WordPress Podcasting Plugins. Which one to choose
Posted on 17th of July 2009 @ 5:58 pm in Technology by Kimberly
Ok, So I setup a podcast on a business website of ours. I found what I thought was a great plugin for WordPress which in turn I liked. It had nice setup features and good player placement customization.
I then started to think, maybe some of the others are better.
I initially had PodPress installed and yes, it’s a great plugin for podcasting. However it hasn’t been updated since 2007. I like it’s ability to have custom player placement within the post but as I said, It’s development seems to have stopped in it’s tracks.
So, It works well, I like it. Why not keep it.
I figured something that is still in development is probably better than something that’s not. Or at least for me anyway.
I actually found 3 plugins worthy of running with WordPress. There are probably many more.
Nice plugin. The only thing it lacks is development. It’s a little behind the times as far as iTunes goes. It’s not a killer for the plugin, however iTunes have increased keywords and image sizes.. It also still has the Yahoo Podcast directory in it, which doesn’t exist anymore.
Again, this is a nice plugin and works very well. The only limitation I found with this one was the lack of configuration. The ability to place the player anywhere in the post as with PodPress does have it’s advantages. And I could even post mp3 files directly with Windows Live Writer using their wordpress shortcode to enclose the mp3 file with out having to go to the site to do it manually. But the lack of configuration for it, I was leaning towards PodPress still as my preferred podcast plugin.
Well, This one I had seen, and looked at a while ago, While doing the comparison I was informed on twitter by @blubrry to include their Powerpress. So I did.
It pretty much has the same functionality as PodPress. Although at this stage it does lack the player placement shortcode. Having said that, as this is close to PodPress and it is being developed. And even better their development (or twiiter guy/girl) team is atleast open to suggestions for future releases. It just may be a possibility to get a post short code in place so we can chose the player placement in the post.
So, all in all. I chose to go with Powerpress. For the reason that it was easy to convert from PodPress, It’s import tools worked great, and as I said. The fact it’s actively being developed is a big draw card.
So what should you use. Well, Only you can answer that question. Hell are you really going to take the advice of some chick in some little country that you’ve probably never heard of. 
All I can really suggest, is try them all, and see what suits your needs best. However, I would recommend PowerPress.
And yes, I will get around to recording another podcast episode
We’re glad you like Blubrry PowerPress! Shortcodes within posts are coming very soon, I’m actually working on the feature as we speak.
Keep an eye out for the release of PowerPress 1.0, it is going to include a lot more options as far as flash player options are concerned. I don’t want to leak the surprise just yet, but it will be worth the wait.
Hi Angelo,
Thanks for that. I look forward to future releases of PowerPress. I understand you can’t / don’t want to leak too much info about the upcoming versions, But it sounds like PowerPress will be in a league of it own.
Seeing as I have recently re-tweeted this, I should point out that the latest version of Powerpress has come a long way since writing this entry.
Since installing PowerPress, I can say I have never looked back. It runs very well, and has the best support you could get. And as an added bonus, it runs flawlessly on WordPress 2.9-rare (Development version)
Skip the plugins. Or at least skip these all in one plugins. They try to do too much which often times makes them break when WP updates their software.
On top of that it’s often better to have more control over your content and learning the easy steps to do it yourself is much better in the long run and oh yeah did I mention it’s easy:)
Use the Audio Player plugin from 1 pixel out, it’s clean, it’s simple and does exactly what it should do, play your audio.
Edit your ID3 tags with itunes and use a free or cheap hosting site like blip.tv or libsyn.com.
Once again, skip the all in one plugins. Learn a few basic steps and have total control of your show…oh and it will always be there when someone goes to listen because an update to WordPress is a lot less likely to break your simple setup.
Please feel free to @reply me on twitter.com/podcasthelper to get any of your podcast questions answered in real-time. Take care!
Ray
I have to agree with Todd, Powerpress allows me to manage the feed, use blubrry hosting and stats.
I for one would rather use powerpress where I can manage rss feeds, stats and media hosting from the wordpress dashboard.
As with anything, Different strokes for different folks. But I feel PowerPress is the best option for Podcasting with WordPress.
Not only that, If a wordpress upgrade was going to break anything, I’m sure WordPress 2.9-rare would do a good job of it, And PowerPress is the only plugin it hasn’t broken.
Ray
It sounds like you live in the stone age, why don’t you let those that work in the podcasting space and are abreast of what happens daily to manage ones podcast feed.
If you are letting libsyn or another company control your rss feed then you are being foolish and not building your own brand.
We are all busy in our lives and who has the time to visit three sites to manage and produce media. PowerPress is the most comprehensive plugin in the market.
New podcasters can have there own blogs setup with full podcasting support in a few minutes and for those looking to kick up the volume can take the time to make there show feed which is there #1 asset as detailed as they want and SEO freindly.
The team behind PowerPress are all podcasters and have been in the space since the very begining don’t rely on cheap hosting sites to provide your rss feed in this economy I would rather be 100% in control of my show and show feed then relying on cheap services.
Todd..
i just starting Podcasting and i find it very exciting. it is my second hobby aside from blogging.