My thoughts on how to gain fame within the software development industry, that have been shared both internally at OpenCredo, and also at the LJC Open Conference last year

1. A guide to becoming famous within i.t.
Daniel Bryant
@danielbryantuk
OpencRedo

2. Agenda
• What does it mean to be famous (within i.t.)?
• How do we become 'famous'?
• Things to watch out for
• Create a plan
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3. What does it mean to be famous within I.T.?
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4. What does it mean to be famous in I.T.?
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5. ...Or is it more like?
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6. ...Or maybe?
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7. For many of us, it'S probably more like...
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8. However, there are benefits for being 'known'
• Recognition for your hard work
• Building a Brand (for you and your company)
• Invitations to participate (engage in debate, 'create the future')
• Build your network and career
• Additional opportunities (learning, travel etc)
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9. So, how do you get famous?
(Caveat: This is just my experience, and I'm not really famous)
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10. So, how do you get famous?
• Define clear goals
• Systematically approach conferences, orgs, people...
• Practice, practice, practice
• Be 'omnichannel' (sorry...)
• Build a brand
• Develop your network
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11. Define clear goals
• Start with 'why?'
• Useful tools
– Brain storming
– Impact mapping
– Empathy mapping
• Be S.M.A.R.T.
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12. Systematically approach conferences, orgs, people...
1. Convert goals to actionable plan
2. Create abstracts/synopsis and get feedback
3. Submit early and often (and follow up)
4. Be tenacious, you will be rejected many times
5. Ask for feedback from the organisers
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13. Practice, practice, practice (speaking)
• Public speaking is not natural for many of us
• Practice
– cat/duck, partner/friend, team, company, meetup, small conf, medium...
• Video yourself - and watch it!!
• Listen to feedback and adapt
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14. Stuff that still trips me up (when speaking)
• A/V failures
• Hearing my own voice with delay
• Not seeing the audience (webinar, bright lights etc)
• Strange looks from the audience
• Drinking water
• Taking a pause (no one actually notices)
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15. Be 'omnichannel' (sorry...)
• The fastest way to get recognised is to be a triple threat
– Good at Public speaking
– Regularly Writing articles/tutorial
– Sharing good examples of Coding / Tech
• There are also multiple distribution 'brands' to be aware of
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16. Brand value (This is simply my opinion!)
• Global tier
– Qcon, o'Reilly, Goto, craftconf, manning, infoq, high scalability, devops.com
• National tier
– Devoxx, Jax, Javaone, skillsmatter, packt, tech beacon, dzone guides, TNS
• Regional tier
– Local conferences / meetups, Self-publication
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17. Work your way to the top
• Target lower tiers (for an easier ride)
– Systematically work your way upwards
• Leverage successes
– Share everything on Social media (well, not everything...)
– Links to material on all future submissions
– Target interesting people (with care) and share your stuff
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18. Work your way to the top
• Don'T underestimate the value of mentors
– I owe so much to people who have helped me in my career
• Try to get involved with organising conferences/reports
– No better way to learn than seeing from the other side
– Reviewing cfp submissions was a game-changer for me
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19. My journey - Some personal anecdotes
1. Local meetups
– Work on projects e.g. betterrev
2. Javaone (riding the coat tails)
3. Devoxx
– help on PC was a gamechanger
4. Dzone guides
5. Manning reviews
6. Work with Skillsmatter
7. Craftconf
– Saw value of social media
8. Qcon
– Introduction via infoq
9. o'reilly (via books, articles)
10. And Finally Goto!
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20. Build a brand
• Be known for something
– Golang
– Microservices
– Leadership
• Marketing 101
– Easier to market a well-defined brand/product
– Niche products are easier to explain
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21. There are Different Types of talks
• Tech exploration
• Case studies
• Themed
– Tech E.g. architecture, clean coding, containers
– Biz/Soft skills E.g. strategy, empathy, project management
• Thought leadership
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22. Creating a talk
1. Brainstorm / Impact mapping
2. Get a second opinion
3. Create outline (build the story)
4. Fill in details
5. Practice (out loud)
6. Reflect and feedback
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23. Books
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24. Cfp submission guidelines
• Sell your idea - be clear and succinct
• Show awareness of topic, but Avoid over-use of buzzwords
• Demonstrate clear learning outcomes or takeaways
• Bullet points are your friend
• Double-check submissions (T&C confirm, text formatting etc)
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26. Develop your network
• Sounds cynical, but meeting people within your industry can be
thought on as part of your job / role / career progression
• Therefore, be systematic about the approach
– Have goals
– Always introduce yourself and Explain who you are
– Make the elevator pitch / Ask how you can help
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27. Levels of Networking at conferences and meetups
1. Have a good chat with someone
– Show appreciation, but don't oversell (try not to be a fanboy/fangirl)
– Ask how you can help them
2. Quick intro / ask a question
3. Engage via social media
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28. Worth saying one more time...
You can go along way by asking how you can help someone!
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29. Diversity
• Slightly ironic, since I am a steriotype of i.t. mainstream...
– But we can all make a difference
– Be aware, take action
• If you consider yourself from a diverse/under-represented
group within it, this can open up more doors (if you want)
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30. Being a good citizen
• Be respectful at conferences, and in writing, social media etc
– No inappropriate jokes, pictures, or memes
– He/him -> they/them
– Guys -> folks, people, the team
• Bottom line: be mindful, follow the golden rule, Don'T be an idiot!
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31. Fame antipatterns
• Being known for the wrong thing
• Bad attitude - 'I know best' / being dogmatic
• Not building on prior art or referencing existing work
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32. Let'S wrap this up...
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33. In summary
• Define clear goals
• Systematically approach conferences, orgs, people...
• Practice, practice, practice
• Be 'omnichannel' (sorry...)
• Build a brand
• Develop your network
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34. Thanks
• Questions?
• Contact me:
– Daniel.bryant@opencredo.com
– @danielbryantuk
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