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Sep9
Improving developer community
Filed under: Conferences;26 CommentsRecently Ive spent quite a bit of time at conferences and developer events of all different kinds including many different technologies. Ive started to notice patterns – some things I like and some things I don’t. I’ll throw out some of my current ideas.
I don’t like all of the ego stroking. Some people who do great technical things are looked at as gods. Many of them seem to hate this worship and you can see that they are uncomfortable. I once saw a guy follow one such person into the bathroom! Come on people, let’s hold it together around the technically gifted so that they feel more comfortable coming to these events.
We all have those people in our lives that can seemingly do no wrong. This is never the case. We all make mistakes and come up with ideas that are not the best. Please do not be afraid to tell people that you think their idea isn’t the best or ask questions to help them make their idea better. People are not gods. Stop letting people get away with terrible code just because they have a name in the industry. Make them live up to their name.
I love the healthy criticisms of everything tech! Some people are doing great jobs of asking questions and making comments that are valuable in a way that helps future versions of the product/tool/language/idea become better. You are asking how and why and is it the best possible way. This is a fabulous way to gain understanding for yourself and anyone else who hears or sees. Another important reason that this is good is because it forces the developer to think as well. Perhaps it will help them to flesh out some idea that they weren’t quite sure about.
I like that people seem to genuinely enjoy the company of other smart people. This is fantastic. We like being around people who make us feel that we can be ourselves. This might mean talking nerdy at a conference or a bar. Many of us go to conferences and code camps quite frequently. What we need to make sure that we are still getting something out of these events. If we are constantly talking about the same things and attending sessions on the same topics, we probably wont get anything out of it. We should encourage everyone to keep attending the events and going to new types of sessions. That being said, we need to keep our speakers discussing fresh topics. The same “Welcome to Topic X” conversation is boring to give and boring to attend. If you feel that you wont get anything out of the session, attend something different. Expand your horizon.
I don’t like that we use this time to talk negatively about other people in the field. Many of us meet people at technical functions and make judgements. Sometimes those judgements are completely unfounded. Answering a question incorrectly or not being interested in the same things that you are does not mean that the person is incompetent. Please consider what you really know about the person prior to engaging in gossip around their technical abilities. It is a very small world and you saying something negative about someone else could seriously hurt their chances at a position that they are qualified for. Remember when your mother said to not say anything if you can’t say something nice? This rule applies, especially if you have never worked on a team with that person! If you have worked with the person and feel that you need to speak up in order to save another team from the same types of problems that you have faced, only voice your concerns in private and with context.
I like that we all feel that we can be more open and honest when online. Many of us have anonymous online identities which can add to our courage. This is fantastic as long as you are using it in a good and not evil way. You must remember however that in person your anonymity may be compromised and you may be expected to match your online persona.
I don’t like unreasonable criticism. Consider what you are saying or typing in that blog comment. In what way will it help you, the audience, or the person or group that you are criticizing? Is it constructive? Are you providing any possible solutions? Are you suggesting something is wrong that is impossible to fix? Are you asking a question that you know the person has no answer to just to make yourself look smarter? Are you saying something that is important to more than just yourself? Take a look online for ways to provide constructive criticism or in fact do not!
I like that it seems that everyone wants to encourage new speakers. This is extremely necessary if we wish for the community to keep growing. So what if someone has never spoke in front of people before. We should help them to become great speakers so that they can pass on their valuable advice to others. I learn something new from somebody new at almost every event I attend!
Just a few thoughts. Take from them what you will. This was spur of the moment so I’ll post more when I get my ideas together.
26 Responses to “Improving developer community”
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