After the TrueLoyal content pros on our marketing team asked me to start writing about our newest features, I went out and read a bunch of "Release Notes" or other similarly rote documents about the new things that one company or another is doing. I found three common trends: these updates were written by what could only be a robot, they mostly explained functionality and not value, and they required deep expertise in their software to understand what is happening when the new doohickey meets the old thingamajig. Hopefully I can do better.

Starting in reverse chronological order with June, I want to recap Q2 at TrueLoyal, which saw a major shift in personnel for our Product Team. Don't worry, we are still bringing you major updates. Ask any of our Sales/CS team members, and I bet they will say that it feels like we are getting more done than ever before!

At the end of June we snuck in a preview at a Q3 focus, new moderation updates. You can now moderate posts easier than ever, with the click of a button! We also pulled out some of the tougher-to-use options on each post. Tagging your posts is much easier and should unlock 101 new uses for your TrueLoyal content.

Beyond moderation, we improved the Collaborators section allowing you to invite in new users that may have used TrueLoyal in the past, and to transfer ownership of your account. Our Support and Success teams know these updates will help you out quite a bit when your whole team tries out TrueLoyal or when someone leaves. We also added the ability to sign into TrueLoyal with your Google, Facebook or LinkedIn account.

Minor updates in June: you can now internationalize the time stamp on the display, change the images with a filter (grayscale for now, more to come) and duplicate a TrueLoyal.

Moving into May, we FINALLY completed a theme that our CEO has been asking for ever since I joined TrueLoyal (~2.5 years ago): we launched the TrueLoyal Ticker Theme.

If you are doing anything broadcasted or event based, or even want to add some unobtrusive news to your website, the TrueLoyal Ticker theme opens up a ton of options. Of all the uses I've seen for the ticker, my favorite is on huge concert screens to share what people say about the performer. Final thought: check out TrueLoyalmix + Ticker–it might change your life.

Other features we added: Public Posting network allows viewers of your embedded TrueLoyal to add content directly, and military grade login security (TrueLoyal has industry leading security).

In April we launched a new theme with a distinctive "Polaroid" feel.

Simple animations "exposing" the photo and dropping the images randomly keep the visualization fresh for the viewer. I personally recommend images that really touch on the heartstrings and inspire a sense of nostalgia.

We also implemented a couple of new networks: Slack and Spark. If you were used to using TrueLoyal only as a social solution, with maybe a spattering of blog content or videos, you might think we are crazy implementing "chat tools." Maybe it is crazy, but giving more of your employees a voice in content generation may be one of the best business moves you make in 2016. With simple keywords added to a post/chat (we recommend a hashtag), the Slack or Spark connection automatically puts it in TrueLoyal, where you can curate the best things that your employees say about each other or the company. Recommended uses: in-office screens, your career webpage or even the intranet.

Other major developments in April: API documentation with 10+ new endpoints and an updated Classic Slideshow theme.

Hopefully my updates in July will include a bit more content marketing strategy mixed into the product updates. Feel free to send me your feedback and ideas: lukas@TrueLoyalup.com