📺 CFTV Anniversary: APAC Community Jam
Our Community Jam is a cross functional meeting in which teams from across Cloudflare are invited to answer Community posts: a hackathon to help customers. We'll answer more questions between each music set.
Each Jam features two guests, a DJ, and participants from Cloudflare.
Log in and submit your questions to the Cloudflare Community !
Transcript (Beta)
Gagan Kumar,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla ,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla ,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla ,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla ,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla ,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla ,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla ,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla,Likhita Singla,Likh ita It's just a proxy for me Through you I come to my senses We were not one yesterday And we will never be When I'm alone, not with you We are so fortunate to be able to come together online here With our shared interests around technology And to be able to support one another Share our different areas of knowledge and expertise And encourage each other along our coding journeys All of this ties in so well to the Cloudflare mission Of helping to make Cloudflare a better place to work And helping build a better Internet Because the Internet couldn't possibly become a better place If we didn't have a wide range of people With crazy and different life experiences and knowledge participating So I'd like to thank you all for being here And being part of our community But how does it actually work and what are we doing today?
So over lunchtime in San Francisco, London, Singapore And our offices all around the world Cloudflare employees are coming together on Cloudflare TV And in our community At community.Cloudflare.com To like, solve, or reply to posts on the community board So our employees are invited to join The company community GChat room To talk with other people from Cloudflare And to visit the community lounge to interact with community leaders and MVPs Today, however, it's a super special community jam Not only are we celebrating four years of community at Cloudflare But it is also Cloudflare TV's first birthday So happy birthday Cloudflare TV And while Cloudflare employees from around the world Get to tune in and geek out We're joined by Gargan, who is our very own Cloudflare DJ today And Lakita, who will be helping host and identify community posts For our Cloudflare employees to look into In addition to this, we have Tim and Romi Who are helping backstage and online in the GChat To get the community stuff happening So they're sharing information and different details with us And back out into our workforce Towards the end of today's jam, we'll be joined by Nereo Who is the customer support manager for APAC We get to chat with him about his impressions of today's jam And maybe even get a few little insights into what's coming up next I'd like to hand it over to Lakita Thank you so much for the introduction, Gretchen I'm really looking forward to this double special community jam Along with everybody who's joining us right now I think we have made enough ground on what we are going to do today So let's move into how you can participate in this special birthday jam Pretty simple So if you're a Cloudflare employee who's watching us right now You just have to log into the community, join the community GChat room for the discussion However, if you're somebody who's joining us outside from the community We invite you on the community using the tag Hashtag JuneJam, J -U-N-J-A-M To bring your post to our attention where we'll answer as many questions as we can And we really look forward to your posts on community .Cloudflare.com Now, while we give some time To the members of the Cloudflare team to settle in And find the posts which have gone unnoticed over the past month I'll hand over to the DJ Gagan to play some music for us And get back to you shortly So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So Definitely.
I think this needs some deep level here, but yeah, it might be related to the issue that was flagged long time.
I hope the ticket was raised and we can mark it as solved soon.
Off we go to the next one.
This one talks about a DNS configuration issue with the subdomain.
This one is actually pretty interesting because while I was going through it, I saw there has been pretty much interaction with the Cloudflare employees and the customer.
It's actually good to see that kind of activeness in a ticket.
If I go all the way down, so going through the description of it, I think there has been some misconfiguration in the onboarding part where the name servers were configured incorrectly.
After somebody responded to the solution, I don't think they came back.
Hopefully, it was solved and we can mark it as a solution.
That would be the best outcome, right? Absolutely. What better than that? Hey, I've got a little trick question for you, Lakita.
It's come in via one of our viewers and I've said, what's an error 1020?
What am I doing? What's happening? 1020 looks like a block from the firewall.
I think it should be fairly easy enough to go to the firewall analytics dashboard and look for the part 3ID or anything that you have in the response codes and search for the event in the firewall analytics there.
If that's too hard to fix, I think maybe the next best option is to hop on community.Cloudflare.com, right?
Definitely. Yeah, and I'm pretty sure this is a fairly common error code.
You can definitely find some already post on community about this one.
So great to get questions coming in from the wider community.
I really like that. I guess, Lakita, really it's so good you're finding these posts and we're getting them not only talked about, but solved and moved through the right channels to where they need to be.
