Aug 8, 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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  1. Hey everyone – hope your week has got off to a good start? I’ve recently updated my about page to include an Intro video on it and I’d love to hear what you think – you can see it here https://steve-says.net/. If you were interested you could also see the adventure behind making the video here https://steve-says.net/2016/08/06/another-day-another-castle/

    Have a great week and I look forward to reading your comments and checking out your blogs!

    Steve

    Liked by 14 people

      1. Thanks James that’s great that you think that and if you need any advice on doing a video then…ask an expert not me haha. Seriously though, if I can help in any way let me know and thanks for following! Finally, if you like music as much as me you might want to take a look at my music blog when you get time – it’s talkaboutpopmusic.net 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      2. It’ll take me ages to get around to even thinking about making a video but if and when I finally do I’ll definitely ask an expert and show them your video as a reference point…
        I do like music so will check out both sites with equal interest…

        Liked by 3 people

      1. I certainly will. I just had a quick look and saw some Swedish posts – was in Sweden in May and did a couple of posts about it so will be keen to read yours. Also, I’m thinking about going to Thailand in February – this must be fate!

        Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you. I’m already looking forward to filming my next one as I don’t want to let it go too long without refreshing it. If you have any suggestions I’d love to hear 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  2. Hello, hope everyone’s having a great Monday! I write poetry and short stories about my thoughts, the world, life, love, and people. Recently, I altered the layout of my blog to contain more posts on the homepage, so readers could discover more of my past writing. I would really appreciate feedback on this new layout!

    And of course, I’d love feedback on my poems and stories! Let me know in the comments which one is your favorite and why

    https://sonderwriter.wordpress.com/

    Liked by 15 people

    2. I really like your blog, such a burst of colour when I clicked on it, after seeing the cherries picture I really want some!

      Liked by 2 people

    7. Big images are always cool, but maybe look for something more cohesive, like having them the same size. Also, maybe include an excerpt from the actual post, since the blog is about poems, the words are more important than random images here, I believe.
      The stories are pretty cool, immediate and in your face, which is nice.
      Keep up with the good work. 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  3. Hey everyone!

    Thank you so much for your feedback from last week- I really appreciate it, and I loved discovering new blogs and bloggers too. I’m back to do it all over again this week, and as always I’m more than happy to check out your blog in return.

    Please let me know if you’re interested in doing guest posts as well- I’ve never tried it before!

    Thanks

    Homepage: https://thatdjentyfool.wordpress.com/

    Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/thatdjentyfool/

    Liked by 11 people

      1. Thanks! 😀 if you already have a Facebook profile (i.e. your own personal account), then if you click the drop down menu where you log out you’ll see a button that says “Create Page”. Hopefully that helps 😀 I’m not sure how to create a page if you don’t already have a Facebook account- might need to google search that one.

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Hey fellow swimmers,

    I decided to write something a bit different this week, moving away from an abstract poem that I normally write towards a more narrative one, specifically about the Vietnam War, inspired by reading The Things They Carried.

    My question is, does it work? Does the rhythm change in the middle fit and how does it make you feel? Check it out below.

    ’67

    Happy to offer feedback to anyone who wants it as well, just holler.

    Thanks,
    Benedict

    Liked by 12 people

    1. Really enjoyed it, I find it easier to follow a narrative personally and really enjoyed reading it. The picture at the end really brings it to life too

      Liked by 2 people

    3. That was an incredible and powerful poem. I enjoyed the narrative style a lot. I think the poem has steady rhythm- very even pace. You timed the ending perfectly. It left me feeling a sense of lost and compassion for the soldiers.

      Liked by 1 person

    5. I liked your poem! for me personally the part from War is hell… has to many ‘ay’ sounds (but then again I could not write such a beautiful poem and don’t know anything about it :P)

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Hey guys, I’ve recently written a post about Buzzfeed and feminism here: https://bluevibesblog.wordpress.com/2016/08/08/buzzfeed-feminism-rant/
    And a little idea for the music enthusiasts here: https://bluevibesblog.wordpress.com/2016/07/22/collaborative-spotify-playlist-community/
    I do rants, talk about music, and life in Mexico. I’ve recently gathered 50 followers already and thought about a Q&A but need people to help me on it. Thank you for your time!

    Liked by 10 people

  10. Hi everyone! I recently restarted my blog. I would love some feedback on my recent entry. I know the one prior was a bit too long but I made an exception due to the content of the entry. I think since I’m starting, shorter entries will grab more the attention of new readers. Please let me know what you think.

