Hey folks! This is the second edition of NEAR Knowledge Sharing, a weekly post where we share insights and some personal knowledge from Foundation members, Pagoda, and other leaders in the Near ecosystem. Our next guest is Ayoung Jeon, Developer Relations Lead at the NEAR Foundation. She talks about her transition from web2 to web3, and the importance and aims of developer relations. It's a worthwhile read, enjoy! --- --- * What first inspired you to enter the world of blockchain development, and how did you transition from working at Twitter and Reddit to a blockchain foundation? It all started when I was taking a security course a few years ago, and my professor spent an entire 3-hour lecture on the importance of blockchain technology in the future of security. I figured it’d be prudent to do some research, and then never looked back. * How do you see blockchain technology evolving in the next few years, and how will it impact the future of developer relations? By now, most folks know that Blockchain technology is only on the fringes of what’s actually possible. I strongly believe that there is going to be significant development around industries that require a high level of privacy and security (like healthcare), but also transparency (like supply chains). This means that a bunch of the web2 (and non-web) workforce is going to need to leverage this tech, which also would suggest that the entire experience of utilizing blockchain technology needs to become far less technical and significantly simpler. To support that shift, Developer Relations will most likely iterate on the “relations” aspect of the role to understand the types of developers who will be shaping this new landscape, as well as their unique use cases and needs beyond what we currently know and support. * How does your role in developer relations for NEAR differ from your previous experiences at Twitter and Reddit? Oh my. It’s quite different in many ways, but also oddly similar in others? I think the largest difference is the type of people I get to interact with on a day-to-day basis. In my former life doing Strategy and Ops, I mostly worked with internal stakeholders and rarely got to interact with anyone outside of the org. As DevRel, the entire job is to get out there and talk to as many devs as possible, to meet builders and teams, and to collect as much feedback to understand how we can best empower them to do what they do best – build and create (without limits!). * Can you share any examples of successful developer community-building initiatives that you have led or participated in, and how have they impacted the development of NEAR? In-person events where people get to mingle, ideate, and ultimately just vibe together have been popping up and I love the casual yet engaged environment. Being based in SF is great because I get to see so many variations on community-building events, and the ones where I’ve had the most exciting conversations have been chain-agnostic (or at least cross-chain) where folks from various ecosystems and communities share what they’re excited about and how they can work together. The conversations are typically around how we can recruit new builders and what we see for the future of web3, and who better to come up with ideas than those who will be the ambassadors of this space? * In your opinion, what role does developer feedback play in the development of a blockchain, and how do you gather and prioritize that feedback? Ideal-case scenario, feedback is collected, analyzed for trends and insights, packaged up and shared across various stakeholders for alignment, and the changes and impacts are announced so that the feedback loop is closed. Surveys, discussions (both irl and virtual), comments on forums, etc. are all ways in which we can gather feedback, and prioritization is oftentimes a cross-functional task. I think incentivizing folks to actively and openly share feedback is one of the most challenging aspects of any role. IMHO, the biggest hurdle is convincing folks that their feedback will be actioned and make a tangible difference; why bother saying anything if nothing is going to happen anyway? TBH, fair point. In that aspect, web3 is a great environment to actively engage and share feedback because so much of how the industry operates is still in flux. Suggestions and comments help to build the policies, processes, documentation, and the actual infrastructure and tools. I think the more we can do to be transparent about what we’re working on and why (based on feedback), the more we’ll see folks take the initiative to share their thoughts. * How important is open-source software to the development of blockchain technology, and what strategies do you use to encourage developers to contribute to NEAR’s projects? If you think about what web3 and blockchain technology are ultimately trying to achieve, it makes sense that OSS is crucial to the evolution of the ecosystem. The new future that we’re working toward is one where innovation and development are fueled by the idea that more brains are better than one. The concept of centralized, monolithic orgs that gate keep what they’re working on and what they have access to is very 2010’s, and by being open-source, we’re removing those barriers and asking everyone with an idea to help build a better product. I think the devs who are building with NEAR thus far are those who already believe in the importance of OSS. For those who are interested or want to become involved but haven’t quite made the jump yet, I would say, come join us if you want to be a part of something that’s greater than just another company or tool, where you’re a part of an industrial shift in how we interact with technology and, ultimately, each other. * How does NEAR work with other blockchain projects and developers to promote collaboration and innovation within the industry? One of my favorite aspects of working at NEAR is getting to partner with the awesome projects both within and outside the NEAR ecosystem. Being able to get a bunch of different perspectives and experiences into a room to share best practices, working through problems together to find creative solutions, and highlighting all of the developments across the space are catalysts for innovation. As the old adage goes, a rising tide lifts all boats, and there are several initiatives in motion to increase and encourage collaboration. Programs and partnerships with web2 and web3 companies to bridge the gap are already in motion, and the shift to BOS is going to be a big step toward better usability through interoperability. * What challenges have you faced in your role as a woman working in blockchain development, and how have you overcome them? What advice would you give to other women in the space? It’s obviously a challenge being an underrepresented person in any dynamic, and I would say that being in blockchain has been similar to my former experience in web2. There are a lot of great people with the best intentions, and many of the challenges come from a simple lack of representation and perspectives. Building for a global audience is only possible if we have a representative group of builders who understand the nuances and needs of everyone. In order for us to get to a world where web3 is accessible to the masses and supports billions of people in how they live day-to-day, we need you all to get involved. This isn’t a call to just women, but to anyone who wants to shape the future of the internet: We need your perspective. Please come and share your ideas, give feedback, and get involved. * Can you discuss any recent or upcoming updates to NEAR that developers should be excited about, and how will these updates benefit the larger NEAR community? BOS, baby! It’s gonna be big. Jokes aside, it will be a huge shift in the way web3 users and builders interact. It’s going to improve the onboarding experience and engagement for users, and it’ll simultaneously improve discoverability and user acquisition for projects. Dev tooling is also a big focus, as we fully acknowledge that the current web3 developer experience is lacking compared to web2. If you want to find out more, check out the announcement post and get HYPE. * What advice would you give to someone who is interested in pursuing a career in blockchain development or developer relations? It’s all new to everyone, don’t worry. Accept that you’re not going to understand most of what people are saying, and strive to absorb as much information as you can from those who are willing to share their knowledge. Most folks in the space are here to help onboard the next wave of users and builders, so don’t hesitate to jump in and ask all the questions. --- --- With that, we conclude the second installment in the series. We sincerely thank Ayoung for taking the time to answer our questions, and invite you all to come back a week from now for the next installment in our series. Thank you, everyone!