DevRel Weekly - Issue 229 - Learning new skills and empowering others

Welcome! 👋

Since spraining my ankle (in both directions, turns out 🤪), I've had a lot of time to sit and contemplate circumstances, make plans, and shift my perspective on a number of items. It's amazing what being forced to sit still will reveal to you. 😅

I've been debating how to share some of the things I've been working through. They're not fully fleshed-out ideas yet, but I definitely want to share them. I'm also getting back to a place where I'd like to start creating content that you all are interested in.

So this is me, putting myself out there! What types of content would you like to see? Where (and how) do you like interacting with people? Are you interested in live conversations? Casual recorded videos? Long-form blogposts? Or something in between?

Also, what topics are on your mind right now? What do you wish there was more information on in the DevRel space? Even if I can't answer all of the questions, maybe I know other people who do!

Looking forward to hearing from you all 🤗

Best,
Mary (Twitter, Bluesky)
DevRel Weekly Patreon

Tidbits 🕔

Help Developers Succeed

"If Twitter didn't exist, how would you do your job? Ok, now do that." -@coreylweathers dropping knowledge

-Scott Hanselman

This is some of the best advice I can give to folks interested in #devrel. It's not about the vanity metrics. It's always about helping developers succeed. Focus on that and see it through.

-Corey Weathers

Empower Others

Growth as a developer advocate is not just about technical skills. It's about cultivating a growth mindset, fostering meaningful connections, and empowering others to reach their full potential. #GrowthMindset

-Andrew Papoutsis

Community Content Flywheel

🎡 THE COMMUNITY <-> CONTENT FLYWHEEL:

Step 1. Create relatable content that attracts a specific identity

Step 2. Invite them to a community and observe what they discuss

Step 3. Turn those conversations into highly relatable content

Repeat, repeat, repeat!

-David Spinks

Tangibles 🤓

DevRel Resources for your Boss

Whether your manager needs a few resources to make sure you're on the same page or you're a leader who's relatively new to the DevRel scene, there are two articles that came across my screen this week that might be helpful:

What to do when members leave your community?

When people leave your community, it can be hard to swallow. But understanding why they left is important. Have they moved on to a different company where they no longer use your product? Did they get a promotion that means they're spending more time managing than implementing? Or perhaps your community was so useful that it solved all their problems and they're moving forward without any need for community support! This blogpost is full of great suggestions, from how to approach community members who have recently left to how to adapt your community to suit your ideal community member.

3 Challenges of Using Generative AI in Community Management

Using Generative AI to speed up your work is tempting, especially if you're responsible for producing a lot of content. But there are some downsides. This post notes a few of the challenges that you might face and ways to counteract them.

Storytime 📚

DevRel Podcasts and Videos

Adapting Your Community Strategy Through Organizational Changes with Nicole Saunders & Chris Detzel - Peers over Beers
The State of Community Management 2023 with Jim Storer, Kelly Stocker, and Michael Puhala (video)
Developer Relations in Web3. Successful strategies for attracting developers to product building by Daria Volkova
Tech is easy, people are hard with Steve Pousty - The Art of Developer Experience
Exploring PyTorch and Open-Source Communities with Soumith Chintala - Gradient Dissent
Open Standards and Private Products: A DevRel's Dream or Nightmare with Thulie and Valériane Venance - AsyncAPI
Not one size fits all with Chris Riley - DevMar Debugged

Events 📆

DevRel Events

My list of events is regularly updated for the DevRel industry. It's an excellent way to keep up with what is happening! We'd love to see you at some of them.

Jobs 👩‍💻

DevRel Jobs

You can find ideas for your next career move on the DevRel job board. The list is updated regularly, so even if you've reviewed it before, do so again!