Require that any API meant for real adoption is backed by a developer relations function responsible for supporting, advocating for, and growing its community of consumers. Endpoints and documentation are not enough; someone has to carry consumer feedback back into the operation and champion the developer's experience internally. I have watched developer relations quietly decide whether API programs succeed, because it is the human function that catches everything the tooling misses.
Developer Relations Program
Strategies
APIs Are Actively Evangelized
An API that nobody knows about might as well not exist. I believe every API operation needs someone actively evangelizing its work, telling the story of what the APIs do and why they matter to the ...
APIs Invest in Developer Relations
Developer relations is where an API operation puts real people between its technology and its consumers. I want every serious API to have someone whose job is to support developers, gather their fe...
Experiences
Advocacy
Advocacy is the experience of an API having someone in its corner, speaking up for its consumers and carrying their needs back into the operation. Developer relations, evangelism, and outreach are ...
Communication
Consistent communication about the production and consumption of APIs is critical for effective enterprise governance. APIs are inherently difficult to visualize, making it essential to invest in m...
Lifecycle
campaign Communication Beta
APIs are a conversation, not a broadcast. Blogs, changelogs, newsletters, and status updates keep consumers informed and invested in what I am building. Consistent communication is what turns a lis...
