Roots for Advocates: Applying Community Organizing Principles to Developer Relations
summary
Argues that community organizing’s concrete claim is that one-to-one relational meetings are the prime tool for restoring power (defined as the ability to act), not abstract outreach; explains tactics — open-ended questions, avoid moralizing, take notes, debrief partner, always set a follow-up — and contrasts direct service with direct action to fix root causes. Recasts developer advocates as organizers who map power, catalyze leaders, use events as shared currency, and warns pandemic-era work weakens in-person effectiveness.
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chapters (12)
- 0:00Introduction
- 0:59What is community organizing
- 5:45What is power
- 11:44What is selfinterest
- 14:40The onetoone conversation
- 16:03Shared experiences
- 17:42Onetoone foundations
- 19:10How does this apply to developer relations
- 20:11Questions to ask yourself
- 23:07The shared experience
- 23:56The big picture
- 25:34Questions
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