Release Notes

Word Release

Released July 4, 2023 (build 46.23.22)

Renamed fields on Create New User & Edit User forms

Selected fields on the Create New User and Edit User forms are being renamed to better reflect the features they represent. These changes are detailed below as follows: new name (old name)

  • Custom Profile Field Label (Work Messaging Label)
  • Custom Profile Field Value (Work Messaging ID)
  • Custom User Field Label (Other Label)
  • Custom User Field Value (Other Value)

These changes will also be put into effect on the Jostle User Import CSV, where they will appear just as they do above, but without any spaces separating each word (e.g. CustomProfileFieldLabel).

 

TOTAL:  128 bug fixes, improvements, and enhancements.

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Release cycle theme: Jostle: A to Z

W is for Word

Did you know that while most people know what a word "is", there has never been a consensus among linguists about the actual criteria for something to be considered a "word"? Different standards have been proposed, based on descriptive context, theoretical backgrounds, constitution, and so forth, but never have they converged in unified agreement.

After hearing this, I was inspired to provide my own take on what a word is...via a little bit of "word" wordplay, of course:

                                                    Written, Orated - Rarely Defined.


Variable Release

Released June 15, 2023 (build 46.22.19)

Special Release

Aside from the usual improvements and fixes, the majority of features included in Variable will be used in preparation of future advancements. As such, there are no customer-facing features to highlight for this release.

 

TOTAL:  107 bug fixes, improvements, and enhancements.

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Release cycle theme: Jostle: A to Z

V is for Variable

Did you know that not only can variable be used to describe something that is not consistent, it can also refer to: a factor liable to change, a symbolic representation of a mathematical object, or a storage location for data?

In short, there are a lot of "variable"s out there.

Now, usually when it comes to being very verbal, I find it valuable to be very able, but verbalizing about variables? It's simply not that viable. There very many variables, due to the variety of "variable" versions that verbally exist. So inevitably, invariably, I avoid voicing varied and verbose "variable" verbiage.

Verily.


Utility Release

Released May 24, 2023 (build 46.21.13)

Special Release

Aside from the usual improvements and some needed fixes, the majority of features included in Utility will be used in preparation of future advancements. As such, there are no customer-facing features to highlight for this release.

 

TOTAL:  133 bug fixes, improvements, and enhancements.

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Release cycle theme: Jostle: A to Z

U is for Utility

Did you know that Batman has packed at least 44 different items into his utility belt over the years?

That's 43 more than the number of things I could think to write about for "utility".


Target Release

Released May 8/15, 2023 (build 46.20.17)

Redesigned action bars for News and Activity

A handful of user-friendly improvements are in store for the News and Activity action bars, including:

  • Adding labels that clearly distinguish each each action bar
  • Replacing the gear icons with action menu ("three dots") icons
  • Relocating all News icons to right side of the News action bar
  • Merging the Manage and News Admins menus into one combined menu

Employee ID field added to Profiles

(Note - this feature was originally slated to arrive in the Success release)

User Profiles will now include an optional field for Employee IDs (in the About section). This field can only be edited by System Admins and may be set to be either visible or hidden to regular users when they're viewing someone's Profile.

 

TOTAL:  112 bug fixes, improvements, and enhancements.

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Release cycle theme: Jostle: A to Z

T is for Target

Did you know that Target has had a long and interesting history as a retailer? Read on for a quick peek behind the bullseye!

Fast facts

  • founded as Goodfellows Dry Goods Company in 1902
  • "Target" branding and the bullseye logo debuted in 1962
  • currently has 1,948 stores in the U.S.
  • made their first $1 billion in sales in 1979 (2022: $109 billion)


Notable moments

  • developers of the first fully enclosed shopping mall
  • first company to offer retirement benefits to employees
  • opened 11 stores in one city in one day (Chicago, 1993)
  • Target flopped in Canada

133 stores were opened across Canada between 2013 and 2015, but Target was never able to grab a foothold in the market. The entire Canadian branch was shuttered in April 2015.

