The View from 30,000 Feet Working in the cloud offers unique challenges to developers and unique opportunities for software tool vendors looking to address this market. What was a new frontier has quickly become an accepted and established market as more apps, programs, developers and businesses have migrated to internet-based cloud computing. Working in the cloud involves thoughtful development and management to ensure that the cloud user is maximizing efficiency and resources. What Developers Want According to the DeveloperMedia User Survey, independently conducted by Evans Data Corporation, developers are highly influential in the decision-making process on which tools to use [...]

The Year The Earth Stood Still When COVID-19 hit in 2020, it would be an understatement to say the world was caught off guard. Every aspect of our lives has been affected by the pandemic — especially how we work and conduct business. In general, many of the major impacts of COVID are related to isolation and social distancing, especially in the work environment. Many industries, including tech companies and higher education, quickly adjusted to the conditions enforced by the pandemic. However, isolation created social interaction challenges even where adaptation was successful. Software development is a unique profession in that [...]

Why Email Now? Believe it or not, email is 50 years old this year. Back in 1971, an engineer named Ray Tomlinson sent the first email, unknowingly starting a communications revolution. Billions and billions of emails later, email is still an effective advertising channel for targeted audiences. While it’s an attractive communications channel because it’s universally accepted, cheap and flexible, not long ago, email got a bad rap because of overuse. It became ubiquitous and easy to ignore (spam didn’t help). Anti-spam regulations and respect for customers now makes spamming practices less popular. Even developers respond well to direct email, [...]

Shiny, Happy Customers Close your eyes and imagine your ideal customers. Are they all the same? Are they all working on the same projects, developing the same code, and facing the same challenges and frustrations? Chances are the only thing your ideal customers have in common is that (in your mind) they need your product. The reality is that not everyone needs your product. It’s best to concentrate on those that have the need and those that have the need, but don’t know it. To bring these high-potential candidate customers into focus, you have to exploit their similarities and differences. [...]

Now, more than ever, people need to connect. In the world of software development, developer communities offer resources, forums to share code and ideas, discussions, training, reviews, and product information. They are platforms for people who share common interests, and are useful for advancing code, careers and communication. These communities enable developers to support each other, and by doing so, they enrich the community. When it comes to advertising to developers, these developer communities offer a contextual benefit on several levels. There is an element of confidence, knowing that you are improving your odds of reaching a customer because you [...]