It's great to get these calls in from the external community asking for a bit of help.
So thank you. Keep them coming in.
If you're joining us from the community, you can do that right into Cloudflare TV, but also we invite you to post on community.Cloudflare.com.
Use the hashtag June Jam, which J-U-N-J-A-M, to bring your post to our attention.
Because if you do that, it comes straight through to us.
It gets highlighted and we can action it right now, right today, because we're running these sessions, not only here in APAC, but all around the world as time passes, funny enough.
But once you log in, look for Community Jam 2021.
And on June 8th, there's a post pinned to the top of the community.
So when you see that post, follow the link, put all your questions in there, and it'll make sure that it's seen by our team, which is fabulous.
And as a reminder for all our Cloudflare employees that are here today, firstly, thank you.
Welcome. We love having you here. If you want to have a look around and find some posts that you think are really valuable, so that could be questions that, you know, come up time and time again, or responses that could be used in different ways, shapes, or forms, please let people know.
So you can do that by liking it, commenting on it again, so many different ways to bring it up the community forum.
So if you see a really tough topic with a great solution, can you just give it a love heart emoji?
That would be unreal because that shows to the community that this is one of the best solutions we've got coming through.
So I guess that's our ask for the next few minutes when we get things happening again, is to just go find some really good content that's already there.
You don't have to write it yourself.
You can just appreciate other people's really hard work.
So while we all head off to find some more, more exciting content and find some posts that we like, our DJ has a whole heap more music for us to enjoy on Cloudflare TV's first birthday.
Enjoy. ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ in the correct manner, right?
Because then if someone else is coming with the same concern, they will actually get the answer they're looking for and other people will too.
That's a really good point to bring up that if you do have something to post on cloudfair.community .com, you need to actually kind of separate it out and make sure the ask is really clear.
But likewise, we need to make sure we answer in a really, really clear manner that covers all the points.
It's tricky.
But well said, yeah. I think it's always better to segregate the issues that you're facing currently so that people who are looking for an answer can directly reach out to the post for that answer.
And the valid answer does not get lost in any of these.
Yeah, because it can, right? Absolutely, yeah. Like, yeah. That's a fun thing.
I saw in our Gchat on the side earlier, there was a really good call out by one of our staff that actually some of our MVPs, it's a really good way to search for answers if you find some of the MVPs like Dom or Eva, because their answers to anything are actually pretty solid.
And so searching that way when you're looking for a response is a kind of backwards sideways solution as well.
I'm not sure if that's how we're meant to do it, but that's a tip I go with.
Definitely.
And those answers are so descriptive with the screenshots attached and directing you in a way where you can find the answer.
So I think that's actually a brilliant idea.
This is the same as I was searching to buy something the other day and someone brought to my attention, don't use Google, use Etsy, because then you're not getting all the other things.
So it's like using Etsy as a search function instead of something to shop through.
It worked really well. So I'm all for workarounds.
No wonder you brought that up, Gretchen. Hey, what other posts have come up that you're interested in?
Yeah, I was looking for one of these. It talks about www.redirectbroken, which I think is fairly common issue, but it looks like it has not been answered yet, but I am pretty sure there are multiple posts on the community itself.
So let's bump this up internally. I like it. It should be a fairly quick one.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure. Yeah, I found one post, which is fairly interesting in the perspective, how interactive that has been with the screenshots and the detailed discussion.
It has been going on for long. And there are certain tips as well on that post, which have been directing it to where you can find it.
Yeah, I think that can be closed off. I, myself, I'm actually marking in blights and solution for the things that I feel is okay and are actually right.
So I suggest everybody to do that as well. That's a great tip. Yeah, right.
And then there's one which talks about, this one is tricky, I feel, and has been bumped quite a few times.
This one is talking about course error on rate limiting.
The question asked in the end is, is there any way to change the course policy when returning rate limit exceeded?
Not very sure. I think it would be possible using workers, but we can give a dig to it.
I have just bumped this internally as well, Gretchen.
I think that's a great idea. I used to, many moons ago, taught web development as a job and course errors give me a little heart palpitation.
I get massive anxiety around them because students used to just get completely thwarted by it.
So I think bumping this one and we'll get some of the workers team involved maybe to see what can happen there.
Shocking. It sounds like a great solution.
