Issue 48

Welcome! 👋

I don't know about you, but this last week was exhausting. I caught myself thinking more than once that it was Friday, only to discover that it was (still) Monday. Unfortunately, it wasn't just me struggling with this -- I heard from many of you that it was a similarly intense week.

From simply getting back into the swing of things to re-orgs and changes in management, there have been enough changes to make anyone want to hide until things seem easier. Luckily, this week also saw a lot of encouragement from the greater community, both in Slack and on Twitter.

There are interesting things in store as we embark on 2019, including calls for more community-based social networks and recognition that we as DevRel professionals aren't simply individual contributors, but that we're CEOs in training. It's no wonder that our energies are low already!

As we start this new week, my personal goal is balance. As I said a few weeks ago, I have three things to focus on in January: Rest. Organize. Prepare. and in order to keep those moving forward, there's a balance that has to be struck. That might mean resetting expectations, figuring out new routines, or (very occasionally) committing to working longer hours for the time being.

But my hope with this balance is that it will make 2019 a more sustainable year. It might not be as exciting or seem as accomplished from the outside, but if I can achieve sustainability, both personally and professionally, that will be the accomplishment that matters far more than any other.

Here's to resetting expectations, being gracious to ourselves as well as others, and maintaining a balance of rest, organization, and preparation. 🥂

Best,
-Mary (@mary_grace)

Tidbits 🕔

First and Foremost, We are Storytellers

A huge part of community management is just prompting people to share what they already do, but it a structured way so others can get maximum value out of it. This also requires more expertise than it seems to on the surface.

-Rachel Happe

We are CEOs in Training

To successfully run communities you need to...

set a vision, values and rules

set goals and metrics

acquire members

onboard and keep them engaged

manage volunteers

optimize content/SEO

manage conflict

stay level headed

Community pros are CEOs in training.

-David Spinks

It's All About the Developer's Needs

No matter what you call yourself developer advocate /evangelist remember

Advocate - advocate for DEVELOPER needs

Evangelist - explain how to use their company stack to achieve what DEVELOPER needs and not why their company stack is better than others

-Conrad Sopala

Context Switching. And... Go!

Being a Developer Advocate is really about context switching

in the matter of an hour I had 3 different meetings with some teammates about:

Developer Experience 👩‍💻👨‍💻

Budgeting 💸

an Integration I've built ⚙️

-Nicolas Grenié

Tangibles 🤓

Building a Professional Network

A new year tends to generate new goals. If one of yours is to work on your professional network, this Twitter thread from David Spinks, CEO and Founder of CMX, is a good place to start.

Personal vs. Professional Brand: A Balance

Steve Pousty took a stand when it comes to personal brand vs. DevRel on social media accounts this past week, and I have to say that I agree with him! I address personal brand in The Business Value of Developer Relations and while adding your own spin to your social media accounts is key, if you identify publicly as a DevRel professional, there needs to be a balance of personal and professional, with an emphasis on content that provides value to your audience.

DevRel is like coffee.. and other profundities.

If you know me personally, you know that I have a soft spot for cozy coffee shops around the world. Comparing DevRel to coffee (or a coffee shop) just makes this job even dreamier to me. Enter Jeremy Meiss's recent blogpost. From creating a welcoming environment to listening to customer's needs to building 1:1 relationships, there are more comparisons than I ever knew, which makes this coffee-loving brain happy. ☕️

Measure the Value of Contribution, Not the Value of Community

Metrics, metrics, metrics. With the new year came all sorts of articles around measuring community efforts. But as I tell my clients, if you don't know the why for what you're doing, there's not much point in figuring out how well you're doing it. As Corrie Davidson says in response to this article from CMX Hub,

When trying to determine what to measure in your community, remember: the goals behind the existence of your community should drive what you measure for engagement.

Follow up that post with this one from CMX Founder David Spinks. He encourages us to not put too much focus on the value of the community, which at the end of the day is for the community, not for the business. Instead, by focusing on the community's contributions, we can see how the tools we're providing are enabling them to do awesome things!

The Business Value of College Hackathons

As you begin to explore event sponsorship in 2019, don't forget about the category of hackathons! In this piece from Aydrian Howard, he explains the business value of college hackathons from his years of experience sponsoring and mentoring at these events.

Developer Relations is Developer Enablement

As we continue to debate what DevRel really is, Zan Markan summed it up nicely:

I’ve been thinking over the past few months that everything we do as developer relations practitioners is about enabling developers. Our activities may differ, and so might departments and organisations, and of course our job titles, yet we all have this one thing in common.

Be sure to to take the time to read the full article this week.

Tangents 🐰

NPR Training

Looking to learn a new skill in 2019? If it's related to storytelling in any way (broadcast, podcast, social media livestream, etc.), don't miss out on these free training videos and articles from the ultimate storytellers: NPR.

Hat tip to Evan Hamilton for the link!

Events 📆

Developer Relations Events

Feeling the need for a webinar or event to get the year kicked off right? You're in luck. Know of an event that would be a good fit for the newsletter? Hit reply to let me know about it.

Jobs 👩‍💻

Developer Advocate

JFrog is looking for a technical advocate to join the growing JFrog Japan KK team and help us grow the JFrog DevOps community in Japan.

In this role, you will act as the voice of our R&D team, connecting JFrog’s innovation with the development community in Japan. You will also act as the liaison for our community to effectively deliver feedback to the JFrog technical and business teams.

Take center stage and act as the voice of JFrog in Japan! You are about to become a rockstar and an influencer, online and in real life. People in the development community in Japan will want to hear what you have to share and people at JFrog will take your feedback to heart.

Jobs 👩‍💻

Make Sure this is the Right Career for You

If you're on the hunt for a job in DevRel but still aren't sure what to expect, it's important to remember, as Evan Hamilton said in a recent thread, there are more community roles than ever before, but this job isn't for everyone. It has some unique caveats and considerations, all issues that should be addressed before you make the jump.

If you've been in DevRel for a while and have other thoughts on this matter, I'd love to hear! Hit reply and let me know what you think.

Developer Relations Jobs

2 weeks into the new year and the jobs keep coming! Check out this list of 140+ roles. Hiring and want to get your job included here? Be sure to drop me a line.

Developer Avocados 🥑

Sustainable Avocado Consumption

Interested in making 2019 a more sustainable year not only for you, but for the environment? Here are 4 tips to help you consume avocados more responsibly.