It feels like it was yesterday when I started working as a Developer Advocate at Hashnode. Time flies when you enjoy what you do!
Thus, in this article, I want to discuss how I received the role and what it's like to be a Developer Advocate.
Why am I writing this article
First of all, I received the job by putting my work online and by networking. Thus, I want to show the power of social media. Secondly, many people asked me about what it's like to work as a Developer Advocate. So, I want to share my experience with them.
Is this a promotional article? Absolutely not. I do not promote Hashnode because I work there. I work at Hashnode because I love the product. Whether I work at Hashnode or not, it does not change how I feel about Hashnode, the blogging platform. First and foremost, I am a Hashnode fan before being an employee.
With that being out of the way, let's dive in!
My journey to Hashnode
It all started in August 2020 when I moved my blog to Hashnode.
Before using Hashnode, I tried all existing blogging platforms, but none were suited to my needs. And I did not want to build a blog from scratch either. I wanted to focus only on writing articles, not maintaining blogs. So I went with the classical choice - WordPress.
However, a new platform was emerging and gaining traction in the developer community. I first saw @Edidiong Asikpo using Hashnode, and I was amazed by how simplistic yet beautiful the blog looked.
After watching her blog and discovering other Hashnode blogs, the urge to try Hashnode increased. Thus, after a while, I signed up on Hashnode and started migrating my blog.
In figure 1, below, you can see the tweet announcing my move to Hashnode. Alternatively, you can read the live article about why I moved from WordPress to Hashnode.
Figure 1
And the rest is history! But why did I stop at Hashnode? It would take me the whole article to explain how awesome Hashnode is for developers. However, I'll keep it short by briefly mentioning what attracted me to this blogging platform:
- You can use your custom domain
- The blog has a built-in newsletter
- It's extremely fast
- It has a great, lively community
However, here I'm just scratching the surface but if you want to see how powerful Hashnode is, see why Hashnode is different from other blogging platforms.
Ok, so back to the journey.
Did I get a job by opening a Hashnode blog?
That would have been nice, but it does not work that way, unfortunately. Opening a Hashnode blog was the catalyst but not the reason.
So, how did it happen? Since I was excited and happy with the blogging platform, I started talking about it extensively and recommending it to others. I created blog articles and videos about it. I spoke with people and convinced them to join it.
In simpler words, I was advocating for them already. Since it was genuine and effective, it caught the attention of the Hashnode team, and that's where it all started.
They offered me to join the team, which I could not refuse and not because of the money. It was an offer I could not refuse because I got to work for a product I love!
Six months later, here I am, writing this article! I moved my blog to Hashnode in August 2020, and six months later, in February 2021, I started working here. Crazy, right?
Super important point: I did all of the advocating purely because I enjoyed the product. I never did it with hidden motives, and it was never forced. It was a natural promotion from a genuine fan.
My role as a Developer Advocate
First of all, let's briefly talk about the role in general. Developer Advocates are the bridge between the users and the company, and they advocate for the users' best interest. You want people using your product to be happy with it!
The main tasks of a Developer Advocate are as follows:
- Bring awareness to the products through talks, written articles, videos and so on.
- Educate your users - teach people how to use the product and where to go for help.
- Collect feedback and redirect it to the relevant teams
- Create and maintain a community
Thus, those are my main tasks at Hashnode, more or less. I create content around the product, where I talk about:
- what are the benefits of using Hashode
- how to make the most of it and its features
I also spend a good chunk of my time in the community, talking with existing Hashnode bloggers and people that want to try it for the first time. That allows me to collect valuable data such as feedback and the pain points which could be improved.
After that, I put together all the data and present it to the Hashnode team. From there, we take it forward and implement all the relevant feedback. And that's how Hashnode becomes better and better every day!
We listen to our community and implement their feedback. Another example is my situation. Before joining Hashnode, I constantly suggested feedback and most of it was implemented straightaway. As a user, it's nice to see a company consider your feedback!
With that being said, I want to spend time and listen to anyone that wants to talk about Hashnode. I know it becomes impossible at some point, but I want to do it as much as possible. I want people to feel value and heard!
Why do I like this role?
I like Developer Advocacy because I get to spend time with community members. I meet and befriend lots of amazing people I would not otherwise. That's the most valuable to me!
Secondly, I have the opportunity to create content around the product. Creating content is one of the things I enjoy the most, whether it's video, written or any other type of content.
Thus, combining the two it's the perfect combination for me!
With that being said, it's important to note that the above explanations are my understanding of Developer Advocacy. If you want to learn from experts, check these seven resources to get started with Developer Relations.
Conclusion
This is how my journey to Hashnode looks like. Thanks to having an online presence, I was able to get a great job at a cool company!
If you have any questions about my journey or my job, feel free to leave them in the replies!