    Liked by 9 people

      1. Thank you Steve! I wish there was an in between from the font size I have and the next one available. I think the next one is going to look too big, but I had noticed that the size I currently have may make you squint your eyes to read.

        Liked by 1 person

    3. Looks pretty good. Clean and edgy. I disagree with the comments on the font size and paragraphs. I think the small lettering is cool and trendy and it works for this case. Nice job. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Hey friends! Hope you’re all having fun mixing around here!

    If you are a regular reader of PBIY? Say Hi!!
    How about a High 5 for good luck to us eh? 😉

    So I’m gonna be reviewing sites now and if you want to have your site reviewed? Feel free to respond to this comment and I will check it out as soon as I am able to 😉

    For those who don’t know me, if you check out my blog and leave a comment to this one- I will respond and review to EVERY SINGLE one of you COMMENTER’S BLOG so again, if you want someone to review your content, reply to this comment after checking out my site and leave me a review too while I’m away or reviewing yours for you!

    Quid pro quo, Clarice? 😉

    I promise, I will get to it as soon as I am able to😉

    Till then, stay chirpy you guys!

    Your pal,
    Benjamin
    http://www.projectbiy.com

    Liked by 8 people

      2. Alright Stevie, I’ve checked out bot of your blogs and here are my thoughts.

        Video intro for your site is really cool. I’ve actually been looking to set one up myself but it seems like someone (You!) beat me to it hah! Kudos to that. You and Greg seemed to have fun while filming it so that’s awesome 😉

        Now as for site content, when I went to your first blog “Steve-says”, I was kinda confused after watching the video because your site is really packed with a lot of content and though it was organized, I found it rather overwhelming for some reason. Maybe it’s the way everything is laid out in the “The best blog for” Section. You gotta move your cursor over to the image to see the words slide up.

        Coupled with the fact that I tried clicking on the images and the words in that section but the clicks did nothing- I thought I’d be brought over to your articles which will be related to “Photography”, “Travel” or “Cats” as I click on them y’know?

        But then I saw the tags on the side of the page so it wasn’t a problem for me anymore lol but I thought it was worth a mention since the tag is kinda hard to spot unless you go looking for it.

        It’s pretty evident to me that you’re the creative and more artistically visual type because you used LOTS of photo images and colors in your blog to make it look as vibrant and full of energy like yourself (Awesome btw!) and that’s perhaps the thing thats holding everything together. Keep that up but I must mention something about your video content. Some of them feels kinda pointless lol which I’m sure it’s probably something you do but I’d say try to make every video worth the time of your audience cause personally, I feel that people don’t like having their time wasted and it’s rude to do it anyway. Imagine what if someone else wastes your time as well even if its just a few minutes.

        But these are just my opinion of course. If you feel that you enjoy doing all that you’re currently doing?
        By all means, don’t let me stop you from being who you are! Share that passion of yours with everyone 😉

        Also, it’s obvious what you’re passionate about. The 2 blogs have music sprayed all over them hah!

        In the second blog’s visit, I felt a little more at ease as things are definitely less cluttered or packed there and seemed more organized.

        Content is cool. Definitely spent a lot of time here considering all the songs and rankings etc. Seriously, where are you finding the time for all these lol! Talk about dedication too XD

        So the only bad thing I wanna point out here is that I can’t seem to see the “Like” button anywhere to show you that I’ve read your post… Is it because of the theme or did you turn the function off?

        If it is turned off, I’d recommend you turn it back on because there are busy bloggers who don’t have time to leave comments but sometimes, grab their spare minutes to read blogs and they’d love to let you know they’ve read your work by clicking on “Like” button to do it. I’m one of these bloggers lol hence I’d recommend you to do that so you’d know when people actually do read your stuff too!

        That will definitely keep you motivated to produce more content 😉

        Alright hope that helps bud!

        Your pal,
        Benjamin
        http://www.projectbiy.com

        Liked by 2 people

      3. Fab! Thanks for taking the time to review. I agree with the category photo part – I asked WordPress if there’s a way to get a gallery photo to link to a category but at the moment there’s not:(

        Glad you like the colour and images but maybe if you explain what you mean by too many videos etc?

        Yeah, I’m not sure where I find the time to be honest! As for the like button, yeah I did switch that off. It was a decision I didn’t take lightly but I often felt as if people were liking without reading. It’s a catch 22 situation I guess!

