My job is a Chrome Developer Advocate at Google. Google Japan began recruiting for this Chrome Developer Advocate last week (April 2013). We are also recruiting for similar positions for Google+, YouTube, Android, and other areas, but I've been asked about it often and received requests, so I'd like to take this opportunity to explain what a Developer Advocate does.

What is Developer Relations?

All of the above work belongs to Google's Developer Relations team (hereafter referred to as DevRel). This is probably the team that developers have the most contact with at Google. DevRel is further divided into product-specific teams, such as Chrome and Android.

As you can imagine from the name, my job primarily involves building relationships between Google and external developers. Job titles include Program Manager, Developer Programs Engineer, Developer Advocate, and Technical Writer, but I'm a Developer Advocate.

I'm sure most people wouldn't understand what the word "Advocate" does, but that's understandable, since it's not a term taught in school. I think the closest equivalent would be what other companies call an "Evangelist." For those who still don't understand, I often explain it as "a job that educates external developers so they can use Google's technology."

The origin of the term "Developer Advocate" is as follows:

The word "evangelist" was originally used to describe religious missionaries. However, when a similar role was created at Google, the word "advocate" was chosen to convey the idea that the role would not just involve communicating with developers unilaterally, but also involve Google itself learning and growing through dialogue and feedback.

Below, I'll touch on the specifics of my work, but please note that this article focuses on the Chrome area, which I'm in charge of, and may not necessarily apply to other products. I'll write about some of the work I'm currently doing, to the extent that I think I'll get away with it.

Awareness-raising activities #

The main job of a DevRel is to help people who want to use apps that use Google products as a platform. In the case of Chrome, the mission is to help people who create apps that use Chrome as a platform, i.e., websites and web apps. In other words, to promote not only Chrome but the entire web, including HTML5, especially the front-end. It's a very rough definition, and I've never been told exactly what it is, but that's the image I have of myself working with.

Lecture #

This is probably the most visible part of my job, but I give talks at external events. The content is usually about introducing Chrome technology or HTML5 features (incidentally, recently I've been using the term Open Web Platform, or OWP, more often than HTML5). Naturally, I create the materials myself, so a lot of input is required beforehand, and I also need to prepare for a certain number of questions, which takes up a fair amount of time. If I'm giving a talk in a rural area, I also have to travel.

Social Media #

We use social media such as Blog, Google+, and Twitter to share the latest information. We believe many people are reading these.

HTML5Rocks #

I write articles for HTML5Rocks and maintain the site. HTML5Rocks itself is open source, so I accept pull requests, review articles, and also review Japanese translations when they are received.

Google Developers Live #

Google Developers Live (GDL) is a web program that is broadcast live every month using YouTube Live. If you've seen it, you'll know that it involves inviting guests to give technical sessions. We have staff who help with things like setting up the studio, but I do everything else myself, arranging the guests, selecting the content, and hosting the program. In GDL in the US and UK, the Advocate conducts the sessions directly, rather than the guest, but in Japan, for now, we're asking the guest to do it.

One of the Advocate's jobs is to think about how to promote the content we've worked so hard to create. I once wrote a blog post like this one. It was a great idea, and I think it was a welcome success for both our readers and us who create the content.

StackOverflow #

One of our responsibilities is providing support in forum-like settings. In Japanese, we use Google Groups to answer questions, but globally, our official support forum is StackOverflow. We also put open source code on github instead of Google Code, and we're not tied to Google's (or rather, DevRel's?) proprietary systems. Don't you think that's a good, rational approach?

Community

There are only about 200 DevRel members worldwide (currently four in Japan), so scalability is a priority. As such, there are many opportunities to become part of external communities and promote technology.

Google Developers Expert #

As many of you may know, there is a system called Google Developers Expert that certifies excellent external developers, similar to Microsoft's MVP. Exchanging information with GDE members is also an important part of my job.

This was previously called Google API Expert and was originally a Japanese program that became a global program last year (thanks to Naoki Ishihara and Fumi Yamazaki!). Incidentally, I was also an OpenSocial API Expert before joining the company.

Engaging with the community #

I'm the only person in Japan's DevRel team in charge of Chrome, so naturally there's a limit to what I can do. So, it's important for me to collaborate with like-minded developer communities, including the GDE mentioned above, and sometimes even become a part of them and help out. It's a lot of fun thinking about what I can do to help boost the community.

Event Management #

As part of our support for the community, we also provide Google venues, equipment, and personnel. This includes hosting events such as study sessions and inviting engineers involved in our products to give talks. In 2011, we collaborated with html5j to host the Chrome+HTML5 Conference. We have already held five Chrome Tech Talk Nights. We are also planning to hold an event called Test The Web Forward in June.

