The Primordial Ooze from which DevRel grew.
Richard Rodger and PJ Hagerty retrospectively recognise the genesis of Developer Relations and discuss how Guns & Roses offer a template for Community building.
Let's start with actionable advice for you if you are starting to think about conference speaking or a DevRel career: start with a lightening talk.
Last week I had the pleasure of speaking to PJ Hagerty, founder of one of the very first, if not the first, DevRel consultancies way back in early 2010s! Because that was when Developer Relations started. Around 2012, when a cohort of tech conference speakers and our organisations, recognised that we brought a value to the company by speaking to other developers full time. From this primordial ooze, a living, breathing career option formed. Even PJ admits that some reactions at the time included “yeah, that's never gonna last!”.
But it has! DevRel is a recognised way for developers, communities and organisations build understanding of how their particular software can help others; not as gatekeepers, but as supporters.
PJ and I share an appreciation for Guns & Roses, and combined with PJ's past life in a band, it was a simple step to use Guns & Roses as an example of community building! They also act as a rock solid guide to promoting a start up too.
Listen to our full conversation here: https://www.voxgig.com/podcast/pj-hagerty
Or search Fireside with Voxgig wherever you get your podcasts.
A reminder that the Dublin DevRel meetup is happening online Tuesday evening February 28th. Find out more and register for this online event here: