I'm a Senior Developer Relations Engineer who loves karaoke, video games, and engaging with developer communities.
Asking for Compensation as a Speaker
October 03, 2020Your time and expertise is valuable! Speakers are often paid in "exposure" and little else but provide the majority of the content in any event. If talking about money is deeply uncomfortable for you, try using one of these sample messages to kickstart your next compensation conversation.
The Moderator Manual
August 09, 2020Set your community moderators up for success by giving them a reference guide to your moderation tools and processes. A solid manual will give your mods something to fall back on when arguments arise or panic sets in.
Moderating Discord Servers
July 15, 2020You can customize your Discord server to automate parts of the moderation process. Use Dyno Bot to support your moderators and create custom commands to improve your community members' experience.
Moderating Online Events
June 22, 2020Your community deserves to feel safe and welcome at your event. Minimize harm by building and training a team of moderators. Preparing for the worst ahead of time will take much of the stress out of moderating and help your event run much more smoothly.
Running Online Tech Conferences
May 07, 2020One small, sad aspect of our very dark timeline is the absence of in-person industry events. We have to deal with that reality, so we might as well take the opportunity to build new and wonderful things in the place of the conferences we're missing. This post is a collection of my thoughts on running a great online conference. Coming soon: subtopics like video recording, live streaming, moderation, and monetization.
Building an E-commerce Site with Gatsby, DatoCMS, and Snipcart
March 22, 2020Use this lightweight e-commerce setup to take your business online with Gatsby, DatoCMS, and Snipcart!
Building and Publishing a Blog with Gatsby and Netlify
March 16, 2020Learn how to not only create but also write, publish, and share a blog. You'll register your own domain and use dev.to as a secondary publishing platform to help get your message out to a wider audience!
Getting Paid as a Speaker
August 29, 2019Speaking at conferences can open a lot of doors but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be properly compensated for your time, effort, and expertise. Learn what to expect and how I approach setting prices for paid speaking gigs.
5 Tips for Getting Your Next Conference Talk Accepted
August 16, 2019Want to start speaking at conferences? Rejection emails got you down? Or are you afraid to put yourself out there in the first place? Use these tips to up your chances of getting your next proposal accepted!
Getting IAAP Certified
June 12, 2019I've decided to begin the process of becoming a Certified Professional in Web Accessibility through the International Association of Accessibility Professionals. I'd like to offer a little background on what that means and how I plan to prepare for the CPWA exam.
Announcing <title of conf>!!
June 08, 2019I am making the greatest and most beautiful thing I have ever made: a tech conference that is inspired by my love of karaoke and musical theatre!
The Value of the Hallway Track
May 30, 2019Speakers work extremely hard to create useful, engaging content for the conferences we speak at. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't encourage folks to connect outside of those talks. There is value in the hallway track for attendees and speakers alike.
Tips for Your First Tech Conference
May 24, 2019A collection of thoughts to keep in mind when preparing to attend a tech conference