Hey, thanks for finding all those, Lakita. And as a side note, whilst Lakita was actually doing some work here, I was pulling up reports to see how many problems we've liked or solved or what's actually happening in the back in regards to community.
And Lakita's actually leading the leaderboard, it so turns out.
So not only is she on TV doing things, she's actually doing the most work behind the scenes too.
So everyone else needs to do a little bit more, I'm saying. No, I'm not.
I'm really just saying that Lakita's doing the most today and I love it.
So if you're joining us from the wider community, we'd like you to post on community.Cloudflare.com.
And once again, use the hashtag June Jam. So J-U-N-J-A-M to bring that post up to our attention.
So because of my slightly odd accent, that's Juliet Uniform November, Juliet Alpha Mike.
So once you've logged in, look for the Community Jam 2021 post that's pinned to the top of community.
And when you see it, you can follow through the links and it makes sure that every post you put up will come straight to our attention right now and get looked at by the team.
And we're aiming to answer as many questions as humanly possible in the next little while.
So please get posting, tell us your dilemmas, what's going wrong and how we can help you.
And as a reminder for all Cloudflare employees tuning in for the jam today, have a look and see if you can find some posts that are valuable for the whole community to know about.
And have a look, see if you can find some topics that have a lot of replies, but didn't actually get to the solution point.
Some of them will have solutions, we just haven't marked it as that.
So it'd be great to go through and tidy that up a little bit.
So if the solution is there, tick it's solved. And if not, maybe ask the customer if they've found a solution and they might've come up with their own, which gives us so much insight into how things work.
And that's also a great outcome and we can tick it off as marked.
We're gonna put a link for the shared report that takes us to all open topics that have replies, but no mark solution in them to help you with that angle.
So while we go on, oh, actually, before I hand back over to the DJ, I just wanted to do a little shout out to the broader community that if you're looking for help, we have slash tutorials in the community board and so many of those have really, really good content that will just help you through those little spots where you're stuck.
So have a look, Google the tutorials and follow those through as well.
But we're gonna head away and go and try and solve some posts and find some solutions that exist.
And I'm gonna hand back over to our fabulous DJ who's got way more music for us.
Thanks. I'm gonna hand back over to our fabulous DJ who's got way more music for us.
I'm gonna hand back over to our fabulous DJ I'm gonna hand back over to our fabulous DJ I'm gonna hand back over to our fabulous DJ I'm gonna hand back over to our fabulous DJ I'm gonna hand back over to our fabulous DJ I'm gonna hand back over to our fabulous DJ I'm gonna hand back over to our fabulous DJ I'm gonna hand back over to our fabulous DJ I'm gonna hand back over to our fabulous DJ I'm gonna hand back over to our fabulous DJ I'm gonna hand back over to our fabulous DJ I'm gonna hand back over to our fabulous DJ When I was at that age, you could drop our safe This crazy passion took my mind away We were such a match, but now you are done Look, look, look how great I've become Make me perfect Make me perfect Make me perfect Make me perfect When I was at that age, you could drop our safe This crazy passion took my mind away We were such a match, but now you are done Make me perfect Look, look, look how great I've become Make me perfect Make me perfect Make me perfect Make me perfect Make me perfect When I was at that age, you could drop our safe Make me perfect Hey, good to see you again, Lakita Welcome back.
