I am a connector of people at heart, personally and professionally. I love digging into the strategy of how to build and foster developer communities and have been doing so for 10+ years.
Sorry to hear that you were made to feel like an idiot for asking that question :( It's a totally valid one, considering it's still a relatively new industry that isn't well understood!
At its core, the purpose of Developer Relations is to empower a technical audience to do their jobs to the best of their ability. Just like a camera manufacturer usually employs photographers to help make their product the best that it can be for the photography community, Developer Relations professionals (primarily Developer Advocates and Technical Community Managers) are the liaisons between the product and engineering teams and the technical community who uses the product. They pass along feedback, create resources, and generally try to make the user's experience as painless as possible.
Their other main task is to make connections. The team makes connections within the community, introducing community members who share common interests or are trying to solve similar problems. They also introduce community members back to the company, whether as beta testers, guest bloggers, potential employees, or potential customers.
I hope that's helpful! Feel free to reply with any other questions you might have.
For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse
We're a place where coders share, stay up-to-date and grow their careers.
Sorry to hear that you were made to feel like an idiot for asking that question :( It's a totally valid one, considering it's still a relatively new industry that isn't well understood!
At its core, the purpose of Developer Relations is to empower a technical audience to do their jobs to the best of their ability. Just like a camera manufacturer usually employs photographers to help make their product the best that it can be for the photography community, Developer Relations professionals (primarily Developer Advocates and Technical Community Managers) are the liaisons between the product and engineering teams and the technical community who uses the product. They pass along feedback, create resources, and generally try to make the user's experience as painless as possible.
Their other main task is to make connections. The team makes connections within the community, introducing community members who share common interests or are trying to solve similar problems. They also introduce community members back to the company, whether as beta testers, guest bloggers, potential employees, or potential customers.
I hope that's helpful! Feel free to reply with any other questions you might have.