Book Image

Developer, Advocate!

By : Geertjan Wielenga
Book Image

Developer, Advocate!

By: Geertjan Wielenga

Overview of this book

What exactly is a developer advocate, and how do they connect developers and companies around the world? Why is the area of developer relations set to explode? Can anybody with a passion for tech become a developer advocate? What are the keys to success on a global scale? How does a developer advocate maintain authenticity when balancing the needs of their company and their tech community? What are the hot topics in areas including Java, JavaScript, "tech for good," artificial intelligence, blockchain, the cloud, and open source? These are just a few of the questions addressed by developer advocate and author Geertjan Wielenga in Developer, Advocate!. 32 of the industry's most prominent developer advocates, from companies including Oracle, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, open up about what it's like to turn a lifelong passion for knowledge sharing about tech into a rewarding career. These advocates run the gamut from working at large software vendors to small start-ups, along with independent developer advocates who work within organizations or for themselves. In Developer, Advocate!, readers will see how developer advocates are actively changing the world, not only for developers, but for individuals and companies navigating the fast-changing tech landscape. More importantly, Developer, Advocate! serves as a rallying cry to inspire and motivate tech enthusiasts and burgeoning developer advocates to get started and take their first steps within their tech community.
Table of Contents (36 chapters)
34
Other Books You May Enjoy
35
Index
36
Packt

When to talk about competitors

Geertjan Wielenga: In the area of ethical dilemmas, what if you're doing a presentation and you get a question, and you know that your competitor does the job better than your product does. How honest are you?

Tori Wieldt: It depends on the context. If I'm in front of a room of people, I'm not going to give any praise to my competitors. If I'm at happy hour having a beer, standing next to somebody, then that conversation will go a little bit differently. "Does it better" is also highly dependent on a user's situation.

Geertjan Wielenga: What if you know that there's a bug in the tech and you're doing a demo? Do you avoid that particular bug area without saying anything?

Tori Wieldt: I will skirt imperfections, although I would never lie knowingly. I've always been heartened by how intelligent and reasonable developers as customers are. You can just be upfront and say, "This is not the direction the company...