* Updating (pinging) your iTunes listing when you publish a new podcast episode.
* Detecting your duration automatically for the iTunes duration field.
* Verifying a media URL is valid (not 404)
* Providing podcast only feeds (ideal for podcast directories like iTunes)
* Customizing your iTunes subtitle, summary or keywords
* Tools to modify your media URLs if your media hosting happened to change for one reason or another.
* Tools to make custom podcast channels password protected (also known as Premium Content / Premium Feeds)
* Tools to add publishing security, you can decide which users on your blog can create podcasts and which cannot.
* Category podcasts with your own custom title

Plus it can integrate with Blubrry.com’s services, though you don’t need an account at blubrry to use PowerPress. If you’re using blubrry for media statistics, you can access your stats right from your WordPress dashboard. If you’re using blubrry.com for hosting, you can upload and publish your media right from the edit post screen your WordPress blog.

The rating system is also not necessarily the best way to measure plugins on WordPress. The ratings go all the way back to previous versions. I will admit that earlier versions of PowerPress lacked in features found in PodPress and we paid the consequence for that with our rating. I even had someone send me a nasty email that they didn’t liek the default player in PowerPress and spitefully said they were giving us 1 star. Since this September, we now have all of the features previously found in PodPress and we’ve added 4 more players to pick from including the 1 Pixel Out player. Hopefully over time our star rating will go up.

PowerPress also allows you to create separate feeds for other formats such as ogg. This feature is called ‘Custom Podcast Channels’. The custom channel gives you a permalink friendly URL, so you can do http://www.example.com/feed/ogg/ for example.

There is NO REASON to use them. WordPress does a great job of creating media enclosures necessary for podcasting all on it’s own. In the event you want more control over what does and does not get enclosed you can use an INDIVIDUAL plug-in for that. There are a TON to choose from! I use KG Enclosure Flex
http://www.15framespersecond.com/enclosureflex/

Need a Flash Audio Player for your podcast to play right within your site? There are INDIVIDUAL options for that as well. The best one BY FAR is the Audio Player plugin.
http://www.1pixelout.net/code/audio-player-wordpress-plugin/

What about getting your feed to include that iTunes Specific Jazz? Well that’s where Feedburner comes in. I’ve been using them since December of 2005 and became even more confident in their service when Google bought them.

As for stats.. Well, I host my nearly 2000 episodes on Libysn and have AMAZING stats going way all the way back.

I have 24 podcasts that I personally produce, myself. As a full-time podcast consultant, I’ve helped more than 300 other podcasters launch their own shows. Not one of us have ever used the “Podcasting Plugin” “PodPress” or “PowerPress.”

That being said.. I’ve had a GREAT DEAL of business come in from clients who had started podcasting on their own with the use of any of the three above mentioned podcasting plugins.

What happens is that when a new version of WordPress comes out that breaks ONE THING inside of these ALL-INCLUSIVE plug-ins, they are stuck until an update is posted fixing it. When things break, they call me to help. While I enjoy getting more work that helps put food on the table, I’d rather earn money helping podcasters take their show(s) to the next level.

Let me just say this… I LOVE THE GUYS AT BLUBRRY! Todd is a great guy and his heart an passion is in podcasting.

I consider Angelo Mandato to be a good friend. He has done an AWESOME JOB building the PowerPress plug-in. It’s very full-featured and you’ll never find a plug-in creator who is willing to provide more service and support for their plug-in product than him.

Of any out there, IF (AND ONLY IF) you were to choose an all-inclusive plug-in, this is the ONLY ONE that I would say that you should “consider.”

But friendship with Todd & Angelo aside, I think it’s ENTIRELY POSSIBLE to do SUCCESSFUL PODCASTING ON WORDPRESS WITHOUT an All-Inclusive Podcasting Plug-in.

End of podcasting on WordPress? NOT A CHANCE!

Just my two-cents!

Cliff J. Ravenscraft
http://PodcastAnswerMan.com

As for what Ben has to say, a platform that is inherently open source can almost never die out (99.8 % chance of continued survival). WordPress is used by so many blogs that plugin developers will drop off here and there, which you have definitely brought to light. However, the overall community will thrive because others will rise up and, in the ashes, build something better, stronger, faster easier, or just sexier.

Ben, you and I are part of the Tech Podcast network and well know the kind of talent that exists in this world. This talent will and apparently has come up with an answer in a relatively short amount of time (since 2.9 was released). We all need to be open to new and different technologies because if you drop behind the ball once, it takes just that much longer to get back up on.

For that reason, we’ve added support for those who were using the podpress or Podcasting plugins and opened our doors when Podango and WildVoice went out of business and when PodBean was having server issues. There was no commitment for those podcasters to stay with us after their free 30 days, it was just a way to keep their shows online.

We didn’t set out to be the only plugin left, but that’s the position we find ourselves in. We welcome what the community has to say about the situation.