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Overcoming imposter syndrome: promoting yoursel...

Olga Rusakova
September 19, 2023

Overcoming imposter syndrome: promoting yourself and your open source

Bites & Bytes meetup in Lisbon
Developers mostly don’t like promotion. It’s not just about devs’ busy schedules and everlasting antagonism between accurate tech content and “promotional b.s.”—they do have reasons. But there are formats that can bring benefits to engineers—like recognition and commercialization of your open source and other real-life values.

Olga Rusakova

September 19, 2023
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  1. Open source promotion: steps Step 1: Organize your docs Step

    2: Use small iterations to maintain consistency Step 3: Help your users fi nd you online Step 4: Help your users fi nd you of fl ine
  2. - Lighting-fast - Unprecedented - «Smart» everything - Ninja/wizard/rockstar -

    Innovative The most annoying buzzwords in tech? - Ecosystem - Optimize - Thought Leader - Agile - Pivot
  3. Do it via small iterations Each iteration contains: - Action

    (feature, tweet, article, etc) - Getting feedback - Fixing the project according to feedback
  4. Help your users fi nd you online - Search engines

    are your friends - Leave online imprints - Don’t forget to mention people and companies
  5. Help your users fi nd you of fl ine -

    Get to know people of fl ine - If you use someone’s OSS and meet them: approach to say thanks (or complain)
  6. Open source promotion: steps Step 1: Organize your docs Step

    2: Use small iterations to maintain consistency Step 3: Help your users fi nd you online Step 4: Help your users fi nd you of fl ine
  7. Rules to work with negative comments - No need to

    rush to respond. - Don’t respond to purely insulting comments. But don’t delete them. - If you are told about something as a fact, and this fact is wrong, you cannot leave this statement without an answer. - If it’s sane, reasonable critics, start asking questions. People just need to talk.
  8. I cannot write, 
 I’m bad at writing!! - Conduct

    an interview with yourself - Get your friends to help you - F-words - Start writing from any part, not from the title or the very beginning
  9. Scienti fi c research about swearing - Swearing arouses the

    emotions (and this can be measured!) - Swearing might activate parts of the “limbic system” that takes part in aspects of memory and emotion processing (that’s why people who have suffered brain damage and struggle to speak as a result, still can swear). - Cognitive effects because swear words command more attention and are better remembered. - Produces pain relief: vocalising a swear word leads to higher pain tolerance. Source: https://theconversation.com/the-power-of-swearing-how-obscene-words-in fl uence-your-mind-body-and- relationships-192104
  10. Summary: How to promote your OSS Step 1: Organize your

    docs — Rethink your READme — Create a really good description — Use more pics, lists, bolds and guides — Avoid «marketing b.s.» Step 2: Use small iterations to maintain consistency — Make your iterations bigger every time — Plan several pieces of content — Establish your routine — Show that your project is not dead Step 3: Help your users fi nd you online — Create more keywords combinations in different types of content — Always leave your imprints online — Mention people and companies Step 4: Help your users fi nd you of fl ine — Get to know your audience personally — Help other OSS creators
  11. Summary: Any problems? Haters? — Fail fast: make your audience

    bigger every time — Work with negative comments Doubts in your writing style? — Try different approaches (interview, recording and transcribing, start from any part, describe it with F-words) — Add emotions!!! Imposter syndrome? — Welcome to the Evil Martians’ world!