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Developer, Advocate!
A collection of in-depth conversations with leading developer advocates that reveal the world of developer relations today
- GenresNonfiction
782 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2019
12 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 13, 2022
Let me start with the good things: the concept of this book (a series of similar interviews with developer advocates) is a neat idea! It gives you an overview and multiple points of view on (mostly) the same questions. Also, because it's an interview, some contain little gems of knowledge and experiences worth sharing.
This book would benefit from having a more diversified community representation than just Java (which is the majority of the interviewed people). But then, it would be much longer as a book. Also, the author could tackle some questions (e.g., evangelism vs. advocacy) as an isolated chapter - instead of reiterating them in each interview.
Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable lecture and worth recommending if you're interested in DevRel topics.
This book would benefit from having a more diversified community representation than just Java (which is the majority of the interviewed people). But then, it would be much longer as a book. Also, the author could tackle some questions (e.g., evangelism vs. advocacy) as an isolated chapter - instead of reiterating them in each interview.
Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable lecture and worth recommending if you're interested in DevRel topics.
October 22, 2021
A great read, whether you're looking to enter the field of developer relations or are a developer advocate already.
The fact that the book is a set of interviews allows for a variety of opinions, from which you are bound to learn things.
Totally recommend!
The fact that the book is a set of interviews allows for a variety of opinions, from which you are bound to learn things.
Totally recommend!
April 20, 2020
The book is definitely a very interesting insight into the life and role of a developer advocate. Considering there are 32 advocates interviewed, you can read a lot of different stories and backgrounds. It is interesting to get to know more people from the community. Since the advocates have different backgrounds, it allows you to learn about interesting people, which are not inside of your usual "bubble" defined by your technology stack.
If you want to get involved more in the community, this book is definitely a great source of inspiration as you can read about the journey of seasoned advocates from the bottom-up - their humble beginnings in small user groups up to the huge conferences. It shows that even you can aim to become an advocate - you don't necessarily have to know everything about a certain topic. It just takes time and dedication, but you can eventually get there and the advocates share some useful tips on how to get started.
Since every chapter is independent, you don't have to read it from cover to cover - you can pick people you are interested in or continue later as there is no connection between individual chapters.
One thing I didn't like that much is that a lot of questions tend to repeat. In some cases, it makes sense. In others, not so much. It can be tedious to read over and over the same questions with very similar answers, such as:
- What is the difference between developer evangelist and developer advocate
- What do you do if you don't know an answer to a question
- What do you do if your equipment does not work properly
And some more. The answers are very similar in these cases and it would be sufficient to ask it once or twice. I would be much more interested in more personal details about the advocates, their careers and topics which make them unique rather than all this generic stuff.
Also, the book is quite long, with nearly 800 pages and as I mentioned, a lot of topics that repeat. It would be easier to digest, maybe as an audiobook or even better - as a series of individual podcasts, where you can actually hear dialog between the author and each advocate.
Overall, I think it is an interesting book worth reading, which can greatly motivate you, especially if you intend to get involved more.
You can check the full review I wrote here:
http://vojtechruzicka.com/developer-a...
If you want to get involved more in the community, this book is definitely a great source of inspiration as you can read about the journey of seasoned advocates from the bottom-up - their humble beginnings in small user groups up to the huge conferences. It shows that even you can aim to become an advocate - you don't necessarily have to know everything about a certain topic. It just takes time and dedication, but you can eventually get there and the advocates share some useful tips on how to get started.
Since every chapter is independent, you don't have to read it from cover to cover - you can pick people you are interested in or continue later as there is no connection between individual chapters.
One thing I didn't like that much is that a lot of questions tend to repeat. In some cases, it makes sense. In others, not so much. It can be tedious to read over and over the same questions with very similar answers, such as:
- What is the difference between developer evangelist and developer advocate
- What do you do if you don't know an answer to a question
- What do you do if your equipment does not work properly
And some more. The answers are very similar in these cases and it would be sufficient to ask it once or twice. I would be much more interested in more personal details about the advocates, their careers and topics which make them unique rather than all this generic stuff.
