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

Disagreeing with your company

Tori Wieldt: How challenging it is to work for a big company that wants to be able to dictate things. In one of my roles, there was a bit of a culture shock after having gone from one company that was very lenient and open to a company that was not that way at all.

The company wanted to run every blog post through a legal organization. I was fighting hard and saying, "That's crazy! We need to be able to have comments on blogs. The whole point is engaging with people, which means they can say good and bad things about the company."

"You have got to learn not to freak out if one person says something about you that you don't like."

—Tori Wieldt

Modern companies have Twitterfall at their conferences. You have got to learn not to freak out if one person says something about you that you don't like. The arena has changed and it's a mindset shift. You have to let go of that control or the illusion that...