I don't know, I cannot get enough of this amazing music today, for sure So once again, welcome everybody And for those who are logging in now, I'll just repeat the rules again So if you're joining us from the community We invite you to post on the community using the hashtag ZoomJam J-U-N -J-A-M So that your post gets to our attention And we'll be answering as many questions as we can As we have been doing so far, and it looks amazing So we really look forward to your post on community .Cloudflare.com And once you log in You'll see Community Jam 2021 June 8 pinned to the top of the community Where you see post And you can follow that link and post your question there For the Cloudflare team to see your post and respond accordingly Our team has been doing amazing And it's so good to see the enthusiasm And we'll continue to respond to those posts during our next discussion as well We really look forward to your post, guys We do, and it's been so much fun We've got a little internal competition to see who's answering the most And who's doing what And it's really exciting from our perspective There's the odd person up there who's had 80 plus posts that have reacted to And let me get my video going I seem to have knocked the button off and on again Sorry about that There we are I just wanted to highlight briefly before I mentioned MVPs and never expanded on any part of what that actually means So if you're at the Cloudflare community and you're relatively new We have heaps of really amazing contributors And as part of thanking them, we wanted to recognize their work That was kind of above and beyond anything we'd ever expected So the Cloudflare MVP program recognizes individuals that have been active for over a year And really have just done the most amazing stuff So I guess that's a 30-second rundown on what that was But what we're doing now, the community jam will keep running in the background But we are lucky enough to be joined by Nereo Who is the customer support manager for APAC And over the course of Cloudflare TV's birthday We've had over 100 different Cloudflare employees come online and have a chat with us So we're super, super stoked to have Nereo I wanted to make it so he could be employee number 101 And time it beautifully, but apparently that's not how this goes But welcome Nereo, it's great to have you here I'm going to hand over to Lakita for a couple of questions Hi Nereo, thank you so much for coming Sorry to cut you off, please go on Nereo No, no, go ahead please Welcome, I hope you've been having as much fun as we guys were here I'm sure we were So as I was going through the post, I saw how Cloudflare employees and people have been interacting over the community And it has been really fun to see that through So what do you think community is all about, Nereo?
Well, I mean, what's always amazed me about Cloudflare's community And I've used it since day one So the first day I joined, I actually didn't go through it I was trying to get a handle on all the products, all the issues the customer was having And also trying to set my own site up And try to use as many products as possible to try and learn about them And what's hugely amazing is the number of posts there, the number of people actually participating And I remember going back to my previous employer And we were trying to get community started And it was hard work to get that critical mass of people there And answering questions, supporting each other And most of our efforts were not successful And then to see Cloudflare as such a passionate, vibrant, populous community It was just hugely impressive for me and hugely useful for me The number of people that are participating, the number of posts that come in every day And the speed at which the posts are responded to And this is not necessarily Cloudflare employees or MVPs But other people in the community just spontaneously say, oh yeah, I had this problem Or I found a solution to this, you can do it this way And constantly people were answering, constantly people were talking to each other And the quality of responses as well This wasn't just a one-line, two-line response type thing It was a full-on recipe or just a proper solution of how to get things done And that really impressed me And also as Gretchen mentioned earlier about the MVPs and the volunteers in the community I mean, that just shows how passionate people are about our products And what we're trying to do here And a huge shout-out to them again I can't stress it enough, it's so important to have these people constantly there 24-7 to look out and look after people's questions And so yeah, that really impressed me Absolutely, I don't think anybody can agree any less to that So I'm pretty sure you were following the June Jam, today's June really closely Is there anything that really caught your eye and stood out to you?
Just the amount of fun that you guys had I know internally we have this chat channel And we're talking back and forth and I had a look there It's just so fulfilling and it's so much fun to participate The answers again are really high quality There's a lot of energy in the responses And I know in our support organization, the way we do support We do like a customer comes in with a problem and then we answer one at a time So it's like a one-to-one kind of relationship between an engineer answering the problem And the customer who's raising the issue The community is just so much more and so much more useful as well It's like a one -to-many at first Because the person asking the question gets a wider audience It's not just somebody from the support team who takes the ticket It's like everyone has eyes on it And then when a response is made back into the thread that's useful It changes from being one-to -many to many-to-many And so that is huge because that allows scale That allows reach and that allows us to capture knowledge in a way That isn't really possible through a traditional support model And so just to be able to see that and witness that today And the number of replies and the reach of those replies was huge Right, definitely And for the fun part, we definitely had a lot of fun today So what's a quick one tip that you'll want to give to people who tune into JAM every time?
Just get involved, right? The more you get involved, the more you will learn And this is, yes, it's a public forum Yes, your responses are read and there's no need to be shy And just learn And that's when I was setting up my own site on PowerFlare And I wanted to try all these different products And I wanted to see how everything is put together And I spent pretty much every day on the community just strolling through And when you browse that catalog of knowledge that's there With all the different threads and you're like, oh, okay Something else caught my eye that I want to learn about And then I read into that topic And then it's almost like it just snowballs, right?
And the amount of learning I received from just reading community posts And then trying stuff out myself was really huge So, yeah, just go in with an open mind and learn as much as possible No, no denies, yeah I absolutely agree with you, Niro I know Gretchen, you've been eagerly waiting to ask some of the questions to Niro as well I always have so much to say It's a hazard I love what you said, Niro, around the reach and the knowledge you can get through the community forums Like it's good business sense, right?
Like it means we don't need to hire 5 million people to respond to things So that's like a numbers and dollars thing That makes sense at a really kind of transactional grasp point of view But I think it does so much more than share knowledge Because to me it gives a place of, I guess, belonging within reason Because we're all here because we care about technology And trying to build things and build things well Do you get a sense of belonging from that?
Or am I taking my seriously hippie stuff and bringing it over?
It's not hippie at all I really felt proud to be part of that community And, yes, initially it was just browsing or posting a question But then being able to, in a couple of weeks or about a month or so after that I remember we had another community And this is when I first joined And to be able to respond to some of these queries And to be able to say, hey, look, I'm here I've run into this problem before Here's how you solve it And to be able to do that is quite satisfying as well And, yes, it's just really powerful when you see all these people helping each other And it must mean something, right?
And, yes, it's just, even in support I mean, our own Personally, my thing with support is when a support ticket gets open There's a huge engine behind the scenes that has to turn on And all the gear has to start to move and all that But when you're talking about a community, you bypass a lot of that, right?
So there's no queue time There's no SLA There's no first contact There's no email back and forth to get information None of that stuff happens It's just the community, a question comes in And spontaneously people start to crowdsource and find a solution So in some sense, it's actually a lot faster to get responses from the community And chances are with the participation that we have in our current community Somebody has run into this problem before And somebody has already qualified a solution for it And it's just a matter of searching for it and finding it Sometimes the hardest thing I find is knowing what my problem actually is What the question is I'm trying to ask Do we get tickets in and you're like, what are you asking?
What do you do with those ones?
All the time And sometimes it's because, again, the customer themselves are new Or trying their best to configure things And sometimes they don't understand what the problem is Sometimes the problem appears as a symptom in one place But actually, when you dig deeper, it's totally different Some other aspects of the product Or even sometimes a different product that is causing the issue But that's what support's here for And that's what the MVPs are there for And that's what other people in the community are there for To tease those details out so you can get that bigger picture And the more people you have looking at the community post The quicker and the better the response The more texture the responses have Whereas if you were to open a support ticket You may have about maybe three, four, five people look at it But when you're talking to the community You can literally have hundreds of people looking at the same thing And the amount of texture you can get from that Not only helps you understand what the problem is And to solve the problem But also takes you on a journey of learning So that you can get ideas about the next step Or where you want to go once you've solved that problem I love that you said texture Because I'm so passionate about having diversity in technology And not just we need more men and we need more women Around that whole lived experience Every part of the diversity spectrum you can talk about But texture kind of encompasses all that in one word And what you're saying there was When people come and they don't even know what question they're asking Which personally I find the single worst spot to be in ever You're like I know I'm stuck And you don't even know how to start the process of being unstuck It's fabulous you can reach out to community And have something come back And be nudged into a different direction From all these different people And the community here has been built so well And I don't know if that was intentional or magical Or because we've got some of the world's best MVPs But it is a great, great community And I'm proud that we've got it I have to say that Yeah, it's so supportive, right?
There's nothing like, oh, you're asking a stupid question Or something like that I've never seen that Never, ever, ever seen that in the community I've read thousands and thousands of posts And it's inclusive People just want to help each other And just share knowledge And share solutions And make things happen Sorry, are you good?
Sorry, I'm good And also another thing that caught my eye Was just the depth The technical depth And expertise that's available I mean, I wish I could hire a whole lot of these people I love that you said that Because it's almost like we've got the best recruitment process Now set up as well And you go there Which is fabulous Because I was going to completely change tact On our conversation And start talking about your experience And kind of recruitment And how that works at Cloudflare What attracted you to Cloudflare?
Why did you even look to come here?
Okay, so I remember I mean, again, it's a classic story Of seeing Cloudflare through error pages, right?
And Cloudflare has been popping up on my browser For many years In many different forms And it's always been, who are these guys?
What do they do? I read one of the online magazines quite a bit It's The Registry And so they had quite a bit of in -depth stuff about Cloudflare as well And that caught my eye And just the momentum and the blog I mean, I certainly was a follower of the blog Before I even thought about joining it And the purpose and the way the blog was written The purpose of the company, the mission of the company Just drew me in And I moved to Singapore about four and a half, five years ago now And I used to follow them in the UK before that And I've always wanted to work I'm like, yeah, kind of cool to work here It's always been in the back of my mind And in Singapore that popped up The opportunity popped up And I'm like, okay, I've got to try for this, right?
And this is after working in my previous company for 15 years Oh wow, that's a huge decision then To leave somewhere you've been at for so long It was, and going completely out of my domain My comfort domain And to jumping into Cloudflare And jumping into the fast -paced nature And just so many new products So much stuff to learn, so much to do And so it's been so exciting But yeah, that's how I got involved in the whole thing And I applied for the job at the first place I've always wanted to be here I love that And I think too, it was the mission statement That attracted me to Cloudflare Because it has a sense of It's hopeful and we're going to make things better But also we're going to do it as a team And there's also a bit of a recognition That we can't make it perfect tomorrow So we actually just need to keep doing this For a really long time together as part of a team And I'm glad we're attracted to some of the same reasons What about you, Lakita?
What made you look at Cloudflare? Yeah, I think pretty much what you guys already mentioned But on the top of it is the transparency That Cloudflare depicts in the outside world If you're wrong, we admit we are wrong We don't try to cover it with anything Any story coming out together So that's one of the best parts That I've loved about Cloudflare always If there's anything gone wild, you'll see a blog about it Admitting that yes, this is what we did wrong And this is how we are trying to mitigate it And not to have that happen in the future So yeah, I think we all are pretty much on the same lines here What attracts us to Cloudflare Which is fabulous So Nerio, can you tell me about your actual current role And what that means?
I'd love a bit of knowledge there Absolutely So we have a wonderful team here in Asia So we have people based in Singapore and Japan at the moment And we help customers And we want to make customers able to use our products In a problem-free manner And if they run into any issues We're right there to help and support and solve the problem That's the only thing we're here for Is to make sure that everyone, a few guys out there Is able to use our products And put a smile on your faces at the end Like okay, yeah, you come to us when there's something wrong But we want to make it right And if you look at some of the responses that we provide and support The amount of time it takes to provide a response of quality It is a substantial investment from our end And we just don't want to provide quick and easy responses We want to educate It's a journey of learning, a journey of solving And a journey of keeping customers happy It sounds like you've got the perfect job Like literally you just make people happy Oh, it's the best job in the world I always tell people I don't know if Nikita advised I told you this when you were interviewing me Support is the best job in the world Because you get to help people And yes, you know You get to see all sorts of crazy stuff coming in And all sorts of products It always keeps you interested and challenged I don't think that's stressful I think it just helps you grow as an individual as well And you get to help people And I always say this also That at the end of the day When you finish your work It's not your problem You can go home and have that balance between work and life And then come back And one of the things people say is that There's sometimes not enough room to grow in support And I completely disagree with that It's been a great career for me That's pretty much all I've done As a support engineer And then now having luck And opportunity to look after a support team here in Asia It's been a fantastic ride And I hope that more people see that And want to join and learn and help others How about you Nikita?
What's the best bit of your job?
Yeah, I think I'm pretty much on board with Niro Because we come from the same role So it's actually I don't know who are the people who feel You don't grow in support role Because it's tremendous growth in support I feel where you're technically challenged every day In your role where you come to work And anything new comes up You get to know that product in and out You work on it The nitty gritties of that product So I don't think you can ever get bored Of this support role at all And today while I was working Looking through the posts on community I felt how community helped support so much In lifting off that huge burden of support role Where half of the things Are already sorted out in community It was great going through community channel today I love that It's like our support team have their own support crew It's like the perfect design here I love that Kind of random question on this one, Niro If someone was out in the broader wider community And thought, oh, I actually thought about Having a real job at Cloudflare What would you say to them If they were starting to consider that?
