Jul 18, 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? 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).

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  • 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!
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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.

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    1. Hi Michelle, your site looks great. I like the use of images, they are relevant to your topics. I really enjoyed your post to college freshman. I agree with your advice. I tried to comment on that piece, but couldn’t find where I could comment (could be a problem on my end).

      Liked by 1 person

    6. Very nice website, like the theme indeed it grabs the attention with the small pictures. Something I need to master. Very interesting post on money.My next step is a few more viewers.

      Like

    1. Just checked out a few posts 🙂 Nice post length, nice pairing of images with text! I especially loved the picture with your most recent post. I think it’s really cool that you’ve got your poem in two languages — I wish I could do that!

      Would you be willing to check out one of my posts? Click my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 6 people

    1. I really like the fields post! 🙂 My suggestion: maybe move the picture up into the text to break up the words a bit more. Or, if you like that picture at the end, maybe add another to the middle. Blogging is a very visual mode of communication, and as a reader, I want to see more of the field that brings back so many memories for you!

      Would you be willing to check out one of my posts? Click my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

    3. ‘Scattered’ seems like an interesting concept; would you consider elaborating (not that much, let’s keep it scattered indeed) on maybe one or two of the big ones? Or just go ping yourself (like when you’re talking about Beyonce; you posted on it, after all).

      Liked by 1 person

      2. Thank you so much for checking out my blog. If you have an urge to write, then you probably have a story that’s walking around in your head. Whether it’s your own personal story or fiction, I hope you write it and share it one day. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

    1. intersting blog I need to look again it has a lot of stuff. i am not a comic person but I am attracted to your blog your title of the blog intriges me too. see u in the blogoshere 🙂 blessiings

      Liked by 4 people

    1. Just commented. Love it! I knew I followed you for a reason 🙂 You’re hilarious, and you hit on a topic that’s very true. My advice: add images? I know this would be a really tough post to add images on, but images tend to make posts more popular.

      Would you be willing to check out one of my posts? Click my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 5 people

      1. Thank you so much, Natalie! I did have a few images in mind, but then I decided not to add them. I found images (I guess they are computer generated) of humans without skin, which might have been disturbing to some people. I found a lot of fun, skeletal ones, but couldn’t decide which one should go up! I did think of adding the image of a celebrity cosmetic-surgery-gone-bad, but it’s cheap to laugh at a famous person, especially when they went through the procedure to maintain a career. Images certainly help a post, but I do want to make it a safe, inoffensive read for people. Thank you again for reading.

        Like

      1. I explained at the beginning of the post. It’s to do with having to take a lot of oral and topical medication for acne (even when it’s not a severe case) and feeling relieved that at least your other organs, i.e. besides your skin, don’t need to be pretty!

        Like

    2. Your best bet is to go to the theme section and preview each of the free ones (you can filter them) and then decide which you prefer, themes are a very personal choice, what one person may love, you may hate.

      Liked by 5 people

      2. I chose my theme by doing exactly what Moi said — checking out the free ones. If you’d like to see one in action, click on my name and look at mine. I use Hemingway Rewritten, with some modifications of my own 🙂 Good luck choosing!

        Liked by 2 people

    3. If you come across someone’s theme that you want for your blog there’s a really easy way to find it. You know how if you scroll upwards on someone’s page that “follow” button pops up in the bottom right corner? If you click on the three dots a menu pops up with the option to “get theme.” It then takes you to the theme’s page and has an option to activate or demo it. So, if you come across a text-based blog and you like their theme you can nab it.

      Liked by 3 people

  7. Hi,
    I am Jan. I write about different things ranging from socially conscious posts to wedding ideas. Do check my blog out and follow if you find it interesting. I will check yours out as well. This is my latest post -https://jansdoodlesv3.wordpress.com/2016/06/27/the-married-name-conundrum/

    Liked by 6 people

    1. That really is a conundrum! Just commented 🙂 Nice post, great content, great sense of humor, good post length. My advice: maybe add an image or two? Posts with images tend to do better than those without, and blogging is a very visual medium.

      Would you be willing to check out one of my posts? Click my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Hey Natalie, thanks so much for checking out my blog and commenting. I used to add pictures in posts. This was one of those quick posts. Off to your blog 🙂

        Like

  8. Hi All

    I am looking for feedback on my blog re the content. Can you relate to the posts? what are your thoughts on the music posts (as I tend not to get much interaction on this)? do the links at the top draw you in, or would you ignore them? any feedback critical (constructive only) or praiseworthy would be appreciated.

