What is OpenSauced?

I had the pleasure of having a quick chat with the amazing people at OpenSauced. For those who don’t know, OpenSauced is an open-source platform for developers and maintainers. They pride themselves on guiding new contributors into the amazing world of open Source. OpenSauced fosters a community-driven environment. One thing I love about OpenSacued is that it removes the barriers to entry and promotes inclusivity in open-source development. Their approach is one of the most unique ones I’ve seen. They use GraphQL API to track contributions through Github!

Sometimes when we think about developer relations we just think about people promoting a brand or the company they work for. This wasn’t the case when I had a brief conversation with the amazing people at OpenSauced. From their answers and points, I gained so much knowledge, such that DevRel is so much more than what we see on the surface level. Their best practices for DevRel are:

Communication

Spending time talking to people is very vital in developer relations. It allows for the creation of meaningful connections. Understanding the needs and challenges of developers helps on both sides. On the Developer Advocate side, it helps to gather valuable insight and credibility. Also, one of the most important things is to develop trust in your community. Through active listening, you can provide tailored support and relevant content for your community. These meaningful interactions can do so much to help a developer on their journey.

Building relationships

There are a few ways you can get to know people like spending time on podcasts and hanging out in discords. Sometimes we underestimate the power of communication, it's just not a one-way street. Being able to listen first and then respond is an optimal way of building relationships. Having meaningful conversations helps lead to something great!

Creating for others

A lot of times we tend to think of ourselves first and how we would want to see content. Most times it's best to think about others. How would someone else perceive this information? Putting yourself in another person’s shoes, it gives you room to think about things from a whole different perspective. Sometimes it can be creating tutorials or documentation to help other developers out. Creating for others can be fulfilling and meaningful because it allows you to make a positive impact on others. This is a great trait to have as a developer advocate. Channeling your creativity and skills to serve and contribute to the community is one of the ways you can excel in DevRel.

Along with their insight on best practices. Bekah and Brian also gave me some more valuable insights into the world of DevRel. Sometimes there’s always something new to do which can lead to you having a lot on your plate. New frameworks and tools pop up all the time. It’s just hard to keep up sometimes so you must learn how to prioritize. Making sure you know how to connect things is important as well. This can help with keeping your audience engaged, which is very important. There are so many things you can do when it comes to DevRel. Bekah said it best " You should find what you’re interested in and find what you want to do".

Again I’d like to thank Bekah and Brian for taking the time to speak with me about DevRel. I truly appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge and experiences in this field. Your insights have been valuable and I’m grateful for this opportunity to learn from you both. I think everyone should check out the amazing things they’re doing at OpenSauced!