Smuggery
Update: Major props to Adam Tow for writing a nicer SmugMug plugin: WP-SmugMug. There is still room for some improvements and I hope to add some cool features to Smuggery when I have time, but until then I recommend that everybody use Adam’s plugin.
Smuggery is a WordPress plugin that allows users to automate the retrieval of SmugMug content and post it to their blogs. Other plugins exist that assist in this endeavor, but none of them fully automates it. My goal is to provide a system that allows the user to “set it and forget it.”
Why I’m Doing It
I want a way to manage my photos and to make them accessible to all of my visitors. Gallery2 is an excellent software package, but with services like Flickr, SmugMug and Picasa Web Albums, I see little reason to host and manage all of these images myself. I’d rather let the pros take care of that so that I can stick to the things that I’m good at. By writing an integration plugin, I can let them do the work to power my web site. And since Smuggery is open source, you can too.
Why SmugMug?
I’ve found SmugMug to be the most user-friendly and customizable image hosting service around, and I really appreciate that they cater to amateur and professional photoraphers alike (giants like Flickr and Picasa Web Albums are notably lacking in the professional features department). Photography doesn’t pay my bills, but I work hard enough at it that I appreciate a company that takes it seriously.
Acknowledgments
I would like to personally thank Markham Bennett and Colin Seymour for the help they have provided, both direct in correspondence and indirect through prior work. Colin has written an excellent PHP wrapper for SmugMug (phpSmug), which has made my life significantly easier. I drew inspiration for Smuggery in part from Guillaume Hébert’s kPicasa plugin for WordPress.
I strongly recommend using Smuggery in conjunction with the lightbox2 plugin for WordPress.
How do you configure the plugin? I installed but no buttons are showing up.
I don’t know how you installed the plugin seeing as I haven’t released it yet.
If you still plan on releasing it, I’d like to participate in the public beta.
Hi Robby – I am desperately in need of this plug in – do you have a beta I could try? The install he’s probably referring to is that it was approved by WP and has a listing in the Plugins now. I also installed it but it’s freezing up at “getting info on my albums” (although I don’t know how long that would take on initial connection.)
I manage several sites that all need SmugMug integration. I tried SmugPress – doesn’t work anymore. The SmugMug RSS widget works well, but I need more than a widget.
I’d really love to try anything in beta – I also have lightbox2 plugin (already) and would be happy to provide detailed feedback.
Please contact me! Thanks -
Alexa
I would like to help beta, smugmug great but looking for the more automated integration with WP.
Thanks,
Hi, I’m in the middle of redesigning my website now. I’m also trying to integrate smugmug into it, and I’m looking for plugins that might make my life easier. I’m interested in trying your plugin, please email me so I can join the beta.
Cheers,
Nordin