Also, the book is quite long, with nearly 800 pages and as I mentioned, a lot of topics that repeat. It would be easier to digest, maybe as an audiobook or even better - as a series of individual podcasts, where you can actually hear dialog between the author and each advocate.
Overall, I think it is an interesting book worth reading, which can greatly motivate you, especially if you intend to get involved more.
You can check the full review I wrote here:
http://vojtechruzicka.com/developer-a...
April 20, 2020
The book is definitely a very interesting insight into the life and role of a developer advocate. Considering there are 32 advocates interviewed, you can read a lot of different stories and backgrounds. It is interesting to get to know more people from the community. Since the advocates have different backgrounds, it allows you to learn about interesting people, which are not inside of your usual "bubble" defined by your technology stack.
If you want to get involved more in the community, this book is definitely a great source of inspiration as you can read about the journey of seasoned advocates from the bottom-up - their humble beginnings in small user groups up to the huge conferences. It shows that even you can aim to become an advocate - you don't necessarily have to know everything about a certain topic. It just takes time and dedication, but you can eventually get there and the advocates share some useful tips on how to get started.
Since every chapter is independent, you don't have to read it from cover to cover - you can pick people you are interested in or continue later as there is no connection between individual chapters.
One thing I didn't like that much is that a lot of questions tend to repeat. In some cases, it makes sense. In others, not so much. It can be tedious to read over and over the same questions with very similar answers, such as:
- What is the difference between developer evangelist and developer advocate
- What do you do if you don't know an answer to a question
- What do you do if your equipment does not work properly
And some more. The answers are very similar in these cases and it would be sufficient to ask it once or twice. I would be much more interested in more personal details about the advocates, their careers and topics which make them unique rather than all this generic stuff.
Also, the book is quite long, with nearly 800 pages and as I mentioned, a lot of topics that repeat. It would be easier to digest, maybe as an audiobook or even better - as a series of individual podcasts, where you can actually hear dialog between the author and each advocate.
Overall, I think it is an interesting book worth reading, which can greatly motivate you, especially if you intend to get involved more.
You can check the full review I wrote here:
http://vojtechruzicka.com/developer-a...
If you want to get involved more in the community, this book is definitely a great source of inspiration as you can read about the journey of seasoned advocates from the bottom-up - their humble beginnings in small user groups up to the huge conferences. It shows that even you can aim to become an advocate - you don't necessarily have to know everything about a certain topic. It just takes time and dedication, but you can eventually get there and the advocates share some useful tips on how to get started.
Since every chapter is independent, you don't have to read it from cover to cover - you can pick people you are interested in or continue later as there is no connection between individual chapters.
One thing I didn't like that much is that a lot of questions tend to repeat. In some cases, it makes sense. In others, not so much. It can be tedious to read over and over the same questions with very similar answers, such as:
- What is the difference between developer evangelist and developer advocate
- What do you do if you don't know an answer to a question
- What do you do if your equipment does not work properly
And some more. The answers are very similar in these cases and it would be sufficient to ask it once or twice. I would be much more interested in more personal details about the advocates, their careers and topics which make them unique rather than all this generic stuff.
Also, the book is quite long, with nearly 800 pages and as I mentioned, a lot of topics that repeat. It would be easier to digest, maybe as an audiobook or even better - as a series of individual podcasts, where you can actually hear dialog between the author and each advocate.
Overall, I think it is an interesting book worth reading, which can greatly motivate you, especially if you intend to get involved more.
You can check the full review I wrote here:
http://vojtechruzicka.com/developer-a...
November 9, 2019
Great book, lots of personal details about a diverse variety of developer advocates, so much enthusiasm bundled together is simply inspiring.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews