Developers spend time developing. So far, normal.

However, development should not be the only thing to sink. There are many opportunities outside of coding projects.

Not taking time to meet and connect with people is like wasting all great opportunities for your career. More importantly, you may progress slowly and lose interest in what you do.

That's why developing a solid network can help achieving your goals.

However, it is understandable that it can be a challenging task for developers.

Therefore, here are the strategies that I use to keep a good network quality:

Meet people online

Many developers publish content online on social networks like Twitter and LinkedIn. Reacting with a comment daily can be a great way to connect.

Sending a private message that shows your interests can connect you with that person to start with.

It is also a great way to start creating content for yourself. For example, sending a comment will reach different people from your followers. If your content talks to them, they will follow you back instantly.

Reach Communities

Developers spend a lot of time online. Most of them are in a community. You can join one by asking your peers or searching for them online. This is a great place to expand your social awareness.

Personally, I have several Slack groups where freelancers, app makers, and iOS developers discuss their challenges and react to iOS news.

Sometimes, they are even off-market opportunities. If you are looking for a job, this is a great way to get reactive.

Meet people near your living area

Some of your connections might live near your area. It would be a great time to catch up then!

You can plan for a meeting to get some news. In that way, you can learn from other challenges, which will enrich your perception. Building trust and authenticity is one of the central values of building a solid network.

Participate in events

Look around you to see if there are some events about your core technology. Those events reunite people with similar goals and interests around your activity.

At Paris, there are CocoaHeads meetups where iOS developers share their knowledge.

Some are looking for jobs and other recruiting at that time.

Keep in touch

With the previous strategies, you met people and made great connections. Now it's time to maintain that connection with some of them. You can ask them the following questions to get exciting news from them

What about their project? What challenges did they face? What has happened since you last met?

Keeping your network hot can make a difference when searching for opportunities.

But a good rule of thumb: Don't disappear and re-appear only when you need something from your network. You only get what you give.

Summary

• Enter inside online communities & groups
• Build trust and authenticity when meeting people
• Connect with people online by commenting and sending a DM
• Participate in on-site or online events.
• Keep your network hot, you will thank it later