Trivia tidbit

  • Target is a little wary of their customers once they get behind the wheel of a car

To explain: you know those big red decorative balls (aka "bollards") that are permanent fixtures outside the front of every Target store? Well, they aren't just there for decorative purposes. Their main function is to prevent any crazed shoppers from driving their cars right into the store. 😬

So, I guess the takeaway here is that just because they're called Target doesn't mean they actually want to be a target. 


Success Release

(build 46.19.19)

Employee ID field added to Profiles*

User Profiles will now include an optional field for Employee IDs (in the About section). This field can only be edited by System Admins and may be set to be either visible or hidden to regular users when they're viewing someone's Profile. 

*this feature will now be arriving in our Target release

 

TOTAL:  121 bug fixes, improvements, and enhancements.

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Release cycle theme: Jostle: A to Z

S is for Success

Did you know that here at Jostle, we love to celebrate success almost as much as we love to hear a good success story? Well, in honor of this release's namesake, we're going to do a mash-up of sorts, and celebrate the success of some (very literal) "success" stories.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Based on the 1952 novel of the same name, this musical starring Robert Morse debuted on Broadway in 1961 and took home 7 Tony Awards the following year. It was made into a film in 1967 and has had two successful Broadway revivals, one in 1995 with Matthew Broderick and the other in 2011 featuring Daniel Radcliff.

The Secret of My Success
This 1987 boardroom comedy received mixed reviews from critics but was a big hit at the box office due to star Michael J. Fox's rising popularity at the time (Back to the Future had been released two years prior and Fox was currently in the middle of a three-year Emmy-winning streak for his role on NBC's Family Ties). Budgeted at $12 million, it eventually pulled in $111 million worldwide (the equivalent to nearly $300 million today).

Succession
This dark comedy/drama series, about a family that controls a global media and entertainment conglomerate, premiered on HBO in 2018. In the short time it has been on air, it has amassed 48 Emmy nominations and 11 wins. The series has an overall rating of 95% fresh on the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes and was ranked #11 on Rolling Stone magazine's "The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time" list.


Recognize Release

Released April 3, 2023 (build 46.18.20)

People update

While not actually part of the Recognize release, a new version of People will be rolling out to all customer platforms at around the same time as its arrival (System Admins will be notified prior to this).

Included among the many improvements it will bring to the view are additional filtering options and a sleek new UI.

 

TOTAL:  137 bug fixes, improvements, and enhancements.

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Release cycle theme: Jostle: A to Z

R is for Recognize

Did you know that there's a neurological disorder characterized by the inability to recognize faces called "prosopagnosia"? The term comes from the Greek words for “face” and “lack of knowledge.”

Did you also know that companies worldwide are spending a total of $46 billion on ways to recognize their employees for their efforts, but when it comes to daily accomplishments, 85% of employees surveyed said they would be satisfied with just being recognized by a simple "thank you"?

And did you also know that there is a point I'm trying to make here? And that would be THIS:

In this chaotic world we live in, if you can regularly recognize your colleagues (both visually AND for their accomplishments), then that's a pretty good indication that you have a good brain and a good heart.*
RECOGNIZE.

*Not based on any medical findings whatsoever. Results may vary.


Question Release

Released March 16, 2023 (build 46.17.30)

Special Release

Aside from the usual fixes and improvements, the majority of features included in Question will be used in preparation of future advancements. As such, there are no customer-facing features to highlight for this release.

 

TOTAL:  191 bug fixes, improvements, and enhancements.

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Release cycle theme: Jostle: A to Z

Q is for Question

Did you know that while there are many notable questions to be found in popular culture, from Shakespeare ("To be or not to be?") to Se7en ("What's in the box?"), there aren't nearly as many notable "Questions"?  

So in honor of this release's themed name, what say we shine a light on a few of them right now?

