Building Your Online Presence as a Developer
Last modified June 1, 2023
One of the things I’ve been most surprised by throughout my career in tech is how many opportunities have come to me via social media or some other facet of having an online presence. In fact, my last three roles have all happened via some form of online networking. Not to mention, any number of amazing opportunities to write blogs, speak at conferences, author courses, speak on podcasts, or host workshops – just to name a few. There’s tremendous value and benefit in putting both yourself and your work out there – and I’ve come to believe that it’s one of the best things that developers (especially beginning developers) can do for their careers.
My years in DevRel have only reinforced this lesson: good things come to those who are easily findable online. This doesn’t mean that you need to devote the entirety of your free time to self promotion in addition to your regular 9-5, but a little extra work can go a long way when it comes to growing a development or engineering career.
For example: in 2018, I built a custom component library as part of my job at the time. That project taught me so much, I decided to write a talk about it. The talk was accepted to a conference in 2019; it went well, so I wrote up the same content in a blog and posted it on dev.to. In 2020, I got an email from a React-focused podcast saying that they had found that blog and would like to have me on as a guest to discuss component libraries. One of the hosts of that podcast was TJ, a developer advocate. In 2021, TJ accepted a new job offer and was ready to move on to his next opportunity. When his boss asked him if he had any recommendations for his replacement, he remembered our conversation on the podcast and recommended me. His boss reached out to me and started a conversation…and now she’s my boss. If I hadn’t created that piece of content in 2018, would I have been offered my current job in 2021?
That’s just one (admittedly extreme) example, but it illustrates a real point. I regularly get emails, DMs, and other chats that say “I saw [piece of content you created], would you be interested in this related opportunity?” While some portion of this should certainly be attributed to good luck, I believe that I’ve also helped smooth that path by building an internet presence that allows me to be easily contactable and my work to be easily findable and shareable.
I strongly encourage every developer to build an online presence. It’s not as hard or time-consuming as you might first think, and the benefits can be truly incredible. I’ve found that there are three main aspects to this: content creation, social media, and a personal website.
Content Creation
Contrary to popular belief, content creation does not requires a huge time investment in order to pay dividends. The trick is finding the method of content creation that feels most enjoyable, so it can become both a hobby and a career benefit. If you have to force yourself to do it, then it’s not sustainable and not the right choice.
The good news is that there are so many options – play around and find the one that lights you up! If you cringe listening to recordings of your own voice, then maybe podcasting isn’t your niche. However, if you already enjoy making TikToks in your spare time, then consider videos or livestreaming! If you get nightmares about public speaking, don’t force yourself to apply for conferences. Instead, share your learnings, insights, and brilliant ideas from the comfort (and privacy) of your own couch with a blog. I firmly believe there’s a content creation method for everyone. Explore different options: lean into the ones that feel fun, and don’t bother with the ones that feel too much like work.
In this case, quality is far more important than quantity. Unless you’re looking to become a full-fledged influencer (any you don’t need to, for this to work), then posting something multiple times a week – or even every week – just isn’t necessary. The goal of content creation, in this context, is simply to build a library of work that reflects your strengths and helps position you in the direction you want your career to grow. Want to work in accessibility? Make accessibility-related content. Even if that means you’re only posting 4 or 5 blog posts or videos in a year, it all adds up over time.
However, some mediums require consistency in a way that others don’t. For example, listeners of a livestream or podcast will expect semi-regular episodes; the same isn’t necessarily true of an email newsletter, which could be sent once monthly. Some folks enjoy that aspect of routine and appreciate the accountability and community that regularly scheduled posting provides; for others, it can feel like a huge imposition or a time/energy suck. Again, choose what works best for you, personally, and don’t compare yourself with others.
It’s also important to remember that good content doesn't have to be long or time-intensive to create. A great podcast can be less than 10 minutes and a useful blog can be less than 1000 words. Content can be long-form (like a tutorial, case study, or think-piece), or it can be short and sweet (like a list of resource recommendations, interesting tech news, or a quick tip you just learned). Get in the habit of jotting down topics that make you think "that's cool", "I never knew that", or "I never thought about it that way before" – if you found it interesting, someone else probably will, too!
My final tip regarding content creation is to embrace reusing content and crossposting For example, if you just gave an awesome conference talk, write up the main takeaways in a blog. If you had a popular Twitter thread, record a video talking about the same topic. Not everyone will be on every platform and people learn in different ways. There’s no shame in repurposing content to get the highest ROI on your time!