    Thanks

    Blog is https://habitatforheavyhearts.wordpress.com

    Liked by 8 people

    1. The images you use are absolutely breathtaking! I couldn’t stop scrolling your homepage just to look at all of them 🙂 Being able to choose an appealing image is a great skill! You pair your images well with your text, which is also great!

      I like your writing but you use a lot of filter verbs (I saw, I heard, etc.) Example: “I opened my eyes to survey my surroundings for the umpteenth time […]” This sentence doesn’t actually say much. What are you surveying – trees, paths, the ground, etc? Obviously this sentence builds on the image you included, but I think it could be stronger if you simply tell your readers what you’re surveying: ex: I study my prints in the soft dirt. Which way had I come from? (or something 🙂 )

      Would you be willing to check out one of my posts? Click my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Hi Natalie, Thanks for your comments, I am sure that I use those “filter” verbs on a lot of posts, what post was the example you gave so i can go back and read it again, Ill also try to alter that behaviour.

        Ill take a look at one of your posts once I am home from work, I am just about to leave.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Hi Natalie, I re-wrote that post. When I re-read it I found quite a few bits that didn’t seem to feel write so I got rid of a bit of “fluff” but hopefully kept the essence.

        If you could take another look and let me know that would be great?

        ABSOLUTE SILENCE

        Liked by 1 person

    2. I really enjoy your music picks for July and how they ask one to slow down and notice the minutiae of life. The track about the snail is particularly a beautiful journey. I like how you share a little thought about the piece but you leave plenty of room for the listener to explore his own interpretation. Well done and thank you for sharing.

      Liked by 3 people

    3. I LOVE your photos! You wanted some feedback on the links at the top, so here it goes… I think the layout is really good but having a page called “writing” and another one called “words” can be a bit confusing. The same goes for “about” and “who is her?” (even though “who is her” isn’t really about you, it’s still confusing).
      Hope that helps 🙂 Your instagram photos are amazing by the way!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Hi, Thanks for the feedback. Both are valid points. I am not sure how to solve the writing/words one. Writing is very short fictional stuff and words are literally that, the meaning of words that I find and quotes etc, I’ll have a think about what I can call them instead.

        About and Who Is Her? I can absolutely see how that is confusing; I may just hide the who is her? Page as I want to keep the page, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be linked.

        Thanks

        Liked by 1 person

    1. No audio on my computer, so I can’t check out the vlog, but I did look your site over. I like your theme, everything is well-organized, good use of images, etc. 🙂 My one suggestion: on the page “My Bird List”, the header image is cut off and just shows the neck and partial torso. Might be a good idea to change the image to shot where readers can better see the bird? Up to you, though.

      Would you be willing to check out one of my posts? Click my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

    1. Hi there. Your poetry is very powerful and you have a great way with words. My only suggestion would be to check the spacing on your commas and other punctuation so that it’s grammatically correct. Otherwise, good blog!

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Hi Natalie,

      The picture grabbed my attention much more than your copy. Nothing wrong with the copy, its just that the picture is more intriguing. Have you thought about putting the picture before your copy?

      Keep up the good work!

      Liked by 1 person

      2. Just read through your blog. I love the image you used in your recent post about creating your own door. The clarity in color in that image drew me to that post the most, even though I felt I could relate to a bunch of your other posts as well. I guess the moral is: images make a huge difference 🙂

        Like

    3. Hi Natalie

      As promised…

      OK, looking at your blog in general, I like the layout, clean, easy to read and the header image is fresh and inviting. Looking at your about page, I like that it is not actually called “about” 🙂 even though I know the one on my page is (I may change that), I see that you’re a writer and editor so I don’t foresee any issues whatsoever in the content, but let me choose a post…

      Life Lessons from a Hiatus

      A good post, one I could learn from for sure in terms of stepping back and re-evaluating what is important and also about plugging away at something so much that it becomes a chore and you forget that it is supposed to be fun.

      The only thing I could really think of was that it seemed to end quite abruptly, I know the piece wasn’t overly short anyway but those last two paragraphs somehow didn’t seem enough, even though they conveyed what you wanted to say. (not sure if that makes sense).

      I am going to go back to that post you mentioned and rewrite it to see if I can do any better.

      Like

      1. Wow! Thanks for the detailed feedback 🙂 Let me know if/when you rewrite it — I don’t mind looking it over again if you need an extra set of eyes!

