3 Types of DevRel 🔗 **Source:** [3 Types of DevRel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcHG96Bqog) > [!note]+ Document Notes > tags: [devrel, developer-relations, community-building] > author: Francesco > source: YouTube > reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcHG96Bqog > date created: 2024-12-19 15:30 > > # 🏷️ Title: 3 Types of DevRel > <!-- deep-read:sections start --> ## 🧰 Action Inbox - [H1] Define DevRel role responsibilities for your team — 00:35 #devrel - [H2] Choose specialization based on skills and interests — 02:45 #career - [H3] Balance content creation with community engagement — 04:20 #strategy ## 🧭 Table of Contents - [📝 Summary](#-summary) - [📖 Main Content](#-main-content) - [🗒️ Notes](#️-notes) - [📚 References](#-references) - [🗣️ Paraphrase](#️-paraphrase) - [📰 Newsletter](#-newsletter) - [✅ Action Items](#-action-items) - [🧪 Hypotheses](#-hypotheses) - [📊 Methodology](#-methodology) - [❓ Questions](#-questions) - [🔮 Future Research](#-future-research) - [💡 Implications](#-implications) - [🧠 Learning Styles Assessment](#-learning-styles-assessment) - [📊 Accessibility Assessment](#-accessibility-assessment) - [🌍 DEIB Assessment](#-deib-assessment) - [✅ Logical Validity](#-logical-validity) - [🛡️ DARVO Analysis](#-darvo-analysis) - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) ### 🔗 References - [3 Types of DevRel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcHG96Bqog) - [What is DevRel?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcHG96Bqog) ## 📝 Summary - Francesco identifies three distinct DevRel specializations: Community Builder, Content Creator, and Curator - Solo DevRels typically handle all three roles, while teams distribute responsibilities based on skills - Each type has unique challenges, from reputation risks to technical depth requirements - Understanding these distinctions helps companies structure DevRel teams effectively - Bottom line: DevRel success requires recognizing and optimizing for different skill sets and company needs ## 📖 Main Content Developer Relations (DevRel) professionals typically fall into three main categories, each with distinct responsibilities and skill requirements. The Community Builder focuses on direct engagement with developer communities through social media, events, and communication platforms. This role offers high visibility but comes with reputation risks tied to company performance. The Content Creator specializes in producing educational materials including articles, tutorials, videos, and live streams. This role requires deep product knowledge and comfort with public-facing content creation, including handling criticism and rapid response to company announcements. The Curator works behind the scenes on technical documentation, integrations, and product feedback loops. While less visible, this role requires the deepest technical understanding and often provides critical insights to guide company strategy. Most solo DevRels handle all three functions, while larger teams can specialize based on individual strengths and company priorities. ## 🗒️ Notes #### ⏱️ [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcHG96Bqog?t=0) — [H1] Three DevRel Types Introduction - Key idea: DevRel professionals fall into three distinct categories with different focuses - Evidence: "Community Builder, the content creator and the Creator" #### ⏱️ [00:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcHG96Bqog?t=35) — [H2] DevRel Definition and Team Structure - Key idea: Solo DevRels do everything, teams distribute based on skills and needs - Evidence: "If you are the only DevRel of your company you are probably doing all three" #### ⏱️ [01:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcHG96Bqog?t=75) — [H1] Community Builder Role Overview - Key idea: Focus on direct engagement with developer communities across platforms - Evidence: "focused on engagement with the Developers' Community" #### ⏱️ [01:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcHG96Bqog?t=90) — [H2] Community Builder Responsibilities - Key idea: Handle Discord, Slack, social media, events, and collaborations - Evidence: "they handle a Discord server a Slack Channel and the company's social media" #### ⏱️ [01:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcHG96Bqog?t=105) — [H2] Community Builder Benefits and Risks - Key idea: Most satisfying role with direct contact but ties reputation to company - Evidence: "you can become a sort of a star for the company... if the company gets a bad reputation for any reason you will probably get that bad reputation too" #### ⏱️ [02:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcHG96Bqog?t=150) — [H1] Content Creator Role Focus - Key idea: Specialized in creating educational content across multiple formats - Evidence: "writing articles creating video tutorials creating short videos and making live streams" #### ⏱️ [02:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcHG96Bqog?t=165) — [H2] Content Creator Requirements - Key idea: Need deep product understanding for quality content creation - Evidence: "They should have a deep understanding of the product so they can create the most beginner-friendly long-term and top-quality content" #### ⏱️ [03:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcHG96Bqog?t=195) — [H2] Content Creator Challenges - Key idea: Must handle criticism, quick turnarounds, and time management - Evidence: "being prepared to be