Public Social Media
If I’m being completely honest, this is probably my least favorite part of having an online presence…and yet, it’s also the one that’s been most beneficial. I’ve had some absolutely incredible opportunities come to me via Twitter DM, of all places.
There are so many social media sites now that it would be nearly impossible to have a serious presence on all of them without making it your full-time job. However, I do think there’s benefit in picking one or two to really commit to and keep up with. My two are Twitter and LinkedIn; I have personal accounts on other sites, but Twitter and LinkedIn are the ones that I keep public-facing, regularly updated with work-related things, and open for messaging.
Pick a social media site that you already (at least mostly) enjoy and are present on. Clean it up, if you’ve been on there for a while and have some old, not-so-flattering posts hanging out. Then, aim for a good mix of personal and work-related content. Let’s be honest, nobody wants to follow a 100% professional account – they’re pretty boring. I aim for something like a 50/50 split between personal and tech-related, so followers will get a good mix of funny retweets and photos of my dog along with interesting design or development related videos I’ve watched recently, blogs I’ve written, or Tweets from other folks in the industry that I want to amplify.
Public social media accounts for individuals have to walk a fine line: you don’t want to overshare on a website you’re using to network, but you also don’t want it to feel like a corporate, branded account. Personally, I’ve redirected the majority of my “life” content over to another social media account (which I’ve set to private). That’s where I share family photos, keep up with what my friends are doing, and get a little more personal. Having different accounts for different purposes helps me draw the work/life boundary line where I feel comfortable, without missing out.
Whichever social media site you choose and however you opt to maintain it, the most important part of a social media presence is being findable and contactable. When you meet someone cool at a conference or someone hears you on a podcast and likes what you have to say, they’ll often want to find a way to keep up with you – social media is great for that kind of networking.
Much like content creation, you don’t have to sink a lot of time into this for it to be effective. Make posts and update the account often enough that it’s clear you’re active, but you don’t have to live online if you don’t want to. If this isn’t something you do naturally, try the following:
- Set aside 20-30 minutes, once every other week, to pre-schedule posts This allows you to still have regular activity on the account, without having to be on every single day if you don’t want to be. Most social media sites have some form of scheduling built-in, but you can also use third-party services to manage this if you prefer.
- Set aside another 30 minutes, once a week or so, to interact with other people’s posts (like, repost, comment, etc.). This isn’t required, but can help reinforce connections you’ve made and grow natural friendships.
- Turn on email or push notifications for direct messages. This is where most of the opportunities or valuable conversations happen, and you don’t want to miss out on something time-sensitive. If you know you won’t log in and check the inbox regularly, find a way to push that information somewhere you will see.
Personal Website
Third, and perhaps most important, is a personal website. If you implement only one of these approaches, I'd really suggest that it be this one. A developer’s personal website doesn't need to be fancy; it’s just a place where people can find more information about you and (most importantly) how to contact you.
Especially for those of us who work in web development or design, it’s easy to feel like our personal websites need to be some kind of incredible reflection of our skillset or a portfolio piece in and of itself. While this can be nice, be realistic about your ability to create and maintain a more complex site. I knew, honestly, that this wouldn’t be something I could regularly devote time to, so my own personal website actually doesn’t include a single line of JavaScript – it’s all just simple HTML and CSS. If designing and developing a personal website sounds like a fun side project to you, absolutely go for it – but if it doesn’t, know that it’s not a requirement.
I like to think of a personal website as a hub or anchoring point for everything else. Third-party websites come and go, so it's nice to have a little slice of the internet that’s entirely your own. Crossposting any content you create to your own website can be an especially nice touch, but again, it’s not a requirement. Your personal website is more of an opportunity to establish yourself in the search engine rankings and make sure something useful – something that you control entirely – comes up when people search your name.
Ready to grow your online presence?
All of this together can be a moderate amount of work, but remember that it’s cumulative. You’ll get more benefit out of 2-3 things that are steadily maintained over several years than you will over 6 things you have a burst of energy on and never touch again. Building an online presence requires playing the long game; it should grow and expand with you naturally as you do more, learn more, and create more. Furthermore, you don't have to do all of this if there are parts that are truly uninteresting to you. If you know that you’re not a social media person and the thought of keeping up with a public account somewhere sounds like a punishment, don’t do it – just make sure there are other ways for people to get in touch with you and see what you’re working on. Make yourself visible, share your learnings, grow your connections, and the opportunities will start coming to you!
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