Partners, input, hacking, etc. #

In reality, there are many more miscellaneous tasks, but the main tasks that do not fall into the above categories are as follows:

Relationships with partners #

While a large proportion of our work is open to general developers, we also work with partners behind the scenes. We may negotiate with them to create a product, or we may address technical issues that involve confidential information and work to improve Chrome's functionality. Acting as a technical intermediary between our partners is also an important role of a Developer Advocate.

Input #

So far we haven't talked much about technology, but of course this job requires cutting-edge technical skills. There is no output without input, so you are required to always keep up with the latest information.

Hacking #

There's no point in just learning the theory, so I also do actual development. While I don't often have the opportunity to create large projects, I do occasionally create demos that directly contribute to raising awareness of the technology, or tools for internal use.

So far, I've created demos for WebSocket, Forms, and more recently FileSystem-related demos, all of which are based on the areas of responsibility of the Chrome engineering team in Tokyo. I've also created Chrome Extension and Chrome App as a hobby and for practical purposes. I publish my code on github. I don't generally write production-level code myself, but some of my colleagues have sent in patches so frequently that they've become committers for WebKit (now Blink).

Chrome Experiments #

Also, did you know that some of the popular Chrome Experiments from the past originated in Japan? For example, the recently announced World Wide Maze is one such example. Developer Advocates are also responsible for providing technical support for projects like these.

Interacting with Engineers #

The Chrome engineering team at Google's Tokyo office is quite large. As mentioned above, we mainly implement OWP features, such as WebSocket, FileSystem, Forms, and WebComponents. Many of us hand-write the standard specifications that appear on the W3C and IETF websites. My job is to act as a bridge between these engineers and external developers. Sometimes the engineers educate us through GDL or talks, and sometimes we provide feedback from external developers.

The joy of work #

My daily work is as described above. However, this is just my example and does not apply to all Developer Advocates. Chrome DevRel members are scattered across seven countries around the world, including Japan, with our headquarters in Mountain View as the core. Each of us has our own area of expertise and does different work. At Google, work isn't given to you; you create it yourself. Therefore, it's only natural that different people do completely different things. You can do whatever you think is good, and you'll still be properly evaluated.

I'd like to mention two memorable projects I've done in the past. One was Developer Link at GDD in 2011. In addition to two sessions and a keynote, I led the project, from planning to production and negotiations with partners, to complete the service by the day of the event. I also wrote some of the code.

The other, which is still ongoing, is my work with Web Music Developers Japan (although it's more of a hobby than a job). As someone who originally loved music and was very excited about the Web Audio API that lets you create synthesizers in a browser, I think it's a great perk to be able to interact with not only developers but also big names in industries that I would have had no connection to in the past. With the arrival of the Web MIDI API, I'm excited to see what even more interesting things I'll be able to do in the future.

Difficult points #

The people around me are all at a high level, and to be honest, I'm struggling to keep up. Both technically and in terms of the way they work. In addition, it feels like the work mentioned above is always happening simultaneously, so it's difficult to manage my time and concentration.

What makes this even more difficult is that we're in a regional location (away from the headquarters). I'm the only Chrome DevRel in charge of Japan, so I mainly communicate with my team members via email or Hangout. Hangout is convenient, but technology can't overcome time differences (currently, 9am in Japan is 5pm in the headquarters, and 5pm in Japan is 9am in London). Email only contains text, so you can't see the other person's facial expression or get a sense of the atmosphere.

So I'm going on a business trip, and now I'm struggling with face-to-face communication. My English ability was almost perfect on the TOEIC three years ago, but it's still not good enough. It may have more to do with my personality and culture than the language itself, but this is getting long, so I'll save that for another time.

Environment #

I've worked for several companies, but this is by far the most comfortable company in terms of ease of working. People often talk about the free lunch (they actually provide breakfast and dinner as well), but both fathers and mothers can take maternity leave, and vacation is flexible, with many people taking a month off together. There are frequent activities to enhance communication within the team, and there are frequent tech talks and club activities within the company, creating a great atmosphere. I think you can't really understand this until you try it for yourself.

What kind of people are we looking for? #

As I wrote the other day, the people we're looking for at Chrome DevRel are "people who are fluent in English and Japanese and confident in their negotiation skills, technical abilities, speaking skills, and event organization." If this article has helped you understand even a little of what I mean, then it was worth writing.

Of course, what I'm talking about here is just my own experience, and I don't expect the new person in charge to do the same kind of work. Rather, I expect them to create their own way of doing things, and they should.

Someone who can create and complete their own work. I'd be happy to find someone with strong communication skills who can push forward with various things while having fun.

So, we look forward to receiving your applications :)