criticized if you say something which is not correct being ready to create content quickly" #### ⏱️ [04:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcHG96Bqog?t=260) — [H2] Social Media Overlap Between Roles - Key idea: Content creators post, community builders engage and build relationships - Evidence: "the former is more focused on creating posts and the latter is more focused on replying to everyone and creating strong connections" #### ⏱️ [04:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcHG96Bqog?t=285) — [H1] Curator Role Introduction - Key idea: Behind-the-scenes technical role that's equally important - Evidence: "has a bit of a behind the scenes role... but that doesn't mean the role is any less important" #### ⏱️ [05:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcHG96Bqog?t=300) — [H2] Curator Responsibilities - Key idea: Handle documentation, integrations, feedback, and technical support - Evidence: "They create documentation for the company and they also work on Integrations" #### ⏱️ [05:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcHG96Bqog?t=330) — [H2] Curator Strategic Value - Key idea: Often has best product understanding and provides critical company insights - Evidence: "it's probably the Developer Advocate who has the best understanding of the product and they really know what the company needs" #### ⏱️ [05:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcHG96Bqog?t=350) — [H3] Role Flexibility and Specialization - Key idea: No clear separation exists but most excel in one area - Evidence: "there is no clear separation and some developer Advocates can have two or three of these rules but usually, they are strong in just one" ## 📚 References - [3 Types of DevRel Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcHG96Bqog) - [Francesco's DevRel Series](https://www.youtube.com/@francesco) ## 🗣️ Paraphrase - DevRel professionals typically specialize in one of three areas: community engagement, content production, or technical curation - Community builders focus on direct developer interaction but face reputation risks tied to company performance - Content creators need deep product knowledge and must handle public criticism while managing tight deadlines - Curators work behind the scenes on technical aspects but often provide the most strategic value through product expertise ## 📰 Newsletter Understanding DevRel specializations can help WordPress teams structure their developer outreach more effectively. Whether you're building community around a plugin, creating educational content, or maintaining technical documentation, recognizing these distinct skill sets can improve your developer relations strategy. Key insight: Most successful DevRel efforts require all three functions - community building, content creation, and technical curation - but individuals typically excel in just one area. For WordPress developers, this framework can guide career development and team building. Community builders might focus on WordCamp speaking and Slack engagement, content creators on tutorials and documentation, while curators handle technical integration guides and developer feedback loops. Resources: [Learn WordPress](https://learn.wordpress.org/), [Developer Docs](https://developer.wordpress.org/), [WP-CLI](https://wp-cli.org/) ## ✅ Action Items #### DevRel - Developer advocacy: Define role specializations within team based on Francesco's framework - Education: Create content strategy aligned with creator/curator distinction - Developer experience: Assign curator role for documentation and integration feedback - Developer marketing: Leverage community builder role for social media and events - Community management: Structure Discord/Slack management under community builder role #### WordPress - Community: Apply DevRel framework to WordCamp and meetup organizer roles - Training: Distinguish between community-facing and technical documentation creators - Design: Consider curator role for technical design system documentation - Documentation: Separate content creation from community engagement responsibilities - Plugins: Structure review team with community builders and technical curators - Core: Assign community builders for contributor onboarding, curators for technical docs ## 🧪 Hypotheses - Teams with clearly defined DevRel specializations achieve better developer engagement than generalist approaches - Community builder reputation risks can be mitigated through stronger company-individual brand separation - Technical curator roles provide higher strategic value per hour than community building activities - Content creator effectiveness increases when separated from community management responsibilities ### 📊 Methodology - Study design to test hypothesis 1: Compare engagement metrics across specialist vs generalist DevRel teams - Data sources and analysis for hypothesis 2: Survey community builders on reputation risk management strategies - Experiments to validate hypothesis 3: Track strategic insights generated per role type over time ### ❓ Questions - How do hybrid remote/in-person teams distribute these DevRel specializations effectively? - What metrics best measure success for each DevRel type beyond engagement numbers? - How should companies transition from single generalist DevRel to specialized team structure? ### 🔮 Future Research - Cross-industry analysis of DevRel team structures and effectiveness - Long-term career path analysis for each DevRel