Developer Relations and developer advocates have gone from being that rare “nice to have” that only a handful of companies could afford, to a requirement for most companies that need to connect with developers as consumers of their products and services. Nonetheless, it is still an often misunderstood practice - seen as someone who simply jets around from one conference party to another. In this session, Mary Thengvall will discuss what developer relations is and why it matters to developers.

Developer Relations: Advocates, Evangelists, and Avocados

You’ve likely heard the term “Developer Relations” being used in the last year or two and there’s a high chance that someone you follow on Twitter just announced that they joined Microsoft or Google’s “Cloud Developer Advocate team” but what does this actually mean, and more importantly, why should you care? After all, you just want to commit your code and keep the API up and running. Mary Thengvall, Author of The Business Value of Developer Relations and an experienced Technical Community Manager will explain the difference between Advocates, Evangelists, and Avocados, as well as help you understand how to interact with this new group of folks in a way that is beneficial to everyone.