Dec 5, 2016 / Community Pool

Community Pool

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 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.

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.

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. I recently started a 300 word fortnightly story group. We could still do with a few more members though, so if you might be interested, please drop me a line via the contact page on my blog, To Cut a Short Story Short, and I’ll be happy to send details. If you’d just like to subscribe to the stories (with the option of possibly contributing in the future) then please do likewise (they are sent out by e-mail).


    In the meantime, I just published a new story in 600 words, Tiny Demons. Please feel free to check it out!

    https://simonjwood.wordpress.com/2016/12/03/tiny-demons/

    Liked by 12 people

      1. Hi, yes of course, it’s completely separate, and is, in fact, conducted by e-mail. Of course, people in the group can post some or all of the stories on their blogs if they want to.

        It’s an extra activity to give people (including myself!) the opportunity to produce work on a regular basis, as well as practice at editing. Also, it’s fun!

        Liked by 1 person

    2. I like the theme, text and the content. I am wondering if your sidebar has a little too much? I used to have have my sidebar similar to yours-showing my Twitter feed, along with Top Posts, Comments, etc, but I feel like I got better results by putting the icons to my social media, rather than the feed, and putting a smaller tag cloud, and less top posts and comments so it isn’t so ‘busy’. But if its working for you, by all means keep it!

      Liked by 4 people

      1. Thank you for that feedback! I already found it was getting a bit busy. Choosing for the social media icons already saves some space! Thanks for stopping by!

        Liked by 2 people

      2. My pleasure! I feel like it has helped because everyone knows by this point what those icons are and will click if they want to investigate further. Thanks for the follow, I’ll be doing the same!

        Liked by 3 people

    5. I really enjoyed reading about you and getting to know about you better – you’ve had a super interesting life! Curious as to why your photo doesn’t show your face? Is it so you have some anonymity? Great job!

      Liked by 4 people

    10. I read this via the WordPress app on my iPhone. While I find it very informative and overall interesting, the frequent bold-ing of text was a little distracting to me. Good luck with the blog though!

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Hi everyone!

    My blog has been an enormous blessing to me. As I wrote tips and advise on fighting the daily emotional and mental battles we go through, I was learning to cope with it myself.

    What are the top things you learned from your own experiences these past year? Check out my life lessons for 2016, and share yours. 🙂

    Life Lessons from 2016

    Liked by 14 people

    1. Hey Liz, just saw your comment on my posts, apologies for not responding yet, been really busy and I will get to them soon, likely tomorrow cause right now, I am doing the #2 session of the livestream again!

      If you wanna join, just let me know yeah? If not, I will respond to your comments soon, promise!

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

      Liked by 3 people

    3. I’ve been following you for about a week now and spent time checking out your blog. There’s some really cool posts, I love the focus on emotional well einv

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Hi Jessica! Thanks for following, I actually follow your blog too. I like that you not only write about physical fitness, but the overall state of a person. It’s important to find that balance.

        I need more discipline when it comes to exercising and finding a routine for that (I used to jog, and even THAT was every other day haha). So your blog is super helpful for inspiration in these things.

        Good to have you around this community. Let’s keep the positivity going! ❤

        Liked by 2 people

    3. Loved the look of your blog.. And I am so happy to find even Indian recipes on this. . I am also planning to add recipes as a category on my blog.. Will start that category soon.. Keep blogging and inspiring us.. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Hi there!
    I’ve been blogging for a while now and I’d love to get some more feedback on my site, maybe even a few followers. I mostly do history, poetry and whatever comes to mind. Recently I wrote an article on the paranormal in Iceland, which is my home country.
    Please check out my site, t. thenightshiftguy

    Liked by 7 people

      1. Thank you, I like to keep my site simple to make it more distinguishable from the many sites here that are a riot of colors and effects. Love the style of your site, not too outrageous and not too simplistic either.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. You have a lovely grid layout which makes things easily accessible and pleasing to the eye. However, I would try experimenting with colors because your blog may come off as dark and depressing when it doesn’t mean to be. I hope this helped!
      Happy blogging!
      -Author S

      Liked by 2 people

      2. Woah sorry didn’t realize that! Apologies for late respond- I was tired since it was 2am and all hahaha and didn’t noticed this comment till the session ended.

        I hope things went okay afterwards and you were able to gain something off the session though!

        Did things go better later for you??

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

        Like

      3. Hello Benjamin! Thank you for the detailed review of my blog and reading a couple of my pieces. I really appreciate it! I will definitely get the About page up, and I will add more sources at the end of each piece!

        I will review your blog soon =D

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Oh okay it seems like it worked hahaha based on your previous comment, I was afraid my review didn’t get to you XD

        Glad it helped and definitely happy to know it’s going to help make your blog a better place for your readers both present and future new ones 😉

        Will be looking forward to your review and hey, who knows, we might be able to work on something together in future too eh?

