful trip, but unless your my cousin or close friend – there is only so much I want to know about certain adventure trips –
      Lastly – many of the photos were artsy and original, which I think is a huge plus – the down views and angles in some were extra interesting as well as beautiful. Best wishes in our blogging .

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Hey
        Thanks for the awesome feedback! Super detailed, which is always a great help. Ive actually wondered abut reducing the size of the photos for just that reason – it can take a little to load up on a phone. So will have to try that out for the next one.
        Thanks again

        Liked by 2 people

    3. I’ve found that consistent posting and sharing helps with lax days. Especially if your blog has social media sites. On the days you aren’t posting, share something from your site with your readers through Facebook, Twitter, etc.

      Liked by 2 people

    5. I think I’m at that stage in my blog where the numbers can vary pretty wildly day to day. I keep a very consistent posting schedule with specific content on specific days, so I’ve come to the conclusion that it doesn’t (yet) necessarily have to do with when I’m posting, and more just randomness of my followers’ schedules. At least, that’s what I tell myself for now 🙂

      Happy blogging!
      Charlotte
      http://girlygeekgirl.com/

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Grab your friends email or facebook. Just cause he is leaving dont mean you cant talk with him!! I know the feeling well, but it was worth the time. Ill send a hug to ya hun!! Xx

      Hope you feel better soon. Love how your let your emotions come through. Xx

      Liked by 2 people

  23. Hey,
    I am Ashhar, from Effective Thoughts. In my Blog, you’ll find many types of posts of your interest. There are Articles, Quotation, Food for Thought and Discussion posts. I can assure you that you won’t waste your time in Effective Thoughts.
    Thanks!

    Liked by 4 people

  24. It was suggested that I have an interactive website so that my blog can be read easily on any type f device. OK, I understand the words but have no idea how to go about such a thing. I have never owned anything other than a desktop and a rotary phone (yes I still have my antique wired phone)..so is there a tutorial or an instruction site somewhere geared for ancient, semi-brain-dead people like me?

    Liked by 3 people

      1. i already use the bouquet layout which is listed under the responsive themes. i double checked it and it is the kind of layout you suggested. thanks

        Liked by 2 people

    2. Do you have a link to your blog? I recall trying to find your blog a couple of weeks ago after seeing you comment on one of these community pool posts, but I couldn’t find a link. I assume your page is not hosted by WP?

      Also, and I am trying to word this as sensitively as possible, but have you perhaps considered changing your username? Unless of course bathroom humor is the focus of your blog, in which case it’s perfect. But i take it your name is S Hartline? Given that it’s all in lower case I can’t help but read something much more juvenile/vulgar when I see it. Just a thought in case it’s not intentional. 🙂

      Happy blogging!
      Charlotte x
      http://girlygeekgirl.com/

      Liked by 2 people

      2. Lol the word “shart” is a crass combination of the s-word and fart, used to refer to unintentionally doing the former during the latter.

        When I first read your username I read it phonetically. .. hence the other word!

        As for changing your username, I’m not entirely sure but think the WP admin part of the dashboard would be a start.

        Looking forward to reading your blog!

        Charlotte

        Liked by 2 people

    2. Rick Rolling aside, I happened to notice that you have a lot of comments that look like spam on this post. Just wanted to give you a head’s up! They seem innocuous, but you never know if they’re malicious in this day and age 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    1. I love blogging now as well. I’ve been do it September and my blog consists of poetry, encouragement posts and life experiences. I will definitely check your page out. https//kjwilliamswrites.wordpress.com/ is my blog if you want to check it out.

      Liked by 3 people

    2. I really liked it! Your writing is beautiful. I always enjoy reading poems and so your comment here on the community pool definitely piqued my interest. I always found the visuals you use to enhance my reading experience. Great job 🙂 Keep up the great work!

      Liked by 2 people

    4. Sherina, I am the better for reading your piece! I went to the article because I was curious about why Twitter would even think of more than 140 characters – and you provided such a comprehensive answer. Thx and best wishes

      Liked by 3 people

    5. Hi Sherina! I am happy to have found your blog. Your piece on Twitter was very well written, entertaining, thought provoking, and educational.

      On another note, though, perhaps I am just missing it, but I didn’t see an About button or Menu on your blog. I wanted to check out your blog further but didn’t see how.

      Happy blogging!
      Charlotte x
      http://girlygeekgirl.com/

      Liked by 2 people

    1. I couldnt agree more!!! I too find it rather fustrating that they are offered something that some have dreamed of their whole lives. Its irrating and down right annoying!

      My friend has just published her first book and its such a relief to see someone who wants that career enter it. I hope things go well for you hunnie.
      Btw, love your honest writing style. No beating around the bush. Straight up honesty. Love it!! Xx

      https://seasonalrose.wordpress.com

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Thank you so much! It’s so lovely to hear that your friend has published her first book, I wish her great success. I really appreciate your positive, and encouraging comment so thank you again! 🙂 x

        Liked by 2 people

      3. I agree with kikibeaumont! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this well written, candid post. And I couldn’t agree more with both of you. There are so many hurdles most writers have to pass just to even make it to market — let alone make it big — that it feels unfair to see people skipping the line, especially when writing really isn’t even their passion.

        Charlotte
        http://girlygeekgirl.com/

        Liked by 2 people

      5. Agreed. I actually recall hearing something very similar once about the music industry these days, where the performers who get record deals are those who come into the gate with the most social media followers. I recall Taylor Swift saying something about how she didn’t like that nowadays, musicians get record deals because they’re already social media famous, instead of the other way around. I have to agree with her!

        Liked by 2 people

  30. I would love some feedback – I’ve recently changed my layout and site tagline. Thank you guys so much!! Promise to check out your site too, give feedback or look at whatever you’re working on in return. 🙂

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Hi..
      This may seem elemental but I didn’t see anywhere on the site where you explained what a shaman was. I have vaguely heard of the term but it would be nice to find it..and if it is there..easily. Especially where the Shamanism link is. The first place I looked though was the about me section..which would be the most common place to look. It would open up the understanding of what I am reading and how it differs from what I do or don’t believe in. Other than that the information was very interesting. I saw the link for your journey but that was after I scanned and scanned, but I still didn’t click on it because I felt that your current page didnt give me the simple first question I wondered. I hope this helps.

      Also when I clicked on the About Lee (about me) link I didnt get to your name until further down where I almost didn’t see it (I am a scanner when I am looking for specific info) you probably want to flop the information and pull the about Lee Coleman section to the top and then put the ‘besides being a primary author at the bottom’. It would flow better and give a person looking for an instant connection (your name) gratification enough to continue reading.

      I am definitely going to come back to your site and read for leisure as some things sound interesting..especially the thought of atheists having a belief system..that links them to the rest of us crazies out there…even if they don’t want to admit it.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thanks for all the feedback! You’re right about the ‘About’ pages. I haven’t finished, but am in the process of changing them. Just need to figure out what those changes will finally be! 🙂 I am also drafting a ‘What is Shamanism’ post, which I would link somewhere prominent. I sometimes forget that others haven’t heard so much about it. Really, thanks again for all the feedback, I’ll really take it on board.

        Liked by 1 person

      1. Alas, that’s my theme 😦 It doesn’t have a separate ‘follow’ button and each time I’ve tried to generate one online from the follow button coding page on WP it doesn’t work for me. :’(

        Liked by 1 person