        Thanks again and let me know about that videos and that would be awesome!

        Like

    2. Your blog layout is very clear and concise. I like it. My only critique is that you have some run on sentences, and others that could benefit from simple stuff like commas. So pay attention to that. Otherwise, great blog! =]

      Liked by 4 people

      3. Sweet blog you got there bud! Seriously enjoyed reading the stuff I’ve seen so far 😉

        I truly feel that you got a great personality as a writer and I’d love to know more about you as a person but unfortunately, when I go to the about page, I don’t really get much info about you which I personally think is a pity! You probably got your own reasons to not share much about yourself though so I’ll respect that 😉

        Is it a new blog? Your contents are really great so far btw.

        Your pal,
        Benjamin

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Thanks for the feedback! I technically started the blog about nine months ago, but life happened so I’m only now just getting into it. =]

        Liked by 1 person

      1. Hey bud, I don’t know why but I can’t seem to load your blog at this moment. Maybe it’s my internet?

        Anywho, it’s late for me as well so I’ll check it out tmr and get back to you alright? 😉

        In the mean time, I’d really appreciate it if you do check out my blog in return too!

        Hope to hear from you and look forward to my review tomorrow here!

        Your pal,
        Benjamin
        http://www.projectbiy.com

        Liked by 2 people

      3. Hey bud, nice blog you’ve got there 😉

        Layout is real sleek and clean therefore its easy on the eyes. In fact, I had a wonderful time going through your blog considering the content which I’ll get to later.

        I’ve noticed a few minor missing parts which might help in improving your readers’ experience.
        First, as mentioned in one of the comments (If my memory served me right, someone mentioned it as well before me in your blog lol) you blog doesn’t have menus or “Categories” being laid out for readers to choose from and all they have is either scroll down the homepage or click onto the recent posts.

        My suggestion? Add these to your site:
        1. Categories / A blog tab
        2. Archives Section (Allow readers to read your posts via date selection)

        Aside from these 2, I don’t really see much issue.

        Now content is real good. Your writing has a certain flair to it and I really love the content, as would others in future I’m sure, so keep it up bud!

        Your content can make a difference in people’s lives 😉

        Now if you got any questions or need help with anything, feel free to ask yeah?
        Would love to collaborate with you in future if possible btw. Let me know if you’ll be cool with this too!

        Oh yeah, maybe add a “Contact me” tab to your site as well haha!

        Have a good day/ night 😉

        Your pal,
        Benjamin
        http://www.projectbiy.com

        Liked by 1 person

      4. That’s incredibly helpful, thank you! I will be sure to add some categories and archives. Yeah collaboration sounds great, just contact me. Any guest posts would be good too, as haven’t done that before. Cheers

        Liked by 1 person

      1. Hey Ellie!

        You got a really nice blog going here. Layout is clean and your use of images along with your personality in the form of writing helps express your thoughts really nicely and btw, I really love your personality so keep doing whatever you’re doing so far. It’ll go well in the long run for sure 😉

        Just a note though, perhaps it’s because the blog is new so it’s not up yet but don’t forget to include an “About” page so that your readers will know who they are “Listening” to!

        Most visitors of a new blog head on over to this page first so it’s a crucial one 😉

        Overall, I’d say from the way things are going, you should be getting quite a number of following if you keep things up.

        Just curious now, is this your first time blogging?

        Your pal,
        Benjamin
        http://www.projectbiy.com

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Hey,
        Thank you so much for checking out my blog and for your honest feedback. And to be honest, I haven’t really put much thought into an about page yet…whoops…but I’ll definitely think about including it, thanks for the tip!
        And to answer your question, yes, this is indeed my first time blogging (:

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Oooh then I gotta say that you got a knack for it! You seem to know your way around the WP interface lol!

        Do you study Programming or something that’s related to site building perhaps??

        Your pal,
        Benjamin

        Liked by 1 person

      1. Hey Yasmin, just gone through your blog and here are my thoughts 🙂

        First, the layout is clean and organized so thats good! Images used- they make sense in posts that addresses certain issues and that helps in illustrating an even clearer image for readers.

        I don’t spot anything missing. I do feel, however, that if you add a picture of yourself somewhere, it might add on in the area of connecting with your readers.

        As a Psychology Major, I’m sure you know why this will help, yeah? 😉
        But of course, it’s not necessary. It’s just a suggestion!

