Podcasting Lives!

A few days ago I announced I would no longer be supporting Podcasting. I recommended users switch to PowerPress, and the PowerPress developers stepped up and offered to write a full importer for Podcasting settings and enclosures. While this importer will still be a migration option, I am pleased to announce even better news.

Podcasting’s development will continue! Glenn Bennett has offered to take over development of Podcasting. We’re still in the transition phase, but he already has commit access, and I’m sure will be working hard to bring WordPress 2.9 support to Podcasting. He has setup a new website for distributing Podcasting, which can be found at http://podcastingplugin.com/. Keep an eye out on the website, or continue to monitor the WordPress.org plugin directory for changes.

Google Analyticator 6.0

While Podcasting will no longer be maintained by myself, Google Analyticator will not suffer the same fate. I’ve kicked up the development a notch, and I’m proud to announce Google Analyticator 6.0, available for immediate download.

A full changelog is available, but in short, tons of new requested features have been added. There’s support for Google Analytics’ new async tracking, easier access to viewing your stats at Google Analytics, and more. There’s also been some security enhancements and bug fixes, so if you’ve used a previous version of Google Analyticator, I recommend updating as soon as possible.

Podcasting Development is Over: WordPress 2.9 Compatibility

I regret to inform you, Podcasting’s development is now over. It’s been a fun couple of years developing the plugin, but unfortunately I no longer have the time to put into Podcasting.

As many of you know, Podcasting has been in need of a major overhaul. There are intermittent bugs that seem to affect a large number of people and limitations that can cause some serious headaches depending on your workflow. To bring Podcasting in line function-wise would be a major undertaking that I simply do not have the time to handle myself. Therefore, as of today, officially consider version Podcasting 2.3 the last version I will release.

I use Podcasting on my blog. What does this mean for me?

If you’re happy using the current version of Podcasting and it works well for you, feel free to keep on using it. Just be aware that future versions of WordPress may break Podcasting and Podcasting will not be updated to correct those issues (see WordPress 2.9 compatibility section). Additionally, support will no longer be available via these support forums as all Podcasting-related forums will be closed starting today.

WordPress 2.9 is due out soon. Is Podcasting compatible with WordPress 2.9?

I did some minor WordPress 2.9 testing, and from what I can see, no, Podcasting is not compatibility with WordPress 2.9. A new installation of Podcasting does not work under WordPress 2.9, and existing installations will have the Add a Podcast section break, so that existing and new Podcasts cannot be added or edited.

If Podcasting is vital to running your blog, I would recommend holding off on upgrading to WordPress 2.9 until you can determine an alternative that meets your expectations.

If Podcasting is dead and will not work under WordPress 2.9, what alternatives do I have?

I would recommend that all existing Podcasting users switch to the Blubrry PowerPress Podcasting Plugin. The Blubrry team has done an excellent job making a very easy to use, functional podcasting plugin. If I had the time and effort to put into Podcasting, PowerPress is everything I would want Podcasting to be.

For the most part, existing episodes will import into PowerPress automatically. Some meta-data such as keywords, length, etc. may not import over automatically and will have to be manually re-entered. All settings will have to be reconfigured for PowerPress, and Podcasting users who took advantage of the Formats feature of Podcasting may have to do some additional work to make sure your existing Format feeds point to a similar PowerPress feed. Beyond that, since PowerPress and Podcasting used similar storage techniques, the migration should go very smoothly.

If PowerPress isn’t a solution for you, the data format Podcasting stores in is compatible with native WordPress podcasting support or any other plugin that follows existing WordPress podcast format standards.

I don’t want to see Podcasting go. Can I take over development of Podcasting?

Contact me directly and we’ll talk.

I recently donated to Podcasting and I’m ticked off. Can I receive a refund?

If you contact me within 60 days from your donation, I will be happy to refund your donation.

For those of you who don’t know, Google Analyticator was the first WordPress plugin I wrote, and practically one of the first major PHP projects I undertook. Since handing the plugin off to Spiral Web Consulting a few months ago, Google Analyticator has really taken off. Google Analyticator is now one of the most downloaded WordPress plugins ever, and with today’s mention by Google, I suspect the plugin to hold strong on the numbers.

More information about Google featuring Google Analyticator can be found on the Spiral Web Consulting blog, including some information regarding the next version.

Having Google Analyticator serve as both software for Analytics code placement and an information receiver has been a requested feature almost since the launch of the original Google Analytics service. Spiral Web Consulting is proud to finally support this feature in the 4.0 version of Google Analyticator.

This is only the beginning. With the inclusion of the widget, we now have a fully ready API for quick access to nearly any Google Analytics’ stat. Just let us know over in our Google Analyticator forums what you’re looking to see as a widget, and we’ll look into adding the support.