        Like

  13. Hi everyone-
    I’ve just started a fitness blog and could really use some feedback on the overall content and design.
    While I personally feel as though I’ve been working really hard on making great content, it hasn’t been receiving the traffic I was hoping for.
    carachomeyfitlife.wordpress.com

    Liked by 6 people

    1. Hi, I will go and check out the posts on your site. Regarding site traffic, I guess it can be a slow process, I would suggest finding opportunities to promote in the WP community (like this), getting interested in other peoples work, utilising other social media such as twitter and facebook and if you have people in the real world interested sharing it with them.

      I would also suggest looking things to help generate traffic such as SEO (Search engine optimisation) and also capatilising on current events to help drive traffic.

      Liked by 4 people

      1. Thank you so much for your input- I appreciate you taking the time to suggest a few methods to help drive traffic. I also really love your idea of capatilising on current events; while I do not write about issues in the news, I can definitely find some fitness driven events in my community to talk about.

        Thanks again,
        Cara

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Excellent – I think there are things in the fitness world that get discussed as big events in there own communities, but then there are also things that become mainstream news (such as the protein world saga last year which I am sure you would have your personal perspective on 🙂 ).

        I have noticed you have an Instagram which you can capitilise on. And as a fitness model you have the advantage that you can tie your work to promote your blog.

        I would also suggest going into all your posts and selecting the read more tag so that visitors can click on post they are interested in.

        This has two benefits 1) It will make your home blog page more concise.
        2) It will increase page views as currently all your work is on your blog home page.

        If you need any further advice or help just let me know.

        Liked by 5 people

    3. Ok – final one from me. Content wise, I think the stuff you post is very informative and interesting and you come off as very knowledgeable on your subject! I have subscribed and look forward to seeing more from you 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Thank you SO much for all of your input and taking the time to go through my posts. I actually had no idea the “read more” tag existed, and was wondering how to clean up that blog page! I’m hoping to put your considerations to good use 🙂

        Liked by 4 people

    4. Question: what does your title mean? Is it your name? If yes, maybe add a space between cara and chomey. And maybe add spaces between fit and life, too! That way, it will be easier for readers to understand at first glance 🙂

      Would you be willing to check out one of my posts? Click my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Like

  15. Hello everyone! I fell ill with a bad throat infection and couldn’t write for so long! There are a lot of things happening in the world right now,many terrible terrible things to the nicest people.My new post is dedicated to all of them,the victims and is a personal insight on how I look at loss.I talk about my own brush with the negativity of the world and the lessons I learnt and am trying to offer everyone who has lost their everything one thing.Hope.
    It’s very different from my usual style and longer,as this one is just too honest and matters to me a lot.
    Have a read and please let me know if I’m even close to successful.
    https://musingsofawhimsicalsoul.wordpress.com

    Liked by 6 people

    2. Just commented. Good content, good post length, love the honesty! My suggestion: add images to your post! This is a tough post to add photos to, but it will help break up the text a little. Posts with photos tend to do better than those without!

      Would you be willing to check out one of my posts? Click my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Just commented. I enjoyed the sofa tag… in fact, I wanted to see a photo of it! Posts with images tend to do better than those without, so I recommend adding images to your post anyway 🙂

      Would you be willing to check out one of my posts? Click my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Good use of humor, good use of images, good post length 🙂 Keep up the good work!

      Would you be willing to check out one of my posts? Click my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Great post 🙂 My one suggestion: maybe add some images. Not sure what you would add, but right now, you have a lot of text, and a few images would break up all those words. Blogging is a visual medium and well-chosen images can only add to your post.

      Would you be willing to check out one of my posts? Click my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thanks! Insightful. I’ve noticed how some people use images really well in their posts. I have not quite gotten the knack for selecting relevant images.

        Absolutely, I look forward to reading your posts!!!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Images are tough. Try searching a website like flickr with the search filter “Creative Commons.” These images are free to use as long as you credit the user who posted them.
        And thanks! That’s very nice 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Nice content, good use of images, good post length. Rock on 🙂

      Would you be willing to check out one of my posts? Click my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Your blog is awesome! I recently bought a book titled “Start with why”, and while it is a little different in tone, I definitely dig the thinking behind it! Would love to write a guest post on your blog sometime, or do a Q&A or something, as you have many more followers on your blog than I do on mine.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Definitely! Let’s stay in touch 🙂 I’ve followed you to make connecting in the future easier. I think our blogs would work well together!

