Staff Advocate @ Datadog | Inspiring & educating engineers to build better systems #DatadogLife
Time for another DevRel rant: DevRel folks should speak less. There was a time when constantly traveling and speaking at events was basically the job. This isn't sustainable or healthy, and I don't mean in terms of you, Mr/Ms/Mx DevRel person. Its not healthy or sustainable for your company or the tech communities you're involved in. We're already seeing layoffs in the industry as a correction for this. We're seeing backlash from community events as more of the content schedule is filled with DevRel folks. And I know of several events that have unpublished rules around *not* accepting DevRel talks. To be quite honest, a lot of the backlash and layoffs are deserved. One thing every DevRel person should consider is: Am I the right person to tell this story or educate people about this topic? I think a lot of us default to answering "yes", but often we aren't. We just happen to be available, good at speaking, and willing to travel. I'd wager that most times, the right person to tell the story isn't going to be a DevRel, but an engineer at your company, a customer, or a community member. DevRel becomes much more sustainable when you can figure out how to enable those people to get on stage. Tech communities are healthier when you can find ways to help those voices be heard, rather than your own. Ultimately, DevRel's future success is in enabling others, not just for doing tech things, but also for education.
Martin Thwaites
8mo
When the conferences start paying the speakers, instead of, at best, T&A, we might see a change here. Conferences want good speakers that inspire. Those are often better to sell tickets than someone with experience who can't give a good talk. I'm seeing some change that, I'm hoping for more. Good DevRels frame a problem, a relatable one, and how they *solved* it. The best versions of these talks don't even mention their product, they lead them see how that product can solve the problem. It's a fine line. My issue is that people who are career DevRels, who've jumped industries a few times, generally aren't talking "from experience". Something I worry about since I'm about year out of being a practitioner into DevRel, but for a product and area I've spoken from experience on. We're taking a different tact though. Getting our customers and champions into conferences, however then that raises the moral argument of, if we offer to cover expenses, or even pay them to do it, is that OK? Someone has to pay the speakers... who should that be?
Rob de Wit 🐘
8mo
I mean, ideally DevRel wouldn’t be a job at all, but rather a skill all product engineers would practice part-time. But that’s much more difficult to achieve than having dedicated people in your team.
Hillel Wayne
8mo
Agree, but be sure not to discount how much "being good at speaking" matters to being "the right person". Being good at speaking is a REALLY hard skill to learn! But also, you can do a LOT of devrel without speaking. Write instead! The internet is always hungry for really good written material. I go to maybe 1-2 conferences a year but write a ton.
Liz Fong-Jones
8mo
Giving talks is a way of starting conversations so they know to come find you. Not a way to talk at people.
Angel Rivera
8mo
🤔Thx for provoking me brother❤️😂😂😂😂 Developer Relations is so much more than just traveling and speaking at conferences. I’ve always defined it as inspiring, motivating and educating and I standby this 100%. I believe DevRel individuals must cycle in and out of the role in order to be effective. How can DevRel individuals be credible if you’re not Developing, DevOpsing, Opsing, Securing, Architecting, Networking etc at a similar level as the amazing practitioners we’re presenting to and engaging with? The majority of DevRel individuals I know, comfortably rely on their past experiences from former roles as the foundation of their credibility which is appropriate until it’s not. Like in any other industry role, DevRel is not immune to rapid change & evolutionary cadence inherent to our industry & a complacent individual will eventually erode their relevance & credibility and no longer be able to inspire, motivate & educate. Cycle through a 3 month rotation with practioners get intimate with real-world obstacles & DEVELOP thoughts, share observations, experiences & solutions… Bring value instead of the same old tired irrelevant shit & the community will not backlash or possibly lay us off 🤦🏻😂😂🤷🏻😂😂
Brian Oblinger
8mo
A lot of community managers/DevRel folks forgot that their job was to discover and hold up members of their communities, not to hold themselves up as industry celebrities. It’s a fundamental misunderstanding of their role.
Bryan Robinson
8mo
Current initiative for my team: "How can we enable anyone who talks to one of our user devs to talk to them as well as DevRel can talk to them?" Enabling all the teams to Tinker, Teach, and Talk about Tech (3.5 Ts of devrel is a current joke of mine) is a way to help all the teams in a company succeed with the developer persona. We shouldn't be the stars. In fact, the company shouldn't be. We should help our devs (or users) be the stars and heroes...
Abhimanyu Selvan
8mo
Bang on. At DO, we have started enabling our solution engineers and product managers to get actively involved in webinars/tech talks etc. We have been intentional about it and it is working out well so far.
Ian O'Brien
8mo
Maybe controversial opinion? The industry as a whole has too many “speakers” who probably shouldnt in the same way it has too many “senior” (or higher) engineers who probably arent.
Developer Advocate, but also - PMM, Technical Writing & Docs
8mo“Am I the right person to tell this story?” is a great frame IFF it’s a DevRel thinking about whether they could help someone else who wants to speak. However, the “am I the right person?” frame is dangerous for speaking in general. Speakers who that advice is too simplistic for are likely new to a subject area, highly anxious, or suffer from Impostor phenomenom. The “I’m not an expert nor the right person” thought is one that stops a lot of folks from ever speaking or writing. You noted that this is specifically for DevRels, which in most cases that first beneficial reading is likely spot on. I’m writing just to say out loud what I think is somewhat subtle: if you’re inexperienced or feel like you’re not good enough to speak, this advice is NOT for you.