I'm a friendly, non-dev, cisgender guy from NC who enjoys playing music/making noise, hiking, eating veggies, and hanging out with my best friend/wife + our 3 kitties + 1 greyhound.
First off, I'd just like to note that I'm a Community Manager here at DEV and have been working here for ~5 years, but I'm not a developer. There have been moments where I have felt extreme imposter syndrome — like what the heck am I doing being a Community Manager for a community of software developers when I'm not one myself. But, over time I've grown to feel more comfortable and see the unique value and strengths that I can bring to the table.
As for gaining respect as a non-developer, here are a few tips that I'd suggest:
Be yourself. It's best to honest about what you know and what you don't know. I'm not a developer and I don't have any plans to be one — I make that known often. For instance, when I'm talking about something that is technical and perhaps a bit out of my realm (e.g. when I'm responding to someone's post here on DEV) I often start by saying "I'm not a developer" whenever asking my question, sharing my thoughts, or daring to give advice, haha.
Treat others with respect. The old line “you have to give respect to get respect" really rings true. Conversations online sometimes spin out of control because of a multitude of reasons: there's no body language to read, folks from different cultures encounter each other and don't understand each others' norms, folks are used to trolls and can be defensive, etc. I think if folks just took a little while longer to think about what they're saying, how they're saying it, and how it might be received by who they're saying it to, then there wouldn't be as many conflicts.
Be clear about your intentions. If you're not a developer and you're here, why are you here. Are you hoping to learn to be a developer? Are you trying to learn more about developers and what they're talking about? Are you interested in tech in general? Are you in the tech industry? Do you work for a developer-focused company that maybe sells tools to developers? Whatever it is that you're doing, it's just good to be clear about what brings you here. This kinda gets back to #1.
Play by the rules. If you're going to use the website DEV, then just make sure that you're following all of the rules. For instance, if you're sharing a post, I'd be careful to use tags that fit the content of the post. Consider this, a lot of folks are following tags to try and see posts that fit their interests... if you use tags incorrectly, this could be annoying to folks because they'll think that you're misusing the site to try and gain more attention.
Engage with folks sincerely. I might sound like a broken record, but this really goes back to #1 and #3, if you pay attention to the things that folks say in their posts and/or comments and respond to them genuinely, typically folks are going to appreciate that. They'll know that you took the time to engage with them. Of course, you need to keep #2 in mind — be respectful and empathetic — but so long as you do that, most people are going to appreciate it.
Some folks may still be disrespectful but they aren't really worth your time. Even if you do all of the above, unfortunately, there will likely still be some folks in the mix who are still rude and disrespectful. My advice is don't let it go you down. If someone is acting that way, it's most likely a problem with them, not you. I'd advise to please report them, consider blocking them, and don't bother talking with them anymore. We're not cool with gatekeeperly behavior and if we agree that it crosses the line of what's acceptable via our Code of Conduct, we will intervene appropriately.
Hope these points are helpful and feel free to hit me up if you have any questions!
For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse
We're a place where coders share, stay up-to-date and grow their careers.
First off, I'd just like to note that I'm a Community Manager here at DEV and have been working here for ~5 years, but I'm not a developer. There have been moments where I have felt extreme imposter syndrome — like what the heck am I doing being a Community Manager for a community of software developers when I'm not one myself. But, over time I've grown to feel more comfortable and see the unique value and strengths that I can bring to the table.
As for gaining respect as a non-developer, here are a few tips that I'd suggest:
Be yourself. It's best to honest about what you know and what you don't know. I'm not a developer and I don't have any plans to be one — I make that known often. For instance, when I'm talking about something that is technical and perhaps a bit out of my realm (e.g. when I'm responding to someone's post here on DEV) I often start by saying "I'm not a developer" whenever asking my question, sharing my thoughts, or daring to give advice, haha.
Treat others with respect. The old line “you have to give respect to get respect" really rings true. Conversations online sometimes spin out of control because of a multitude of reasons: there's no body language to read, folks from different cultures encounter each other and don't understand each others' norms, folks are used to trolls and can be defensive, etc. I think if folks just took a little while longer to think about what they're saying, how they're saying it, and how it might be received by who they're saying it to, then there wouldn't be as many conflicts.
Be clear about your intentions. If you're not a developer and you're here, why are you here. Are you hoping to learn to be a developer? Are you trying to learn more about developers and what they're talking about? Are you interested in tech in general? Are you in the tech industry? Do you work for a developer-focused company that maybe sells tools to developers? Whatever it is that you're doing, it's just good to be clear about what brings you here. This kinda gets back to #1.
Play by the rules. If you're going to use the website DEV, then just make sure that you're following all of the rules. For instance, if you're sharing a post, I'd be careful to use tags that fit the content of the post. Consider this, a lot of folks are following tags to try and see posts that fit their interests... if you use tags incorrectly, this could be annoying to folks because they'll think that you're misusing the site to try and gain more attention.
Engage with folks sincerely. I might sound like a broken record, but this really goes back to #1 and #3, if you pay attention to the things that folks say in their posts and/or comments and respond to them genuinely, typically folks are going to appreciate that. They'll know that you took the time to engage with them. Of course, you need to keep #2 in mind — be respectful and empathetic — but so long as you do that, most people are going to appreciate it.
Some folks may still be disrespectful but they aren't really worth your time. Even if you do all of the above, unfortunately, there will likely still be some folks in the mix who are still rude and disrespectful. My advice is don't let it go you down. If someone is acting that way, it's most likely a problem with them, not you. I'd advise to please report them, consider blocking them, and don't bother talking with them anymore. We're not cool with gatekeeperly behavior and if we agree that it crosses the line of what's acceptable via our Code of Conduct, we will intervene appropriately.
Hope these points are helpful and feel free to hit me up if you have any questions!