        Talk to you again soon bud! Stay chirpy 🙂

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

        Like

      6. Lol I got to start reading comments from newest to oldest!

        Apologies for responding like I haven’t read your replies at all hahaha.

        Thank you for the feedback, it will definitely continue to help in making my visitor’s experience a better one 🙂

        Talk again soon indeed bud, hope you’re having a nice day!

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

        Like

    3. I really like the design on the layout, but maybe incorporate a concise colour theme? 😊 some very interesting and thought provoking content, I had to subscribe 😊

      Liked by 1 person

      2. I meant selecting a specific few colours to use throughout the blog e.g red and blue, green shades, purple and orange etc. (whatever you like) to bring a connected feeling and sinergy to the blog 😊

        Liked by 1 person

    4. I really appreciate the topic links at the top of the page. The combination of an image and picture preview in a very clickable layout is nice, but I would actually prefer smaller pictures so I could see more posts on the screen.

      Liked by 2 people

    1. I commented. I enjoyed your writing style. If I had any suggestion, it would be to give a few more facts and a bit more background about why the eviction happened and why the system failed. Your emotions and descriptive details are strong! Nice writing….

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thank you so much, for the advice too. I love your blog. Interesting and powerful content, love the variety of topics you dwell on. I look forward to reading more from you! And thanks for the follow!

        Like

    1. You have some wonderful stories that a lot of people could learn from. It’s inspiring to know you’ve risen above pain and torment much like the rest of us and seem better for it.
      Feel free to drop by and leave some thoughts of your own.
      Happy reading and writing!
      -Author S

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Hi there, thank you so much for leaving your footprints on my blog. It is so nice to meet you!! Reading your comments made me so happy. I’m sorry it took me a little late to respond, I had exams going on. I can’t wait to drop by your place and read your work. See you soon ! ☺️

        Like

      2. No, no! Don’t be sorry! Everyone has their own pace to respond and work so no worries! I’m excited to hear your feedback on my work, and I hope my pieces resonate well with you!
        Happy reading!
        -Author S

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Thank you very much! I’m always looking for writing partners if you’re interested!
        -Author S

        Like

    3. I love your site! Your writing style is great and you share some amazing music. I’ve followed you and look forward to more posts!

      I’d love it if you could take a look at my page and tell me what you think 🙂 I’m still new to blogging so I would love any tips!

      https://naariav.me/

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Hey Naaria, thank you so much for your kind feedback and following. I appreciate it a lot. I’m glad you enjoyed your visit to my blog. Can’t wait to connect more. I’ll definitely drop by yours! See ya 😇

        Liked by 1 person

  20. Hello and happy Monday once again everyone. Okay, I’m just gonna tell you about some things, then you can go to the blog and take a look around.

    First and foremost – A friend of mine put me up to a 30-Day Writing challenge, and I’m done with the post for day 4.
    Next – I posted some photography of my campus during our first snowfall yesterday
    Finally – I’d absolutely love to see readers get more interactive with me by leaving feedback on the posts or even prompts, so you have some say in what you’re getting! (Hover over Scribble the Path, and you’ll see Interactive, go there!)

    https://hailangeliccreation.wordpress.com/

    Have a wonderful Monday, be kind, and dig into some great work here on WordPress!
    -Author S

    Liked by 5 people

      1. Thank you very much for stopping by! Feel free to leave feedback or prompts anytime!
        Happy reading!
        -Author S

        Like

    2. Hey, i really liked the blog. I dropped by and read ‘what values do you live by’ and found it very insightful. I can’t wait to read more 😊

      Like

      1. Thank you very much for the follow and kind words. I hope my other pieces live up to this one!
        Happy reading!
        -Author S

        Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you very much! I love feedback, especially from new faces! Feel free to do that anytime and leave some prompts as well!
        Happy reading!
        -Author S

        Like

  21. Happy Monday, all of you bloggers and blog followers out there! I have just published some brand-new posts in the past few days, as well as some other fun posts as well, at http://www.j2w7.wordpress.com! Any kind of feedback would be very gratefully appreciated! Thank you all so very much!-JW 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  22. Hi all. I have two new posts to share with you. Comments and feedback always appreciated! My blog finds a connection between the music that I love and my own photography. My latest post is about staying strong and defiant post-election-https://robpatdoy.wordpress.com/2016/12/01/take-back-this-house/

    Next I started a new weekly segment-Monochrome Mondays with one b&w shot featured every Monday-https://robpatdoy.wordpress.com/2016/12/05/monochrome-mondays-2/

    Liked by 2 people

      1. Hi Robert,
        Your blog looks great. I was scrolling here looking for people writing about our election and the results and went to yours. The only constructive feedback I have is to write somewhat shorter posts with more singular subjects to each post.
        I’m also an artist and don’t intend to allow too much non writing into my blog, but I’m thinking a series on Trump might be inspiring. Good luck!

