hacker retention by andrew mager
TRANSCRIPT
Hacker Retention
CMX Series - 1/14/15
Andrew Mager (@mager), Developer Evangelist @ SmartThings
Understanding the hacker ethos
● Logical, inventive, pragmatic.
● Always looking for the next big problem to solve.
● Learning new technologies constantly.
● Testing the limits.
● Independent, sometimes stubborn.
● Day jobs feed their weekend hack ideas.
● Short attention-span.
● More than a developer, many personalities.
PennApps, September 2014
Music Hack Day London, 2013
Developer
Designer
Marketing Shark
Product Person
Interested human
BD Person
How to flirt with a developer online
Swipe right.
● Add them on Hacker League, ChallengePost, Hackathon.io, Lanyrd, etc.
○ Find out what other events they like to attend.
● Find them on Github, Twitter, Dribbble, and even LinkedIn.
○ Engage with them on a constant basis.
● Developer portal, guides, examples, docs, changelogs.
● Encourage them to contribute to open source projects.
● Get their email address and send them monthly newsletters.
● Invite them to all types of events.
The best events, in order
1. Hackathons are most engaging. Hands-on feedback, solving problems,
resolving bugs, and building fresh ideas into real prototypes.
Wildhacks, Chicago, Nov 2014
The best events, in order
2. Meetups that you host - focus on platform updates and Q&A.
Facebook Developer Garage @ SxSW 2010
The best events, in order
3. Mixers/Drinkups that you host - informal and casual. Bring Swag.
Aardvark Developer Meetup, July 2009
The best events, in order
4. Hangouts - regular video conferences with the community.
The best events, in order
5. Conferences, keynotes, other company’s meetups
Google I/O Party, 2011
Hacking into the sprint
Continue their hack:
● Turn the hack into a product feature.
● Invite them to help build you it.
● Feature community projects on your developer
portal or hack gallery.
● Invite them to future events.
Music Hack Day Tokyo, Feb 2014
The risk is the reward
What does a developer get for hacking on your API?
● Unlimited premium product.
● Premium support.
● Alpha/beta access.
● Swag.
● Recognition in the community.
● Maybe a job.
Achievement Unlocked: Ambassador
● Spread out geographically.
● Pay for their travel to attend events on
your behalf.
● Building a new hack at every event.
● Capture feedback to improve the
developer ecosystem.
● Don’t pay them cash, but reward them
over time with gear/wishes.
● Students make great ambassadors.
Thank you! (We are hiring) ~@mager