Aug 7, 2017 / Community Pool

Community Pool

Where bloggers come together to give each other 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).

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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.

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!
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  • 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!
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  • If you haven’t looked at our Commenting Guidelines in a while, now might be a good time.
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    2. I am infatuated with critical thinking… but dislike Dawkins because he often does things just for the shock value. It works for him and I don’t blame him – he made piles of money selling various points.

      As for maps – to anyone interested in viewing the world in different light I highly recommend Polar azimuthal equidistant projection. Google it – I find those maps really intriguing.

      Love your blog and post by the way – hope you don’t see what I wrote as “too critical” 😉

      Liked by 6 people

    4. While in college working on my degree in psychology we learned a lot about perception and how our exuberant faith in it often misleads us. I’m glad you touched on this as it is not necessarily common knowledge. Sometimes our need to make things easier or universal can limit the way we challenge our minds and our perceptions. Certainly, it’s helpful to have a common way to handle things like we see in maps as you pointed out, but it is also important to learn the fundamental principles and not let our need for ease tarnish our enthusiasm to see things from different perspectives. Great post! Really took me back to college! Thanks 👍

      Liked by 5 people

  2. Happy Full Moon (with a side of lunar eclipse) Monday!

    I did a blog swap thingy, and I want to show my hostess some comment love. Even just a, “Hi! Traci sent me here and paid me in cyber chocolate chip cookies to say I love her stuff.” would be cool. *grin*

    Here’s the link to my post on her site –

    https://www.awitchspath.com/single-post/2017/08/02/Full-Moon-Healing-Spell-Guest-Post-by-Traci-York

    Thanks all, and happy howling!

    Liked by 20 people

    1. Hope you won’t mind that I took you literally ;). Although I am big self-improvement buff… never though about combining it with magic. So I’m truly glad that you posted here – will be following your posts, they look great!

      Liked by 3 people

      1. LOL! Just saw your comment, and I love it! Thanks so much. 😀

        And yes, when I first started studying magic, it became an inadvertent journey of self improvement as well.Feel free to shout out any time with questions about anything – always happy to chat! Oh, and thanks again!

        Liked by 3 people

  3. Hey fellow bloggers. I’ve recently written a blog of my experience as a woman in regards to relationships (from a female perspective) and how it has affected me presently. Some information has been emitted hence why it’s been titled ‘fictional’ but the underlying message is factual.

    Please do have a read and let me know if you can relate. I’ll be sure to also do the same

    The Fictional Diary Of A Hopeless Romantic

    Liked by 22 people

    1. I think the fictional/factual aspect of it is a good approach. Especially because lets face it, we all talk about relationships and weave in our own experiences with those of people around us. I know these words might seem odd from a middle aged guy, but hey, I know a few things too! In any case, seems like you really touch on the sort of things people want to relate to themselves.

      Liked by 3 people

    2. I’m a 27 year old romantic as well and I enjoyed how relatable this was, it reminded me of basically all of my friends. Relationships should be taught as a subject in school because they’re so hard and we all seem to have a very unrealistic view of them!

      Liked by 2 people

  4. First of all, I want to just state how much I appreciate this community pool. You guys are always so supportive and I can’t express how much I am glad to be a part of this each week.
    I want to defy the theory that “you never appreciate something until it’s gone”

    Anyway, here is my post for this week. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks as always! 😊

    Squat for your health!

    Liked by 12 people

    1. We appreciate you too! 😉 Whenever I run into someone who is looking for more info on being vegan I direct them to your site.

      Great post as always – I love that your posts are always media rich. Keep it up!

      Liked by 4 people

    4. I quite enjoy the support and appreciation of the community pool as well! I’m pleased it’s gone so well for you and wish it continues! 😃

      I loved your post on squats! Seriously. You’ve got a great voice that is both professional and personal to keep the reader’s interested. Makes me rethink my need to add in more squat type poses to my yoga routine. Thanks for the share and happy blogging!!! 💫

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Yesss! Yogi’s unite! 🙏 Never hurts to add a Yogi squat in your practice every now and then to help build up that energy. Thanks for sharing such kind words with me. I’m humbled 😊

        Liked by 2 people

    5. I love this post and couldn’t agree more!! I guess when you squat so often your whole life you don’t think of it as much. And now as a weightlifter I learned there are right and wrong ways to squat too. Always learning something new! This post was a joy to read!! Can’t wait for your future posts! Thank you for sharing!

      Liked by 1 person

    4. Your blog is very simple, and very refreshing. The post I’ve read so far are both aesthetically and logically beautiful, with a clear theme (self-care, self-help, tranquility, etc.) ❤.

      Like

    3. Gosh…I really appreciate the heaps of personality/character ( I see sacarsm, humor, nervousness, gratitude, sincerity) in this post. It’s really refreshing…I knew right away that you must be a great writer.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. I thought this post was interesting! As a poet myself, I know how difficult it can be to break out of the mold and write *gasp* longer sentences 😂😂😂 Just a heads up, I think your intro got posted twice. It made it a bit hard to read at first.

