Four Nodes

<p>Simple plugin to display random posts on your wordpress blog. Plugin provides a widget to display random posts in sidebar.<br />
Also comes with a shortcode [randomposts] to include on pages.</p>
<ul>
<li>Easy to install</li>
<li>Picks Random Posts</li>
<li>Ability to select from specific category</li>
<li>Limit number of posts</li>
<li>Shortcode support</li>
</ul>


FourNodes Random Post

Displays Random wordpress posts in a sidebar widget. Also, provides shortcode to display random posts on pages.

yakuphan

<p>Advanced Random Posts Widget displays your posts by selecting randomly with thumbnail images (optional). It gets posts from selected categories or current category or all posts. When your visitors are at home, it gets posts from all posts or selected category. If you set ‘Get posts from current category’, when visitors see single post, widget lists posts in the same category of single post or when visitors click a category link, it gets posts from current category.</p>
<p>Notice: Version 2.2+ requires at least 2.8.</p>
<h4>Supported Languages</h4>
<ul>
<li>English</li>
<li>Turkish</li>
<li>Russian – Thanks <a href="http://www.fatcow.com" rel="nofollow ugc">Fatcow </a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Options</h3>
<p>Widget’s options allow you to change your random posts list displaying.</p>
<h4>Title:</h4>
<p>Your random posts widget’s title on your sidebar.</p>
<h4>Number of posts to show:</h4>
<p>How many posts to display</p>
<h4>Excerpt length (letters)</h4>
<p>You know that</p>
<h4>Thumbnail Custom Field Name</h4>
<p>If you want to display the thumbnail of your posts via a custom field, write its name.</p>
<h4>Height – Width</h4>
<p>Images size.</p>
<h4>Get first image of post</h4>
<p>If you don’t want to use custom field, plugin will get first image from your post content.</p>
<h4>Get first attached image of post</h4>
<p>Plugin gets first attached image of post.</p>
<h4>Default image</h4>
<p>If post has no image, plugin display this image. Ex: http://www.yakupgovler.com/default-image.png</p>
<p>Notice: If you use three options, plugin uses custom field image firstly. If the post has no custom field, it gets first image from content. At last it gets first attached image. I suggest not to use “Get first image of post” for performance. It queries much more.</p>
<h4>Categories</h4>
<p>Plugin gets posts in these categories. (Category IDs, separated by commas.)</p>
<h4>Get posts from current category:</h4>
<p>Posts will be get from current category (single post’s category or current category).</p>


Advanced Random Posts

Display random posts from selected categories or current category or all posts with thumbnail images (optional).

FourNodes Random Post vs Advanced Random Posts