        I see that you’re working in the line of clinical psychology. Is that why your theme is mainly white? To give sort of a soothing feel that one would expect when perhaps, looking at a doctor or nurse in a hospital? XD

        Your pal,
        Benjamin
        http://www.projectbiy.com

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Sweet stuff. As a fellow writer, I can definitely appreciate this. One thing that might help would be if you had some links to your writing–maybe your writing blog, portfolio, books, or so on. It’s just nice to see that the person who is giving us writing advice is a solid writer himself, yanno?

      Liked by 1 person

    1. I love the logo and it’s great you have a nice background picture showing off the location. Maybe you might want to get a sharper image as it looks a bit blurred on the screen just now. Hope that helps?

      Liked by 3 people

  16. Hi fellow bloggers! I’ve started on a story titled “Two Skies, One Love.” It’s about a singer (Haneul) with an alias (Chun) who falls in love with a normal high school student (Eun-kyung) who doesn’t know about his secret. I hope you’ll show interest and comment! Here is an excerpt:

    “I can’t believe I’m feeling jealous of myself,” Haneul muttered, bitterly.
    Manager Song sat down next to him. “You should just tell her that you are Chun.”
    “I can’t!” Haneul slammed a hand down on the coffee table, agitation in his voice. “I can’t! She says she likes me, no, Chun, because he’s thoughtful! Because he’s honest! Her image of Chun will crash when she finds out the truth. She’ll hate me for sure. Both sides of me.” His voice caught on the last two sentences.

    Liked by 8 people

    1. I like your blog layout! It’s nice.

      That except is a just a tab bit clunky. I haven’t read your other writing yet, but based on this I would say to work on your flow and your punctuation. For example, you don’t need a comma between ‘muttered’ and ‘bitterly.’ And then with things like “You should just tell her that you are Chun.” The reader knows he’s Chun, yeah? so it might flow better if you just said something more like “You should just tell her who are you.” Yeah? Yeah.

      I’ll check out your blog, too! =]

      Liked by 3 people

    2. Fantastic blog – is this still for a class? If not, I suggest starting a new site that isn’t attached to the university. You’re highly eloquent, and if you don’t have to publish for assignments, you should post for yourself and own your words. 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

      1. It is no longer for a class (though I still have a year left, I might need it for one), but it also is my current online portfolio and I divorced it from my school email, so I’m not going to lose access to it. It’s just run through their server. Thank you for your feedback! 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Indeed, though I won’t deny their servers gave me some technical difficulty when I had my class blog… 😛

        One more thought – look into whether you or the university owns the content on your blog since it’s their server and was class-related…if I recall correctly, Tech owns student-produced research. No idea how that goes for blogs.

        Liked by 3 people

    5. Absolutely beautiful writings! The poem and the other writings. Keep it up! Looking forward to reading more. If you have time, check my blog out at confidentadventurer.wordpress.com

      Liked by 1 person

  21. Big dreams and little things can throw us for a loop. Sometimes we overestimate their value and other times don’t give them enough. Check out my blog for all sorts of good ideas and worthwhile activities to defy who you are and discover who you can become. Latest post linked below. Thank you so much and if you enjoy or get anything out of it please don’t hesitate to like, comment, follow, and share on facebook or other social media! I truly appreciate it!
    https://creatingkings.com/2016/08/08/dreamscape-2inner-demons-outer-fear/

    Liked by 7 people

    1. I loved your blog. So real and honest. You got a follow out of me. I like to read the personal blogs. The post about how change changed me really spoke to me.

      Liked by 2 people

    2. It’s a very well-written blog overall, introspective but not too heavy. You don’t sound like you’re torturing yourself and displaying your anguish (which, even if real, is *very* hard to read and makes people uncomfortable), which makes your writing and you yourself accessible.

      Liked by 2 people

    4. I enjoyed reading your posts and I really like the look of your blog and your statements of purpose. I do have a few suggestions. 1) Add a “Recent Posts” widget so that we can easily see your list of new posts. It makes it easier to find them. 2) I had trouble finding the page that has the ongoing series of posts. Usually it is on the Home page but your home page was something else. I finally found what I was looking for listed under the Blog page. I hope other people can find it.

      Welcome to the WordPress community. I expect, from what I’ve read, that you will enjoy it as much as I do. This is a very supportive place!

      Liked by 1 person

      2. There will be other widgets you will probably want as well. They really add to a blog, as long as there aren’t so many that it starts to look cluttered. It is helpful to look at other blogs to see what you like.

        Liked by 1 person