Juan Delgado

Reaching out

26 Jul 2016

TL;DR: I would like to meet new people all over the world to talk about their journeys in the industry, digital products and software development.

Over a year ago I made a very conscious effort to stop following on Twitter people that were very much like me (white, man, cis, straight…) and started following people that were not. This was an attempt to broaden the information and views I get of the world and I can honestly say that it has definitely helped.

[Sorry, by the way, if you got caught in the cull, absolutely nothing personal. It’s just that I try to read the whole timeline so needed to limit the number of people I followed.]

But after a recent conversation with EzyJules and drawing inspiration from Carl Martin’s #thirtyNYC positive experience, I’ve decided to try and push the boundaries of my circle further by proactively seeking to meet people from all over the world, regardless of background or seniority.

What I’m after

• Meeting people without a pressing need. I’m interested in what you are up to, how you made it there, what do you dream of doing.
• Tech and software development related topics. Maybe have a look at what I’ve talked about in the past, for example, Product vs Craft, UI automation and BDD for mobile devices or the unexpected side effects for engineers of lean development.
• Maybe check my Linkedin profile, we might know someone in common, or worked in the same place at different times (the world is indeed small).
• Cool things you are doing with technology (software / hardware), particularly if they are oriented at helping people or solving problems. Gadgets and frameworks are cool but helping people is awesome. Think Wayfindr.

What I’m NOT after

• Commercial approaches. These will be harshly judged and possibly publicy shamed. Pretty please, don’t be that person that prevents the world from having nice things.
• Recruiting or being recruited. Seriously, don’t.
• Providing emotional support or personal life advice. I’ve barely managed to make myself a somewhat functional grown up : )
• Games, I’m not a gamer.
• Also, sadly, I wasn’t actually involved in the development of Monument Valley other than bringing them the odd beer and hugging them from time to time. However, NDAs aside, it’s ok if you want to know more about ustwo or ustwo related things. Check the ustwo site if you want to have an idea of what we do.
• Political debate. I do have political views, and I’m not shy to discuss them, but I’d like to keep the focus on tech for this one.

How it works

• Anyone, from anywhere in the world, from any company, academy or university, regardless of seniority, role or background.
• We meet over hangout / Skype or if you are around London we could go for lunch*.
• I’m comfortable speaking English and Spanish, but we could do it over a written chat instead if you prefer.
• 12pm to 2pm GMT on Fridays is typically a good time for me, but will try to accommodate for people in different time zones. NOTE: locking up time outside of standard UK office hours or weekends will be really hard (family time).

Interested? Get in touch at jd at juandelgado . es or ping me on @wadus on Twitter and we sort out something.

Can’t wait!

* Painfully aware of how priviliged it is for me to not just avoid, but encourage meeting strangers face to face without having to worry about my physical wellbeing. Sad world we live in.

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