Dev Rel deserves support for building inclusive communities
Developer Relations is one of the most strategically important roles for any company that wants to build a successful technology platform. We’re working with the community to create a Dev Rel Bill of Rights. In this article we explore article 7: Support for building inclusive communities.
Developer Relations needs resources, support and education to carry out its critical role in making sure every type of developer gets to create technology by ensuring that coding communities are inclusive of creators from every background and of every identity. #
One of the most critical priorities for any creator of technology is making sure tech meets both its business goals and the needs of its users, and the best way to do that is by making sure the developers who create that technology comes from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Dev Rel is all about creating and maintaining relationships with developers, but often times is shortchanged on the resources it takes to nurture those relationships with every community. For example, building an inclusive community can require everything from creating a meaningful, well-enforced code of conduct, to preventing and quickly responding to abuse or harassment, or thoughtfully and respectfully investing in outreach to underrepresented communities.
In many companies or organizations, those skills or capabilities don’t yet exist, which means leaders have to step up to provide Dev Rel with the necessary resources and support to learn these practices, to evolve them, and keep them up to date over time as the community grows and changes.
Questions to ask: #
- Does everyone on the Dev Rel team have the training or support to follow best practices for creating an inclusive community? Do they know where to ask for resources if needed to achieve this goal?
- Can Dev Rel professionals identify the community goals around inclusion, and how they connect to the defined business goals for Dev Rel?
- Are other teams like marketing, product and senior management aware of the critical role that an inclusive community plays for effective Dev Rel efforts? *Read the original Dev Rel Bill of Rights and discover the other articles in this series. And check out Glitch for Platforms, where we’re building the first set of business analytics tools for Dev Rel professionals.