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

The rise of developer relations

Geertjan Wielenga: The whole world is now so different, as you mentioned earlier. Developer relations as a service is really a sign of the times. Would you agree that companies understand developer relations more now?

Tracy Lee: It's interesting because when I talk to traditional marketing people, it's typically because a founder or chief technology officer (CTO) said, "We need a developer relations person." Suddenly, the marketing team wants to spend some budget on advocacy, but they don't really get it; they don't really know what developer relations is.

Eventually, they think, "Oh, you're just like our PR firm. You do the things that our PR people do, but you do them for developers."

I've never thought about it that way because we're obviously not a PR firm, but often, that's the way companies find they can relate to us. That's an interesting way to look at it. You could see developer relations...