PowerPress 7.0

Keith, there must be some sort of bug as each podcast channel’s subscribe options are separate from the default podcast channel. Can you email me about the problem on your website? We did have this working during testing, each podcast channel (and category for that matter) can have their own subscribe pages.

Podcasting isn’t just about throwing stuff up into a stream and hoping it sticks. It’s about marketing yourself, your brand and making access widely available and as easy and seamless as possible; otherwise, why should anybody care?

We care, are you getting an impression otherwise?

Facebook: I will pass that recommendation onto the team. I assume you also you would like Twitter and Google+ integration as well?

UPDATE: I do see a problem with the subscribe widget and tools with premium content (password protected) podcasts. Such podcast feeds cannot work with services such as Google Play, Stitcher, Subscribe by Email/on Android as the feeds need to be publicly available for such services to work. This limits us to iTunes and RSS. I am working on narrowing those options down for the next release.

The linking to a custom subscribe page separate from the default is working in my testing. Also remember to use the shortcode found under the “Website” tab for the podcast channel on said subscribe page. It adds additional attributes to the shortcode which indicates which channel/category the subscribe widget should display for. Here is a complete write up on the subscribe shortcode options: https://create.blubrry.com/resources/powerpress/advanced-tools-and-options/powerpress-subscribe-shortcode/

First, the widget is way too big for my use within a post or the sidebar for that matter. Second, the settings only affect the default podcast channel.

In my case, I use the player shortcode to put the 20 minute preview in the upper part of my posts, which relates to my default feed. The premium content player is at the end of each post and can only be accessed by premium subscribers to the site.

What I was needing was to have the premium subscription link underneath the default player, which is listed in the settings but will not apply to the short code. I’m guessing because it is manually entered. I’ll just have to manually add the link, which is a pain but not a problem since I put all 300+ players in there when I started the preview feed (thanks to your suggestion).

Anyway, the settings for subscribe in iTunes, Google Play and all that good stuff when checked do show up on the premium content player but link back to the default feed. Oops, wrong feed for the wrong player. That’s why I was suggesting two different settings for the two different feeds instead of having a catchall for all of the feeds a user has and hoping the right links get added to the right player.

As for the the password protected feeds not working in other services; yes it does work. The modification code on your site for my htaccess file fixed the problem but I have to inform folks to use the same feed but with http not https since I have SSL on my site in order for it to work. You just can’t have it listed in their stores but users can manually subscribe to it, which is what your link will take them to when they click on it. However, those links when enabled under settings take them to the wrong feed (see above) by default; not the premium content feed to manually subscribe in these alternate services. I hope I’m explaining it right. I just wanted to make it easier for my subscribers to set it up in iTunes or whatever app on their smartphones or tablets.

We care, are you getting an impression otherwise?

Oh I know you do, I was speaking more in general about making things easier (which you guys do) for running a podcast and putting things in place that keep up with social networking. Several years ago I was betting on Facebook going the way of MySpace but that ain’t happening. They’re just getting bigger and bigger and have become one of the most important aspects to reaching more eyeballs. I’ll be playing around with the API in Facebook to see how I can meld the two on my own over the next week. I’m self-taught in all this stuff and usually just stumble onto the solution LOL.

Honestly, as big of a pain as I’ve been, you should consider making a pro version of your plugin to make some money off of it. Ya’ll put a lot of time and effort into the best streaming player plugin, so I wouldn’t blame you if you did. Libsyn finally got after it for WordPress but that’s only for their users so you do have a leg way up on them.

One final thought: I haven’t forgotten what you’ve done for me. Thanks for everything!

Hello Keith,

I have been testing and I able to create separate settings for the subscribe tools for each channel and category.

Can you reply with the shortcode you are using for your custom podcast channel’s subscribe page? I suspect attribute values are causing the issue. Giving me that shortcode will allow me to re-create them in our dev environment for testing.

I have added to our TODO list to offer a sidebar widget option with the links in a different format (other than the 48px high buttons. We made them 48px high to meet mobile device button requirements. We understand that website design and space available takes priority and will come up with alternatives in future versions of PowerPress.

Sorry I misinterpreted your impression paragraph. Not the first time I misinterpret something! No worries!

Thank you for your feedback. This stuff makes the plugin better!