What is the most misunderstood thing about developer relations?
Some people have a gift. They can explain things clearly and concisely.
Chris Riley of Hubspot has that gift. That is why I asked him a few questions about developer relations, aka DevRel.
DevRel is a strategy
Chris stated, “DevRel is a strategy like DevOps, not a role.” This is a standard mistake organizations make.
He broke down DevRel into four distinct parts.
Advocacy
Community
Documentation
Partnerships
Each of these is important in its own way.
Advocacy is needed for developers. Organizations need to remember the customer. In this case, it is us—the developers.
Similar to having an attorney plead our case. This is what my fellow speaker Heather Hansen does. She helps people become their advocates.
Developers can be a quiet group. We must learn how to advocate and ask for what we need to do our work.
Great developer communities exist in many places. Many open-source communities exist. Apache Software Foundation and The Eclipse Foundation are a couple of big ones.
Smaller more grass-roots communities exist in our local cities. The Philadephia Java Users Group is still going strong in my area. Look around and find one that fits you.
Documentation has come a long way. Early in my career we just accepted shoddy links with little information. Today the bar has been raised. This link to vue.js is well set up.
The last part of DevRel is Partnerships. This can be closely aligned with the marketing department. Depending on the product these can take many forms.
Empathy for Developers
Chris pointed out that DevRel must have empathy for developers. He was once a developer and understands the struggles and frustrations.
Faking this won’t get you far. A developer can spot that a mile away. There needs to be an acknowledgment of the challenges we face.
Aptitude
On LinkedIn Chris’s headline reads, “Bad coder turned advocate for modern app dev practices.”
He has the aptitude for development. Although he admits he doesn’t do it well. I give him points for honesty.
Chris mentioned to do DevRel we need, “at least 1-year developer experience.” This would establish the aptitude. Along with creating empathy.
Engagement
It is important to share content on social media. DevRel is about engagement.
Go where your people are. Answer their questions and see their pain points.
Chris made it clear that “this is not a popularity contest.” It helps to have a following but is not a requirement.
Be Unique
In the book Purple Cow, Seth Godin tells marketers to stand out. Chris has similar advice.
“Have a point of view”, he shared. Don’t say the same things as everyone else.
Persuasive brand
We need to call people to follow us. Create a brand that compels developers to listen.
Do this by creating written and video content that commands attention. Keep this on brand. Serve your community.
Overall, Chris has some wonderful advice for people interested in DevRel. First off, understand that it is a strategy. Make sure you have empathy and aptitude for it. Finally, be unique in your message and brand.