      In response to your post, I’d say that I disagree a little. Now, the various “-isms” these days do seem a bit overblown because of the growth of social media outrage, I’ll give you that. But pretending that they don’t exist doesn’t eradicate them. They’ll still be around even if they have no name, and they’ll likely be even more difficult to fight because language isn’t helping us pinpoint exactly what they are.

      You’re right, most people aren’t born hateful and discriminatory, but the ones who do develop these qualities are definitely taught–either by friends, family, the media, or their own experiences. Not necessarily by the school system. If anything, I think it’s good that the education system is teaching children these “bad words”; an open dialogue, rather than silent hatred, are our best options going forward.

      Liked by 3 people

      1. I usually find myself refraining from agreeing with other people on many unspecified topics, well, ’cause I generally make balanced arguments. But yours truly go me… Extremely valid, I would say. Social Media does overplays these kinds of stereotypical parts. Now, I knew somebody would pinpoint, “pretending that they don’t exist doesn’t eradicate them.”. But I’m not suggesting that you stop believing that these things don’t exist. I’m simply suggesting that perhaps if you don’t actually teach these things (not just the words, but also the behaviour) to the upcoming generation, maybe they’ll be able to develop a greater world, where these things don’t have a name. Imagine if these things didn’t even exist, why would we need the language to point them in the first place?
        Let the generations decide for themselves, things that are *meant* to be learnt. Not just the education system, but a whole revolution is a necessity right now. Now I know what I suggest may seem a bit irrational in today’s world, given all the bombarding developments. The idea’s extremely eutopic, I realise that. But hey, it’s not bad to dream at least, is it. 😉

        Am really glad to see that at least someone took their time out to *actually* disect the points that I made. I was expecting this kind of response, some time or the other. 🙂

        Nice to meet you. 😀
        And thanks for the correction in the post. (embarrassing, really)

        Liked by 3 people

  13. Hello folks!

    What if waking emotion and subtle thought did not come to a standstill once living creatures disappeared? Whom would love? Who would breathe in the wonder of existence, now that ‘life’ is a strange concept? Who would be there to look over?

    Here’s something I scribbled down: https://lampteacupoverthinking.wordpress.com/2017/08/07/rendezvous-2/

    Do leave a comment or drop a message. I’d love to hear from you, wonderful person!

    Love,

    Liked by 9 people

  14. My regular motivational post is up… but this week I wanted to talk about new series I’ve started. Every Thursday @ 8:00 I’ll write about blogs within community that I enjoy. Also, seeing how much us bloggers enjoy awards and recognition I’ve decided to institute a prize. Here is the last week’s post:

    http://howtoaddict.com/blogs-worth-following-star-blogger-award-nominations/

    This week at Thursday @ 8:00 I’ll post a poll which will determine winner of the prize. People will vote on which blog they like the most.

    Let me know how you like the idea and whether I can include your blog also. Looking forward to your feedback!

    Liked by 13 people

      1. Here’s to hoping that I will be able to send some significant traffic to other bloggers who definitely deserve it. Thanks for your support and kind words… everything is easier when others send positive vibes and push you forward!

        Liked by 5 people

    2. Hi there!!! I’m still unbelievably humbled about my nomination! And I realized AFTER I posted my blog award post that I could have taken the time to answer your inquiry on my posting every day. 😅 Oops!

      The long and short of it is: I like writing. Once I get into a habit, I tend to stick with it. But not every day has been easy to write and feel like I’m doing it well or even decently. But I found doing anything at all is better than nothing. Keeps me on my toes. But feel free to ask more specific questions!

      Also, all the best on your new series! I can’t wait to see it unfold. 😁😁

      Liked by 4 people

      1. Well, you definitely deserve recognition – you are doing something unique + are producing over long time period ;). And to anyone reading this comment visit https://britwitblog.wordpress.com and see for yourself what I am talking about.

        As for your writing – I actually do have quite few questions. Getting into the habit and the just doing it are big part of success… but I am curious about technical details. Whether you are doing certain parts consciously or not… that sort of thing. Anyways – we’ll definitely continue conversation on our blogs… I’ll reach out to you over email and we can plan something concrete.

        In any case – I’ll have that voting poll for award Thursday @ 8:00 – feel free to bring friends to vote for you as others will :). Talk soon!

        Liked by 3 people

      2. 😁😁😁 thank you for the recognition! Yours is brilliant as well!!! (CLICK THE LINK ABOVE, people. Please and thank you!)

        Yes. Let’s discuss!! I look forward to it. And please accept my apologies for being a lousy return messenger.

        Liked by 3 people

      1. If you have any blogs to nominate – we can collaborate and get them mentioned. So, whenever you have time feel free to use that Contact option on my site to email me directly or let me know if I can reach out to you for collaboration. And keep doing great job with you blog, loving it!

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Relatable is an understatement 😂 I go through this every day man, trying to balance social media, entertainment and writing; by the time I’m done with all its like 3am lol, good post.

