how to shuffle playlists on iPod nano?

good question and here's a good answer

when an iPod is selected in iTunes to be updated, even though you select which playlists to load onto the ipod, the iPod will load all the music onto the iPod (even though the non selected music can't be seen).

the only way around this is to create a different music library for each ipod which is a somewhat complicated task for a family using multiple ipods. the other solution is to create multiple accounts on the actual computer - another task that involves complicity when managing music that many want to share with each other. In other words, I'll do the creating different libraries for each ipod or creating different accounts on my computer and figure out how each user can access all the music when all iPods in my family reach a point of becoming almost full.

so yes, even though you don't choose Christmas music playlist or Halloween music playlist to be put on your ipods playlist, it will be placed there since you must Sync all music to an iPod to select playlists that are placed on the iPod (in iTunes) - and even though you can't see the Chistmas music or Halloween music synced to your ipod when not selected it is still there taking up iPod space.

i did a lot of testing on this last night and it is true that if you don't have different accounts [on cpu] or different libraries on each ipod that all music still is put there [and is using up space on each iPod] even if you don't see the music when using the individual iPod(s).

one could deselect a lot of playlists (like christmas playlist and halloween playlist) and choose shuffle; however, you'd also have to deselect other playlists like music video (if you're ipod has that), my top rated, on the go, recently added, recently played [the lists goes on - and who wants to do that since many of these playlists are very desirable [and why not sync them because all the music is going to be put on the ipod anyways even though one selects that only certain playlists show up on certain ipods - the space is still being used up]. it gets very tedious at a certain point and not worth spending time on.

in a nutshell, you may not know it, but all your music playlists are being placed on your ipod even if you're telling iTunes to only show certain playlists on your iPod. Why? Because when you insert an iPod and if you click on it in iTunes and then click over to Music you get a screen that has three options. the first option is to sync music (everyone will want to select this and thus all music is synced to the iPod) then next to options are to check either all songs and playlists or check selected playlists. I did much testing last night and even if one checks "selected playlists", all the music is still placed on the ipod [while all is not seen while using the iPod] - because you had to check "Sync music" to get there.

I'm not saying your wrong and hope your right.

However, when I insert any of my iPod Nanos, click on it, and click over to the music tab, I have to check the first box [Which is Sync Music] in order to get to the next 2 options [which are "all songs and playlists" and "selected playlists"].

If there is a way around checking "Sync Music" from the get go then perhaps what you are suggesting will work.

I'm testing it now and I have to click "Sync Music" to then select the last option which is "Selected Playlist" and I prompted iTunes to "Apply" which is to update the iPod with what is selected. As I sit here and watch it Sync to the iPod I see the Christmas and other music [even though I have Christmas playlist and Halloween playlist music deslected] being sent to and updated to the iPod as files are added to the iPod as I recognize the song titles as I see them sent (like Run Run Rudolph).

Test it yourself and see what happens - to me the songs are still being Synced even though I've deselected that playlist to be sent to the iPod).

I'll continue to test. I hope you're right and have a work around.

What I'm suggesting is this is more of a Music Library Sync than an actual playlist sync when thinking about the space that is being Synced to the iPod. To me the space [songs] are/is still being taken up by music being sent to the iPod even though I only "see" the playlists of songs I want to listen to.

I wish other users would chime in here and comment on what's occurring.

I stand corrected.

I had multiple other playlists that are Synced to the iPod that included the playlists [songs in them] I deselected.

Even though I deselected certain playlists the songs were still being put on the iPod since other playlists were still selected.

Playlists that had songs from Christmas and Halloween were still being synced as they fell into other playlists like "recently played" [even though I didn't choose to recently play them they just did at some recent point].

I'm marking your post as solved - you have been very very helpful - thanks so much!

As an after-thought, I think what the problem for me [and perhaps many others] is that Apple has put playlists (like recently played, 90's music, my top rated, recently added, top 25 most played, and perhaps on the go) onto iTunes or the iPod by default. Apple placing such playlists in iTunes or on iPods is forcing those songs [with their file sizes] to be added to the iPod [using up memory on the iPod] even when users deselect their personal playlists [because the songs still get picked up and Synced as they fall under so many other categories such as those I've described] - what do you think?