As you may recall, my first article for the EMC Developer Network (EDN) was my introduction as editor of our developer community. To help put a face along with the words, I included a photo of myself, and tinted it blue. Was this an indication of mood? Was I subconsciously sad about taking on this role? No, it was simply to match the existing website colors (and cover some grey in my beard.)

Well things are changing, and as you see, I'm no longer blue.

Let's talk

I've been talking to lots of people about the current EDN... what they like about the site and what should be changed (yes, I know there's lots of room for improvement.)

My mantra continues to be: lower the barriers that make it difficult to find the resources you need to get your work done.

I'll schedule time at the upcoming Developer Conference (be sure to register early, it fills up quickly) and during user group meetings to discuss the future of the EDN and how you can participate.

But don't be shy; you don't have to wait for an event to speak up.

If you have suggestions about how the site can be made more useful for you, or if you have some content to contribute to the site, I want to know about it. Just drop me a note at dn_editor at emc.com.

The changing face of the EDN

The early days of the Developer Network had content focused solely on Documentum products. More recently it has been expanded to cover a range of content management tools to include Captiva, ApplicationXtender, eRoom, ECI services and other products.

This is just a start. As developers, you need information about all areas of EMC software, what people are doing with it, and make that information easy to find.

We're preparing for bigger and better things. In addition to content management, there are other EMC software communities that need and want a presence here at developer.emc.com.

Behind the scenes we're quietly developing a new scalable EDN framework. The new site will be a home for all of these communities and will support some great new developer features that we've got up our sleeves.

But why go through all the effort to expand the network? Let's consider the value that a thriving EDN brings to us all.

What's in it for EMC?

I'm very pleased to say that EMC is committed to growing our developer network. In my view, the company benefits from increased developer (including architects, project managers, etc.) community participation because:

• Developers evangelize the tools and platforms to their companies, peers and clients.
• Developers often participate in the purchase decision process, driving license and hardware sales (sometimes indirectly, it's difficult to quantify.)
• The network gives EMC personnel a way to get timely technical and roadmap information out to the customers, and promote pollination of development across the product lines.
• Knowing what developers are talking about is valuable to our product management and engineers.
• Developer peer interaction reduces tech support costs by reducing submitted cases.
• Raising the overall level and skill of the developer community yields:
  • Higher quality application implementations.
  • Happier, referenceable customers.
  • Higher quality EMC Application Logo products.

What's in it for you?

Ok, so we know it's good for the company, but there are lots of reasons why you should want to participate in EDN communities, events and programs.

• Actum Ne Agas (do not redo that which has been done). You get to:
  • Leverage other peoples' contributions and experiences; there is no need to reinvent the wheel or fall into known potholes.
  • See best practices and techniques that include code sharing, Component Exchange, sample schemas and templates.
• Share ideas with your peers and EMC resources through forums, conferences, live and recorded events, and by commenting on newsletters, articles, whitepapers and audio recordings.
• Resolve problems faster
  • Quickly deal with or avoid known issues.
  • Leverage peers who may have tried the same thing that's being problematic… there's a lot of talented people implementing solutions, and many of them are quite chatty!
  • Faster time to higher quality project completion.
• Notoriety for you and your company
  • Get your name out there, People know who you are based on your contributions. We'll be doing featured articles about our members and what they've been up to, so you have to let us know who you are!
  • You might enjoy the role of mentor, it's great to help others. Yes they might be your competition, but they're your colleagues too. Casting bread on the waters can be very rewarding.
  • There are writing and presentation opportunities for members with something interesting to say.

But, but, but...

Although there are many people who are quite active in the EDN community, a very large contingent simply doesn't participate much (or at all.)

Why don't developers participate in the network? Why do they only check the site when they have a problem?

Here are some comments I've heard from developers. There are things we can help with (and we are), some you'll have to deal with on your end.

• No time: 'I'm too busy with work during the day, and exhausted when I get home.'
• No encouragement or resources from my employer: 'I have to sneak peeks at the EDN whenever I can, I'm not allowed to spend time here.'
• No interest outside of immediate tactical needs: 'I only go there when I have a problem, and if I'm not currently on an EMC project, I don't stay connected.'
• Shy / embarrassed. Many people have issues with addressing a group and prefer to talk one on one or lurk quietly on the sidelines rather than speak up. Often this is a result of localization and language constraints. EDN editors can help put member contributions into publishable form.
• Frustrating experiences with navigating and finding things on the current EDN site. We're working on this!
• Protective of intellectual property: 'I don't want to, or am not allowed to share what I do with others.'

One of the differences between trade and professional organizations is that trades have trade secrets, whereas professionals are expected to teach and publish.

I don't know if there are any doctors that perfect a surgical technique and say 'I'm not telling anyone else about it, and my nurses are under a non-disclosure agreement and can't work for any other doctors if they leave me.' Maybe there are such doctors… I haven't run across them.

Contributions can often be 'sanitized' (removing customer specific references) to permit publication, and we at the EDN can help with that. The goal is to promote a professional developer community and share as much as we can.

Go for it!

The EDN team is working to make it easier for you to participate, and bring more great content to you.

I know that there is a growing interest and great value in having a thriving EDN.

With an active membership and places for comments and discussions, the EDN will become a vibrant, busy place that you'll want to visit often (not just when you're in trouble.)

We're doing our part. We hope and expect that you will contribute too.

So, I'm no longer blue. We're going for the gold... let's do it together!

Alan Z.

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