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Thanks Rachel, appreciate the feedback. My post lengths vary its true. I used to write very long ones but eventually tried to sharpen the focus and make them shorter. I also write a series called Photo Shuffle that are very short post. Sometimes when I really have something to say though it comes out…and man did I have things to say here! Good luck to you as well!

        Like

  25. I’ve had a huge update on my blog, I’ve changed themes, added a whole host of things on the sidebar, added featured posts and even moved to my own domain! It’s been a busy week! I’d love your feedback on the new look please 🙂 Do you have any suggestions for any changes, or spotted something missing?
    https://sandeepbeep.com/

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Hi Sandeep! I viewed your site using my phone so the formatting would be different from that of a computer. But I think it looks great! Very elegant, clean and appealing to the eye. My only suggestion would be to maybe categorize your posts or include some tags making them easy to navigate through to find a particular topic. It still looks great either way. But just a thought! Great site and great work!

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Hey Matt! Thank you so much for your time and feedback 😀
        My post do have tags and categories but I think I selected a setting which hides them. I’ll hunt out the function which makes them visible again. Thanks for your help!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Update: I’ve made the categories visible alongside each post, and there’s also a tag cloud on the home page and on each post page 🙂
        Will that be ok, or do you think each post should show their tags too?

        Liked by 1 person

    5. I really like the consistent branding throughout. I think the only thing I’d suggest would be to have the post images show up in the excerpts on the homepage–if that’s even possible with your theme. It might add a nice brush of color to your blog.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thanks for the feedback! I’ve updated the site and added the featured images to the home page, where the excerpts are. It’s made a huge difference! I might go back and update the posts that don’t have featured images or just ensure that future posts do have them.
        Do you think the actual posts should have feautured images showing at the top too? I’m hesitant as it will be the same image as what’s already in the post, so it might look repetitive. What do you think?
        Thanks so much for your help! 😀

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Lookin’ good! I’d say that featured images could work for you, but I definitely wouldn’t have a repeating image if you can help it.

        Liked by 1 person

  26. Hi friends!
    I’m still new at this, but have started to push out more posts lately and would love some feedback, suggestions, and topic ideas!

    I think I’m going to try to start a “wellness wednesday” weekly post (as long as there’s no mind blocks for topics) but would love yall to take a look around and let me know what you think!
    there are two new wellness wednesday posts, and a few other new ones that i’ve published lately!

    Wellness Wednesday is Back!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I loved your blog, I followed 🙂 There were some great posts! I also do wellness and well being posts if you were interested?
      Maybe we could also do a collab or guest ‘wellness wednesday’ post? 😊 email me if your interested

      Like

  29. Hi. I started my blog just over a year ago, .. Haven’t done many posts due to a fairly extended stretch of writer’s block, but would really like to post more regularly. Also want to add links, and tags, but need to learn how… Just did a couple of posts in the last couple of weeks (first in several months…woohoo : ) and would really appreciate any feedback, tips on improving or comments. Here’s how to find it:

    joturner57.wordpress.com.

    Thanks so much! Hope you all have a great week : )

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Just checked out your site and really like it. Your photos are beautiful, and really enjoyed your “Wordless Wednesday” concept. I noticed that your posts are “Uncategorized” so if you add categories for them it might help the organization of your site a bit. Great stuff!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks so much…The WW concept comes from a blogger group eponymously called @gardenbloggers, that I belong to…It is a great idea for sure..Thanks for the tip on categories…shall figure out how to do that and take your advice…Thanks again : )

        Liked by 1 person

  30. Hi Everyone. When I started blogging, folks were saying your posts should deal with one topic. Consequently I have two blogs, one specifically for my fiction writing and my main blog for general every-day news & misc,

    I’m finding it hard to keep up writing on two levels, though. Would it be smarter to just leave my fiction idle for the most part, maybe post once a month, and keep up the other? Or would it be better to merge the two, throw my fiction stuff onto my regular blog. Has anyone merged two blogs and how does it work?
    My two blogs:
    http://christine composes.com
    http://christinegoodnough.com

    Liked by 4 people

    1. I honestly think it’s easier for you to manage if you merge the two blogs. For example on my blog I have tabs for fitness, wellbeing and recipes to keep things seperate. Maybe you could do a similar thing?

      Liked by 1 person

    3. I’ve seen a number of blogs that mix “slice of life” posts with their fiction writing or poetry. Basically, it’s doable and it can work. As a fellow fiction writer, I don’t think I’d necessarily advocate you temporarily idle your craft.

      I think you could fuse the two blogs and simply set apart your creative works from your other posts using tags and categories and menus. I don’t think anyone who likes your main blog will have any problem seeing some wonderful creative pieces from you every now and then.

      Like