        Like

      1. I’m so sorry for the trouble. If you’re on the homepage please click on the menu and search my posts. They are by the names : Secret Wishes, Him, Truth, Life has it all balanced, Dark Nights and Quotes challenge.

        Liked by 2 people

    1. Good use of humor, good use of images, good content. Awesome 🙂 Just commented!

      Would you be willing to check out one of my posts? Click my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Hi Natalie, thanks for reading! I really like the gender focus of your blog, definitely food for thought! I liked the one on gender and cussing – I’ve always thought that about calling women a ‘bitch’, it literally just means female, so why is it even a cuss?

        I can see why you’re nominated for so much 🙂

        Like

    2. I’m so glad I found this comment. Love the blog, think it’s a great idea asnd nice to find some more twenty something bloggers! Really good post, well written and argued and very humorous 🙂 I followed. Will binge on the posts later!

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thanks so much Stella! I like how you’ve divided your blogs up into two themes, it give clarity (I think ours is a bit of a jungle sometimes lol) – you make me miss being a student!

        Liked by 1 person

      1. Wow, you’re blog is so deep! It’s very emotionally raw and real, I like the fact that you’re not afraid to put how you feel out there. Braver than you think!

        Liked by 1 person

  25. Greetings WP’ers!

    Hope you are all having a fantastic bloggy week filled with likes, shares, comments and followers 🙂

    Today I’d like to share a post I wrote after our recent holiday. I learnt that no matter how much you read up on a place and how prepared you think you are, sometimes a destination can take you totally by surprise. In this post I dispel some of the myths surrounding the beautiful city of Paris…

    Fact or Fiction – A rundown on Parisian preconceptions

    I would love to hear your opinions on the post and any suggestions for improvement. All constructive feedback is welcome 🙂

    Have a great day!
    Diya

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Nice post! Good content, good post length, good images. My suggestion: maybe add photos at the bottom, where your fact or fiction section is! 🙂 I know that’s hard to do if you don’t have any photos of Paris at 11pm, or images of the dirty streets (ick!). But images like those might help break up the text in the second half of the post.

      Would you be willing to check out one of my posts? Click my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you so much Natalie! That is a very good point. Will make a note of it for the future 🙂

        And I will be paying your blog a visit soon. Lay out some milk and cookies for me, won’t you? 😛

        Liked by 1 person

    2. I think it’s fine 🙂 It’s nice to read about someone who has worked hard and succeeded! So congratulations!

      Would you be willing to check out one of my posts? Click my name and choose whichever one appeals to you most 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you! I checked out your post Orlando, and I really liked it. I like that it’s concise and stays on the point which leads to delivering your message with maximum punch.
        I agree that hatred can not solve anything and that kindness and love can change the world.

        Like

    4. Posts like this are very honest and heartfelt. I think readers will definitely appreciate more of them 🙂 There’s actually a trend here on WP where people will make posts like this (something that gives little updates about life) and call it “Weekend coffee share.” There’s a whole tag for it too, b/c a lot of people participate in these weekly life updates. Maybe if you do more of these letters in the future, you could post as part of a weekend coffee share to get more exposure?

      Liked by 2 people

  27. Hello friends,
    I am new to the world of blogging, and I’m just loving it because of your such overwhelming support!
    I jut wanted to express my thanks to all those who are the part of this community…
    If you like, check out my blog!
    Goodbye and thanks again.
    Have a wonderful day!

    Liked by 6 people

  28. Good day blogging friends Namaste to u to Kunal Thakore. I have a blog actually 3 blogs but the one I spend most of my time on is blogging my memoir I would love for you all the check it out. It is a work in progress (wip) i will be giving away chapbooks and such with sampling of writings.
    https://rosaryandredsox.com/ here u go u are in for a treat. blessings donna marie

    Liked by 3 people

    2. This may be a basic thing, but I do like the organization of your blog. The reader can jump between major topics without too much of a hassle since “travel” and “skin care” really only overlap in a limited number of ways (like maybe an ‘onsen’ in Japan?)

      Liked by 2 people

      2. i love your blog the structure fits u i think and the theme is great. i like my theme but i am a writer and think i could do better. ? i have for all here. keep blogging.

        Like

      1. I did check it out! It’s nice and organized which is nice! Although may just be my preference but the pink background kind of makes it hard focus for me. Hopefully that helps!

        Liked by 1 person