It feels good to finally be writing this.
I've been working part-time behind the scenes at DEV for almost two years managing social accounts, handling support, and helping with moderation. Earlier this year I stepped into a more curatorial role as the Community Program Coordinator where I work alongside @jess, helping with editorial stuff and DEV Challenges. The past few months we’ve been interviewing for a full-time Community Program Manager, and I’m super excited to have someone new on the team to grow our community programs. Moving forward, I'll be taking on the weekly Top 7 and Challenge Announcement posts, so expect to be hearing from me more frequently :)
When I’m not working for DEV, I'm pursuing a graduate degree, learning how to build interactive experiences at the intersection of music, video games, media theory, and poetry. I also teach design principles and introductory HTML/CSS to undergraduates at CUNY Hunter, which means I spend a lot of time thinking about how people encounter new ideas for the first time.
The reason I find DEV such an exciting place to be is summed up well by @kernelpryanic in a post from April:
I don't think all hand-written code is art, just as not every handmade object is. But I do think the category is emerging.
Code has always been both tool and art form, and this community feels like a place where both can grow and thrive. I’ve always thought the overlap of technical expertise and creative curiosity is where the real exciting stuff happens, and I feel lucky to be in a position to help elevate the voices that live in that space.
Top comments (69)
@heyitsjem so happy you finally made this post and we can start giving you credit for all the awesome work you've been doing behind-the-scenes over the YEARS you've been with us! We love having you on the team and can't believe how much you juggle between DEV and teaching and your thesis and beyond.
Thanks @jess 🙂
Whelp, that answers my rejection lol. No hard feelings.
Regardless, Congrats Jem! Can't wait to see your action on DEV :D
This role is different than than the Community Program Manager position! I will be working under that role, which, as far as I know, is still yet to be filled
Oh fascinating. I thought it's one Manager, but good to know you are part of it!
You're correct: just one manager. I am a part-time contractor who will be working under the Manager position. :)
Ohh I see what you mean. I got a bit confused lol. Regardless, I can't wait to see the upcoming TOP 7 from you and seeing my message to congratulate everyone!
Congratulations, Jem! 😊
It’s really nice to finally meet the person behind some of the work happening around DEV. I really liked what you said about the overlap between technical expertise and creative curiosity. I think that’s one of the things that makes this community so special.
I’ve personally had such a positive experience here, and I’m really grateful for how much DEV encourages people to share their work, learn from each other, and keep creating. It’s always nice to see good work being noticed and given a place in the community.
Wishing you all the best in the new role! I’m looking forward to seeing your Top 7 posts and everything you bring to the community. 😊
Thank you so much!
Congratulations, Jem! 👏🏻
Interesting to see the mix of your technical background with poetry as a hobby! I think it's a very healthy work-life balance 🙂
Thank you! Forever trying to find that balance 🥲
Eheheh, I totally get you 😅
Congratulations Jem.
Thank you!
Jem, "the overlap of technical expertise and creative curiosity" is exactly why I stuck around here too.
Congrats on the role — Top 7 duty sounds like a fun kind of chaos. Also cool to see the game/music/poetry mix in your bio not the usual dev intro
Thanks @dannwaneri 🙏
Having seen DEV from the moderation, support, social, and now curation side, have you noticed any qualities in posts that consistently make you stop and think, “this deserves more eyes,” that authors themselves might not realize matter?
Honestly, I simply love anything that shows personality and sincerity. We're not always concerned about a perfectly written post, but more so that it comes from a unique perspective and offers something genuinely new. Maybe that is obvious, but with the amount of AI-generated content these days, it's getting harder to come by.
That said, AI-generated does not necessarily mean "bad". I've enjoyed plenty of AI-assisted articles on DEV. However, an LLM, by definition, can't have a unique point of view.
That distinction makes a lot of sense to me. There’s a pretty big difference between using an LLM to help communicate something you actually observed or worked through, and asking one to supply the observation itself.
I think the interesting part is that “unique perspective” is probably becoming a stronger signal of good technical writing than polish is.
Now this is something I'd love to see some content on! My partner recently finished her graduate degree in Game Design and was looking at that experimental space between narrative, experience and play.
At some point I'll post an article on her work, but this kind of handcrafted thought provoking stuff is precisely what I want to read about rather than another "it's not that, it's this" AI article.
In The Dust (Experience)
Is that a game your partner made? I love it so far.
Yes it's one of her course projects!
I'll have to get writing!
I'd love to hear more about your partner's experiences also.
Oooh, welcome and official congratulations to you, @heyitsjem! ❤️✨
Congratulations @heyitsjem
thank you!
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