I’m gonna be honest - the first draft of this was written by a generative AI tool, but considering the topic and the guests, I decided to return to, well, basics. A worthy tribute to our first guest in this week’s podcasts - Chris Chinchilla.
Chris Chinchilla
Episode 116: Chris Ward, Technical Communicator
In this episode, Chris Ward, affectionately known as Chris Chinchilla, discusses the art of technical writing and the challenges writers face today. Chris's advice to aspiring writers is simple yet powerful: "Just start." Many potential writers grapple with the hurdle of actually sitting down and writing, and Chris's encouragement resonates deeply with me. We’re both editing our latest books at the moment and Chris motivated me to stop some of the procrastinating I might sometimes be prone to…
The discussion highlights the importance of technical writing in the world of DevRel and beyond. Whether you're creating newsletters, documenting code, or aspiring to write a book to establish your expertise, technical writing offers endless opportunities. Chris emphasises that writing isn't always about making enormous profits (is that even a thing in tech books?); it's about sharing knowledge and experiences effectively.
And then we get on to the parallels between music and coding! Our nostalgia-filled conversation about OctaMED, an Amiga music program from our youth, was a joy for us and I hope you enjoy it too.
Pavan Belagatti
Episode 117: Pavan Belagatti, Developer Evangelist and Tech Writer
Pavan Belagatti's journey from marketing to technical writing is interesting and instructional. As a self-taught developer and content creator, Pavan offers valuable insights into bridging the gap between writing and coding.
One of the key takeaways from this episode is the importance of deep product knowledge. Pavan emphasises that to excel in technical writing, you must thoroughly understand the subject matter. "In order to sell something, you have to buy it yourself first," he says, highlighting the significance of product familiarity, and reminding me of a previous and related article from my archives and entrepreneur journey.
Pavan's multifaceted career, including content creation and conference speaking, underscores the importance of consistency and building trust within the DevRel community. He advocates for quality over quantity, emphasising that a loyal, engaged audience is more valuable than a large, disinterested one.
The episode also touches on the evolving landscape of DevRel in India, with some professionals returning to development roles. Pavan's perspective on this trend is clear: it's crucial to find your passion and align it with your career choices.
DevRel meetup
Meetup news - join us online Wednesday September 27th for our next Dublin DevRel meetup.
Anil's talk:
Enhance Developer Experience by community
The success of software development depends on the experience of the developers. However, improving the developer experience is often overlooked, with most of the attention focused on user experience. In this talk, Anil, a Technical Product Manager, will discuss the crucial difference between developer experience and user experience and why traditional UX design techniques may not always enhance the former. He will also share his experience of conducting pair programming sessions with community developers, which helped identify their pain points. The talk will include examples of both good and bad developer experiences. The session will be interactive, and attendees can expect to learn tips and tricks to improve the developer experience and conduct developer usability testing sessions with minimal effort. Join this talk to learn how to enhance your developer experience through the power of community.
Andy's talk (evolving!)
Dev Rel in the era of Community Everywhere
It is a time of definitive change online, as the social platforms we’ve come to rely on change (or in some cases, breakdown entirely). Let’s talk about what might come next, and whether that affects our ability to do Dev Rel in the same ways as we have before.
You can join directly on the evening through Vito and take part in the conversation.
See you on the night!