DevRel Weekly - Issue 223 - Data Points and Personality Types

Welcome! 👋

Harpreet Sahota is all too correct -- some weeks in DevRel feel like we're being asked to bring value with directions as vague as the classic "how to draw an owl" sketch:

Step 1: Build a community
Step 2: They adopt your product and become users

But we all know there's a rather large amount of work that goes in between steps 1 and 2. 😅 Whether you're excited by that work this week or feeling overwhelmed by the number of things that need to be accomplished, I hope the wisdom shared in these links is helpful to you!

Best,
Mary (@mary_grace)
DevRel Weekly Patreon

p.s. Where are my coffee fanatics at? Kamran Ayub has a fantastic Developer Pour-over graphic this week which might help you understand where DevRel sits in relation to Marketing, Customer Success, Developer Experience, and more.

Tidbits 🕔

The Ikea Effect Applied to Community

I wasn't previously familiar with "The Ikea Effect" (creating something yourself increases the value to you) but Ozair Akhtar explains it well, and puts a DevRel spin on it in this thread.

Interesting Data Points

A fascinating study suggests hosting in-person meetups for your members may lead to members engaging LESS on the hosted community.

Once people connect in person they're more likely to create private groups and have direct interactions with one another.

-Richard Millington

You can find the full research paper here. I'll definitely be digging into it in the near future!

Ego & DevRel Don't Mix

DevRel is promoting and driving interest in something other than yourself.

DevRel management is about making your people matter more than yourself.

There's no place for ego in DevRel.

-David G Simmons

Tangibles 🤓

Online Communities Have Personality Types, Just Like People

Noele Flowers introduced a fascinating concept recently, which continues to bounce around in my mind: what if we use a "personality assessment tool" to help us better understand (and create) a strategy for our community?

From habitual to need-based, personal to compartmentalized, independence and structure, and emotional or tangible, Noele has given us a way to evaluate where our communities fall and therefore how we can best provide for their needs.

This exercise might also help us create a community positioning statement, which Patrick Woods encourages us to do.

Everything You [Didn't] Want To Know About Developer Experience

Rain Leander has written up a fantastic summary of the business value of Developer Experience, how it's different from DevRel and User Experience, how it's related to DevOps (which may surprise you!), and how you can learn more. 🤩 It's a whirlwind summary of a sometimes difficult-to-comprehend topic, and a ride very much worth taking.

Here are a few other reasons people had this week for investing in DevEx:

Creating a great developer experience is crucial for building successful software products. By prioritizing developer productivity and satisfaction, we can ensure faster and more efficient development cycles.

-Amar

Proactively seeking feedback, addressing pain points, and communicating product updates and changes helps build a strong sense of community and trust within the developer ecosystem thereby improving the overall developer experience.

-Samuel

Storytime 📚

DevRel Podcasts and Videos

AI in Online Communities: Pros, Cons, and Future Possibilities with Nicole Saunders - Peers over Beers
What is Developer Relations, How to Succeed at Dev Rel, Scaling Open Source Projects & Contribution with Brian Douglas - Software Snack Bites
Dealing with Burnout as a Community Professional with Carolyn Zick, Samantha Logan, Chris Detzel, and Jillian Bejtlich - Community Manager Live (video)
Engaging Developers with Edutrainment with Dale Meredith - DevEducate: The Art of Teaching Developers at Scale
Organizing, managing, and surviving the CFP Process by David G Simmons (video)

Events 📆

DevRel Events

If you haven’t already, come check out what's next with our constantly evolving calendar of events!

Jobs 👩‍💻

DevRel Jobs

Don’t forget to explore our curated collection of job opportunities if you're currently looking for new employment!