A quick follow up to the whole podcasting in WP 2.0 series … I came across another plugin that claims to enable easy podcasting, Enclosure Flex WordPress Plugin. I’m not using it, but it may be worth a look for those of you trying to get this done.
WordPress Stuff
Podcasting in WordPress 2.0
Well, after lots of digging and running into dead ends I went back and reinstalled the WP-iPodCatter plugin for WordPress. I had done that yesterday and it didn’t seem to be working until I added “enclosure” to the Custom Fields area of the WP write panel. Once I did that, I could easily add the URL of the m4a file and it gets dropped into the feed. I can then use the itpc:// protocol to let users auto-subscribe to my podcast feed via iTunes.
I have it working here at Learning and Innovation as well as my class blog. It seems like a step backwards from the way WP 1.5 just added the file, but I could be wrong about all this. At any rate using the plugin, adding the custom field, and dropping in the full URL of the file made it all work.
Podcast Test: Enhanced Podcast
This is a lecture from class the other day … part one of two. This is just a test of the m4a enclosure stuff I’m working on here in WP.
Podcasting with WordPress 2.0
I knew I’d get burned for jumping into WP 2.0 … clearly it is my fault, but I am having a hell of a time figuring out how to manage my media with the new upload feature of WP. In the past I could simply use the dedicated Upload panel of the WP Admin area and then link it up. I guess the drag and drop is nice, but with images all I can seem to make work is a thumbnail version of my images. Not what I want.
My real problem is that I am using WordPress 2.0 for my class blog this semester and have been podcasting all my lectures — I guess you can’t call them podcasts, because all I can do is provide direct links to files. My WP RSS feed isn’t seeing them and not adding them as enclosures. I am using GarageBand to make my podcasts (and that works wonderfully) … and I am guesing becuase they are bookmarkable and enhanced with my slides GarageBand wants to export them as .m4a files … is that the problem? How do you link this stuff in WP 2.0 to make the feed update? I am not storing the podcasts on the same server as my WP install (I am using the huge amounts of space PSU gives me) and just using a standard link — like I did with WP 1.5 … I am starting to go crazy. Any ideas out there … I’ll keep looking as well.
Comment Problem
I am noticing that posts that have comments are not showing them on the front page … this started when I moved to WP 2.0 … hmm. I’ll try the latest K2 and see if that helps, but it is strange.
Update: I went to the latest K2 and the comments thing is still happening. My banners are a little screwed up as the content area seems to be a bit wider … for now, just the standard blue background until I take the time to update those. If anyone has any ideas why my comments reporting is so messed up I could use some help.
Update 2: Thanks to D’Arcy (I say that way too much) the comments are fixed. As he points out in the comment to this post, Spam Karma 2 needs to be updated. Did that and now if I add a comment to an old post, the number of comments gets correctly updated.
WordPress 2.0 … Not Too Shabby
Yesterday I spent some time getting the site moved over to the newly released WordPress 2.0 … so far it seems to work well. I had to make a few changes to the K2 theme I use, but I see this morning that Michael has made a new 2.0 compliant version available. There seems to be some nice changes to the whole WP experience … mostly on the admin side of things as far as I can tell. The admin side is streamlined to the point where I don’t feel as though I need to install a theme for that side like I did in the past. I have to admit I haven’t had a chance to really do much more than basic posts, but if the upload function within the “Write Post” screen works as it claims that will be a great enhancement. Some other things of note:
- The WYSIWYG editor is a nice addition, but I am happy it can be turned off … I’ve never been a real fan of that, but in FireFox it makes it easy to edit text. I still like the old fashioned way though.
- I like how they’ve moved the lesser used options in the “Write Post” screen to menus that open and close. It would be nice if they would let me set the ones I do use to default to open … Categories comes to mind as one that would be nice to be set to be open for … speaking of that option, in the category selection pane you can now add a new category right there.
- The speed of the whole thing seems to be improved … I may be just imagining that, but it all just feels more snappy. Either my host has started to get its act together or this thing is really quicker.
- The built in spam plugin is a nice touch … you do have to register for an API key, but it is a small price to pay. Spam Karma 2 has been great, but an extra layer of protection never hurt anyone.
- A small, but well done addition is the theme preview … it reminds me of Drupal the way it shows you a thumbnail of what your stuff will look like if you activate the theme.
There is so much more and you can find it all on the web … BTW, here is a link to the new features that really gets into it … much deeper than I can. At the end of the day it is a nice upgrade.
My Host Pisses Me Off!
For the third time in the last year I’ve been on this host, they blew up my space. It took them all morning to restore my site, but it is missing both posts from yesterday. One of those posts was a quick one from the Philly airport, but the second one was a much more personal post I wrote while flying to Indianapolis … it drives me nuts. May be time to find a new home … but, man moving a domain is a real pain in the ass. I know I should have backed up, but do I have to do that everyday? That sorts of defeats the purpose of using a personal content management system like WordPress.
Update: I was able to pull my last two posts from my bloglines account that I hadn’t updated … that was lucky. My host still makes me mad.
Flickr on My WordPress
This is driving me a little crazy … I’ve been trying to get the FAlbum plugin working in WordPress and I can’t get it going. I was all excited when I saw that D’Arcy said it was so easy … hmm — user error I guess on my end. I have been following some great directions over at andreaslinde.de … seems so easy, but I keep getting an error when I try to place it on a WordPress page. Works fine when I leave the file in the default location. Just doesn’t want to work. If you want to see what happens, click the Photos link in the header. Any advice from the smart people out there. Help!
Update: So, D’Arcy dropped a comment on me the fixed it in less than 30 seconds. Damn, that dude is smart.
Update 2: Hmm, works perfectly except for the sidebar error I am getting. I am just not sure if I blew something up a bit when I finally got the code out and replaced.