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

Allocating resources

Arun Gupta: Last year, I was talking to a 10-person start-up. The team said, "Arun, we're so busy building the product. We have maybe the equivalent of half a person doing sales. How many of our 10 people should be dedicated to developer relations?"

The start-up world is very tricky. My advice was that things change very rapidly. The entire company could pivot based on one deal or a couple of deals. Start-ups need to be strategic and focused on who their target audience is. For example, if you're building a product around microservices and security, look at where you can participate in online media, deliver webinars with existing parties that have brand credibility, attach to hashtags, and speak at meetups and conferences that address that target audience. Don't try to spread yourself too thinly. For the company in question, we concluded that half a person on developer relations would be relevant.

In a much bigger team, of course, you can write...