The document outlines ten essential social media rules for developer relations, emphasizing authenticity, engagement, and respect in interactions. Key rules include listening more than speaking, providing valuable content, and being aware of cultural differences. Overall, it advocates for genuine connections and thoughtful communication in the digital space.

1. 10 golden
social media rules for
Developer Relations Manager

2. Markus Eisele
@myfear
m@lightbend.com
blog.eisele.net
! "

3. The Great Cocktail Party
That Lives In the Internet

4. Why do most people use social media?
4 To keep track of friends and family.
4 To keep up with news, pop culture, be part of
cultural conversations.
4 To share funny stuff, cute cat photos, “viral”content,
recipes.

5. Why do most people use social media?
4 To document their lives (“microblogging”, Instagram,
“selfies,” etc.)
4 To meet & connect with others around shared
interests, hobbies & fandoms.
4 To network & promote their professional work.

6. Why do Developer Relations People use it?
4 Promotion & Publicity
4 Collaboration
4 Solving Problems
4 ALL THE SAME REASONS OTHER PEOPLE DO

7. Signal To Noise
4 People are inundated with stuff to read and watch.
4 Social media is ephemeral, no way to ever keep up.
4 Stand out by having great content that you believe
in, expressing yourself authentically, and developing
relationships with people.

8. Rule 1Be yourself.

9. "Act like a person before
you try to
promote a product."
1
@CAwkward

10. Manners.
4 Online interactions are “real” interactions.
4 Be kind.
4 Share.
4 Say “please” and “thank you.”
4 Show a genuine interest in others.
4 People who only talk about themselves are
insufferable in any medium!

11. Your Feed.
4 Your feed is a collection of things you’re interested
in.
4 Share useful & interesting content.
4 Share (retweet, etc.) when they share great stuff
with you.
4 Share your thoughts, insights, struggles, opinions.
4 Vulnerability is ok, no one loves PROFESSION-BOT,

12. Be approachable.
4 Post interesting stuff with descriptive log lines (not
just a URL).
4 Use an image to make yourself recognizable.
4 Add buttons & links to your social media profiles to
your website.
4 Follow others and engage with them.

13. Use questions.
4 Are targeted and show that you’ve paid attention to
people, to their lives & their work.
4 Are about stuff you couldn’t just Google for
yourself.
4 Draw people out and offer them a chance to show
their knowledge.

14. Have a Sounding Board.
4 People from your field who consistently interact with
you online might be a good sounding board or virtual
mentors.
4 They probably don’t want to read your content
calendar.
4 But they might look at a post or idea, give you
insights, or make an introduction to someone you
want to meet.

15. Rule 2Listen more than you talk.

16. “You have [...] two ears,
but only one mouth. This is
so because you are supposed
to [...] listen more than
you talk.”
1
Lucca Kaldahl

17. When and with whom
4 Watch, listen, and get a sense of people & culture
before you participate.
4 “Am I really adding something to the discussion?”
4 Just because you can see it/read it doesn’t mean it’s
directed at you.
4 Give credit, always.
4 Creative culture + curator culture = the art of the

18. Rule 3Remember we work in marketing.

19. Honor the three E's of
Content Marketing

20. Educate
4 Content is king
4 Valuable and unique content
4 Unknown tips and tricks
4 Early previews

21. Engage
4 Use Call To Actions
4 Answer questions from your followers
4 Respond to needs

22. Entertain
4 Be personal
4 Keep your stories real
4 You can have flaws and struggles
4 Be a helper

23. Rule 4Respect the receiver.

24. Every message has four
sides.
1
Schulz vonThun

26. Every layer can be misunderstood individually.

27. "Hey, the traffic lights are
green".

28. Rule 5Have a focus.

29. Stay focused, go after your
dreams and keep moving
toward your goals.
1
LL Cool J

30. 4 Don't attempt to please everyone
4 specialize on your industry, product or topic
4 Switch coverage layers but not topics

31. Rule 6Deliver relevant content

32. “I'd rather make a show
100 people need to see,
than a show that 1000
people want to see.”
1
Joss Whedon

33. 4 Deliver relevant content
4 Post unique content
4 Help your audience
4 Solve Problems
4 Share tips and best practices
4 War stories
4 Success stories

34. Rule 7Don't spam.

35. “The internet is 95 percent
porn and spam”
1
Margaret Atwood

36. 4 Don't
4 DM your content
4 tweet your content @ people w/o being asked
4 repost every day
4 act like a bot

37. Rule 8Know your metrics.

38. “What's measured
improves”
1
Peter F. Drucker

39. 4 Know your analytics tools
4 Find the right tools to help with metrics
4 Talk about metrics to your boss
4 Have a target
4 Learn from your mistakes

40. Rule 9A picture is worth a thousand words.

41. “A picture can tell a
thousand words,
but a few words can change
it’s story.”
1
Sebastyne Young

42. 4 We are visual persons
4 Use visualizations and pictures
4 Short videos can help explain

43. Rule 10Respect cultural differences.

44. “To become a true global
citizen, one must abandon
all notions of 'otherness'
and instead embrace
'togetherness'.
1
Suzy Kassem

45. 4 Increasing Your Knowledge Base
4 Practice self-awareness.
4 Read books / articles about other cultures.
4 Study another religion.
4 Talk to a person from another culture.
4 Keep an open mind.
4 Teach your children to be respectful.
4 Experience new cultures.

47. “There is no such thing as a
weird human being, It's just
that some people require
more understanding than
others.”
1
Tom Robbins