specialization - Impact of AI tools on content creator vs community builder roles ### 💡 Implications - Practice: DevRel hiring should assess specialization strengths rather than requiring all three skills - Policy: Companies need different success metrics for each DevRel role type - Education: DevRel training programs should offer specialized tracks - Funding: Budget allocation should reflect that curator roles may provide higher strategic ROI ### 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment Reading level estimate: 8th Grade (Flesch-Kincaid) #### 👀 Visual learners - Present: Video format with clear role distinctions - Improve: Add organizational chart showing role relationships #### 🔊 Aural learners - Present: Spoken explanation of concepts - Improve: Add background music variation to distinguish role sections #### 🗣️ Verbal learners - Present: Clear definitions and role descriptions - Improve: Add analogies comparing roles to traditional marketing functions #### 🧩 Kinesthetic learners - Present: Actionable role descriptions - Improve: Create self-assessment checklist for role identification #### 🧠 Logical learners - Present: Clear three-part categorization system - Improve: Add decision tree for role selection #### 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Social learners - Present: Community-focused discussion - Improve: Add discussion prompts for team role mapping #### 🧘‍♀️ Solitary learners - Present: Individual reflection on personal strengths - Improve: Add journaling prompts for career planning #### 🌿 Naturalistic learners - Present: Organic role evolution discussion - Improve: Connect to ecosystem thinking about DevRel communities ### 📊 Accessibility Assessment #### Screen reader semantics - Present: Clear headings and structure - Improve: Add role descriptions as definition lists #### Keyboard navigation - Present: Standard video player controls - Improve: Add chapter markers for role sections #### Contrast and readability - Present: Clear video presentation - Improve: Add transcript with proper formatting #### Media and captions - Present: Spoken content - Improve: Add captions and downloadable transcript ### 🌍 DEIB Assessment #### Cultural breadth - Present: Universal DevRel concepts - Improve: Include examples from different tech ecosystems #### Inclusive language - Present: Gender-neutral role descriptions - Improve: Acknowledge different cultural approaches to community building #### Neurodiversity support - Present: Clear, structured presentation - Improve: Add written summary for different processing styles #### Representation - Present: Single presenter perspective - Improve: Include diverse voices in role examples ### ✅ Logical Validity #### Strong reasoning - Deductive strength: Clear categorization from general DevRel to specific types - Inductive strength: Personal experience informing general principles - Analogical strength: Implicit comparison to other professional specializations #### Fallacies - False trichotomy: Acknowledges overlap between roles, avoiding rigid categorization - Appeal to experience: Relies on personal experience but presents as framework #### Tone of voice - Overall tone: Conversational and helpful, with personal insights from practitioner experience ### 🛡️ DARVO Analysis - Deny: No defensive patterns present - Attack: No attacks on individuals or competing frameworks - Reverse victim/offender: Not applicable - Emotional cues and rhetoric: Positive, encouraging tone focused on career development ## 🎯 Conclusion Francesco's three-type DevRel framework provides a practical lens for understanding specializations within developer relations. The key insight is that while solo DevRels must handle all aspects, teams benefit from recognizing distinct skill sets in community building, content creation, and technical curation. For WordPress and open source communities, this framework can guide both individual career development and team structure decisions to maximize developer engagement and strategic impact. ## 🧱 Refactor Appendix ### 📚 Literature Split Pad ### [H1] DevRel professionals specialize in three distinct functions > [!quote] [3 Types of DevRel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcHG96Bqog) by [[Francesco]] via [[YouTube]]. Published 2024. Accessed 2024-12-19. > "Community Builder, Content Creator, Curator" Framework for understanding DevRel role distribution in teams. [view highlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcHG96Bqog#H1) #xref #articleseed ID:rw_devrel_types ### [H2] Community builders face reputation risks tied to company performance > [!quote] [3 Types of DevRel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcHG96Bqog) > "if the company gets a bad reputation for any reason you will probably get that bad reputation too" Important consideration for high-visibility DevRel roles. [view highlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcHG96Bqog#H2) #xref ID:rw_community_builder_risk --- ### 🔖 Atomic Split Pad (Zettel Candidates) #### [Z1] Curators often provide highest strategic value in DevRel - Applies to teams with multiple DevRel specialists - Pointer to 05:30 timestamp - Links: [[DevRel-Strategy]] [[Technical-Documentation]] #### [Z2] Solo DevRels must balance three competing specializations - Condition: Single-person DevRel teams - Pointer to 00:35 timestamp - Links: [[Role-Design]] [[Skill-Development]] --- ### ✏️ Fleeting Queue - [F <!-- deep-read:sections end -->