Connecting through social media

Heather VanCura: I used to use many different kinds of social media, but that can quickly start to take up all of your time. I decided to figure out where the concentration of developers is that I'm working with around the world.

They're primarily on Twitter. There is some variation in some parts of Africa, where they're mostly using Facebook right now. Largely, I try to put my efforts into Twitter as a social media vehicle and some LinkedIn.

I experiment with Instagram and Snapchat, and Slack for talking with people. I feel I can only do so much, though, so I think concentrating on the Twitter platform has been the most effective use of my time in terms of getting feedback and sharing news and things that are happening. I would like to do a little bit more with social media, but at the same time, I've got out of the cycle of feeling compelled to post multiple times each day.

Geertjan Wielenga: How do you see other developer advocates? What do you like about presentations when you see someone up on stage doing a talk?

Heather VanCura: I always like it when people move a little bit away from their specific topic. Usually, there's the core topic, but looking at ways you can apply that in the world around you always makes it interesting and sparks different ideas or thoughts. I admire any developer advocate who doesn't have to use a script. Having a true interaction with the audience takes a lot of practice.

Geertjan Wielenga: Do you see yourself doing exactly this for the rest of your life? What is the career trajectory of a developer advocate?

Heather VanCura: I probably won't do this for the rest of my life; although, it's stayed interesting for a tremendously long time. As this role has become more common, I've definitely started to get more messages from recruiters. I think as developer advocacy becomes more valuable, it will translate into other things, including higher leadership roles within companies.

Geertjan Wielenga: Do you see the demand for this kind of role increasing, then?

Heather VanCura: Yes, I see the demand for this type of experience increasing. I definitely could see myself going into a chief experience officer (CXO) position or similar, but not immediately.

Geertjan Wielenga: What could be done to carry on raising the profile of this profession?

Heather VanCura: I hardly ever hear developer advocacy being spoken about, other than in the circle of people I know. Sometimes, as developer advocates, we don't think that our job is interesting to other people. I think many advocates are unique individuals, with different character traits that aren't necessarily the norm.

It might be the case that people don't like to talk about that other side of tech because they feel we don't have enough people getting into development work, and they want to encourage that by only talking about hard tech skills and jobs. The truth is that developer advocacy is a great job and I love it.

Geertjan Wielenga: Thank you, Heather VanCura.