The $64,000 Question

One of the top-rated tv shows of the 1950s, this was a quiz show where contestants attempted to win a jackpot by answering a series of questions in a specific category. With each correct answer, the jackpot would double in value until the contestant reached the final "$64,000 question". FUN FACT: If this show was made today and adjusted for inflation, it would be The $704,000 Question.

? and the Mysterians

"Question Mark" was the stage name of the lead singer of this 60s pop-rock back that scored a #1 hit on the Billboard charts with their debut single 96 Tears. FUN FACT: They were one of the first bands whose musical style was referred to as "punk rock".

The Question

This crimefighting DC Comics character is known for his signature outfit (a blue trench coat and fedora), and for sporting a featureless facemask that bonds to his skin, thus making his true identity a "question". FUN FACT: The Question was the inspiration for the character of Rorschach from Watchmen.



Plan Release

Released February 16, 2023 (build 46.16.15)

New data for Login Status & Method reports

The Login Status & Method report (available to System Admins in Admin Settings > Analytics) will now include columns for the following data: Location, Org Unit, and Custom Filter.

 

TOTAL:  134 bug fixes, improvements, and enhancements.

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Release cycle theme: Jostle: A to Z

P is for Plan

Did you know that an an apronym is when a word is turned into an acronym, and the words constituting the acronym are related to or describe the acronym word itself? If that sounds a bit confusing, here are a few apronyms I put together for PLAN that should help make it a little more clear:

  • Project Layout And Notes
  • Preparing Later Actions Now
  • Procedural List, Arranged Neatly

Now, what does this have to do with anything? Well, not much, really. However, this method is a perfect way to present some of the plans I follow when creating the content for each Release Note's Did you know? feature. And by "plans" I mean PLANs, as in:

  • Profound Literary Anecdotes? Nope.
  • Philosophical Language? Absolutely Not.
  • Purposeful Learning? Almost None.
  • Pleasing, Likeable Aesthetic? Naturally.

It always pays to have a plan! 😉


Organize Release

Released February 6, 2023 (build 46.15.18)

Special Release

Aside from the usual fixes and improvements, most of the features included in Organize will be used to lay the groundwork for future advancements. As such, there are no customer-facing features to highlight for this release.

 

TOTAL:  48 bug fixes, improvements, and/or performance enhancements.

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Release cycle theme: Jostle: A to Z

O is for Organize

Did you know that an old-timey definition of organize is: "to furnish with organs; to give an organic structure to; to endow with capacity for the functions of life"?

This puts a whole new perspective on how we use organize and it's related terms today. For example, with that definition in mind, you might say...

  • Frankenstein's monster is a pretty organized guy.
  • Evisceration can make you very disorganized.
  • Illegally experimenting with clones is an organized crime.
  • Heart, lung, or kidney transplants that are performed free of charge are non-profit organizations.

Quite frankly, it's all just blowing my mind. I may need to take a moment to, um...organize my thoughts. 👀


Navigate Release

Released January 9, 2023 (build 46.14.16)

Recommended and My Items lists added to Library

Two new system-managed lists have been added to Library:
  • Recommended will include any items visible to a user that have been marked as "Recommended" by their uploader(s).
  • My Items allows a user to see all the items for which they are the designated Contact.

Both lists join Recently Updated and My Favorites in Library's side navigation, directly below "Browse".

Attachment thumbnail improvements

To provide more transparency for attachments, the thumbnail generated for the preview when an image is uploaded to the platform will now be a scaled-down version of the original image instead of a zoomed-in version.

 

TOTAL:  77 bug fixes, improvements, and/or performance enhancements.

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Release cycle theme: Jostle: A to Z

N is for Navigate

Did you know that when I was trying to figure what to write about in regards to the name of this release, the only thing I could think of was this lame joke:

   What do you call a scandalous conspiracy involving the alien race from the Avatar movies?

   Na'vigate

...aaaand that's it. (When I said it was the only thing I could think of, I was being VERY literal.)