      Liked by 4 people

    1. How awesome!!!! You’ve got an awesome blog layout and great content. I quite enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing and I look forward to coming back to see more. 💫

      Liked by 4 people

    2. Born and raised in London, the weather is balls 70% of the time but when it’s good it’s good. Also agree with what you said about the ‘art’, can’t see what all the fuss is about lol.

      Liked by 5 people

    3. Great read & followed you. Every time I’ve been to London is been red hot, but living in the uk I understand the part about sun shining one minute, raining the next!

      Liked by 2 people

  19. Hello Community Pool
    James from James Proclaims here. Back blogging after a recent hiatus. Welcome me back by reading any of the posts I’ve written in the last week and telling me how much you love them.
    You don’t actually have to love them – just tell me that you do….

    Liked by 9 people

    1. Brutally honest:

      I don’t usually enjoy reading short stories on here, a lot are quite cringe or boring.

      You actually wrote something that kept me engaged and it was actually interesting. I liked how you intertwined the past and present, I really thought something was gonna happen to the protagonist! Keep it up 😂

      Liked by 4 people

  21. How was everyone’s weekend? I had a good one, thanks! 😛 My recent blog post was actually inspired by the events that took place over the weekend. I just came to a realization that although I have flaws, my opinion doesn’t matter about them. It’s my partner’s opinion that matters. It’s almost like I am ashamed of acknowledging my most secretive flaws to my significant other…only because I feel vulnerable.

    Here’s the link. Please feel free to share some of the flaws you are most ashamed about, and what does your significant other know about it?

    Shameful admittance of flaws

    Liked by 14 people

  24. Hi guys,

    If you don’t know me my blog is all about writing honest and truthful posts on some topics we don’t really delve into.

    My latest post is about the concept of forgiveness and whether it’s ‘overrated’ or not. Feel free to check it out, if it’s your sort of thing you could always subscribe to (it’s free ;)).

    Cheers and I’ll happily check out any of your blog posts too,
    -Danny

    Liked by 11 people

      1. I’ve been working on forgiveness this week and this has some great points in it! Thanks for sharing and I love your writing style!

        Liked by 4 people

      2. Danny, I like all of the aspects of forgiveness you consider and think you’ve worked it out in your mind how to reconcile it for yourself. I couldn’t find a place to comment after the article at your site?

        Liked by 4 people

    2. This is a wonderful post! Over the years I have found myself more forgiving of others for my own inner peace. If I want to be happy and grateful I have to let go of what disturbs my peace of mind. And just that alone made a huge difference. Though I forgive others easier now, it doesn’t mean we will forget and let it happen again. Overall what a great read! Thank you for sharing!!

      Liked by 3 people

    1. Oh my gosh!!!! Yes!!! Thank you for sharing!!!! I have my BA in English/creative writing as well and I cannot explain the pressure I felt for going to graduate school to get my MFA. I knew if I went I would get burnt out so fast. (I think this is also true if I went to grad school immediately after graduation for any subject.) I think there’s only so much education can teach a person or in this instance a writer before it’s a matter of “skill” or not. If that makes sense. I want to keep is vague in a sense because it’s not all about talent or education. I think it’s a mix. But that’s the sparknotes version. I appreciate you sharing this! 😃

      Liked by 4 people

      1. Thanks! At the time I would have applied for a grad degree, I didn’t have the means to undertake it. Over time it just seemed less and less appealing to me. I still believe there is value in education, but I think sometimes people place a little TOO much emphasis on needing the MFA like it’s some sort of silver bullet to make you a great writer.

        Liked by 4 people

  26. Hey all! Hope everyone had a great weekend!
    My blog is all about empowering other writers with inspirational posts, pep-talk style, and informing my fellow bloggers about the “do’s” and “don’t’s” of blogging. I also blog about my own personal endeavors from time to time, of course.

    Feel free to check out my blog and read my most recent posts! Please let me know if there is anything I can do to return the favor!

    Welcome!

    Cheers!
    Dominic

    Liked by 8 people

    1. Hey, Soph!

      I tried commenting, but my browser crashed, then it said I’d already commented (even though I couldn’t see it). If it doesn’t show up, shout out and I’ll try again.

      Oh, and this is what I said – “This is such a cool idea! I feel like I got a tour of your life through your words and pictures – excellent blog feature!”

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Hey Traci,

        Your comment came through- it was lovely and truly made my evening! I am really really pleased that you like this style of post. Stay tuned for more. I’m just checking your blog out at the moment and so far, it looks fantastic xxx

        Liked by 3 people

  28. Calling all poets and poetry readers! If you’ve got a critical eye, could you check out my most recent poem?
    https://hausofphantasia.wordpress.com/2017/08/07/white-walls/

    I struggle a bit with rhythm in my poetry. I think the first lines of each stanza are interesting and flow at a nice pace, but I think the last lines disrupt that flow in an awkward way. This is an issue that runs through quite a bit of my work. Thoughts?

    Liked by 9 people

  30. I don’t necessarily need any feedback on what I published moments ago, I just wouldn’t mind receiving advice pertaining to the look of the blog. I don’t understand the customization aspect of editing my blog entirely? But anyways, “happy” Monday!

    Liked by 6 people