If you look on Glassdoor We have a reputation for being very difficult In the interview process It's a long and difficult And pretty rigorous interview process But there's nothing to be scared about And the reason for this rigor Is to make sure that there's a cultural fit But also to make sure that the people Who are joining us really want to be here And it's a very fast paced Very super high growth Super creative place to be And so if you feel that you want to try that If what we do, our products, our blog Anything resonates really well with you Don't be scared Just come And we have a really, really open mind When it comes to hiring And I'm sure, Lakita, you've been involved In quite a few interviews with various people And the stance we take is Each person who joined us in the support team Goes through quite a lot of training So if you feel, oh, maybe I'm not good enough For this job Or I don't know enough All that can be taken care of So we train you up Shane, I don't know if you've had a chance To speak with Shane As part of this Community Jam But he runs our training program And there's like 18 to 20 weeks of training That people go through As they step through all different products And everything like that So yeah, don't be afraid that Oh, I don't know if I'm not good enough You're going to be working with Some of the smartest people in the world And they're super You can approach them approachable They're super energetic about it They're passionate about what they do We all are And so if you want to be a part of that Just reach out There's nothing Every single CV that comes across My CV board, whatever you call it It gets looked at So I do look at each one of them I do try and spot opportunities To give people chances It doesn't matter If you don't have the seniority Or if you don't have the skill level It's all about the attitude And the approach that you take To solving problems And the approach you take To working with others And the technical stuff We can fill in anyways I really like that you said that Because in my other time at Cloudflare I've been doing a series of interviews With kind of junior people Well, not all juniors But people new in technology Who don't fit a stereotype Of what we think a technologist Should be like or look like Or what their education should have been And what's come out of all of those Is they've all said We've been so lucky and so appreciative Of getting a job in an organization Who looks for our willingness to learn And our curiosity And our aptitude And our just strong desire To get better at everything we do And I've taken that above a You know, I read this book And did that exam kind of structure And I think Cloudflare Really epitomizes that And lives those values I had no idea the training Was so long to come into your team That's fabulous Once you're in, you feel it Yeah, it doesn't feel that long It goes by like, oh, it's done That kind of feeling It also doesn't stop there So after 20 weeks It's pretty much Likitha and myself We learn new things every day And again, it's the core values Of Cloudflare Curiosity The ability to have empathy with others And respect each other The ability to get things done And to execute And of course To have really smart, intelligent people I wonder how we slipped through Yeah I still feel lucky that I'm here Every day Wow, that's brilliant So we list our jobs, don't we On our Cloudflare page I think there's a careers bit at the bottom People can look through I know that there's a little bit of a drive Later on this week To have a look at what opportunities are available So that's why I wanted to explore that space With you, Nereo Likitha, when you came on board How did you find out about Cloudflare And start that process?
So I've come from the same domain So I was aware of Cloudflare long back And one thing I'd really want to add Is the interview process As Nereo mentioned People say on Glassdoor It's a little longer It takes a while But as you go through that interview process You'll feel how you learn a lot From that interview as well It's not like Oh, why is this so long?
Why is it taking long? Every interview that I had been through I definitely learned something or the other And it helped me grow personally as well So no matter if the interview is long But it's too much fun And so much needed for your own personal growth To challenge you to where you stand Technically for the role you're applying So yeah, that's really something that comes handy I mean, we're here to help you Shine a spotlight on you And to give you that stage And to help you We don't want to weed you out We want to give you a chance And that's always the approach I've taken I want to give you a chance I want to hire you Tell me who you are And show me you fit in And you have the same values That we hold dear to ourselves That's brilliant And I also think I've always gone into job interviews Thinking I want to make sure That this is a place I want to be as well So I think having that extended interview process And getting to meet more and more people That are in the organization Can only be a win -win, right?
Like this is a pretty big commitment When you choose to go and work somewhere It's a lot of hours out of your day It's a lot of your kind of energy time You want to spend it with cool people And in that regard I'm still trying to find someone Who I can go Oh, did you meet so -and-so from somewhere?
But every single person I've come across at Cloudflare Has been amazing And I mean, I'm old enough To have not had that experience At other organizations that I'm in How do you think we go about Making sure that's true Or that's my experience?
It's certainly I mean, when I went through the whole process Interview process I had 14 rats 14 different people And through that Again, through that journey And it is a journey I was still excited The recruiting team kept me excited And you know At every step of the way You're informed And the next step is known to you There's no surprises And you kind of There's no ambiguity It's like you kind of know Yeah, okay, I'm doing well I'm enjoying who I'm talking to I want to work here And as each person Each person you speak with Just reinforces that It's like, yeah, I really want this Right?
And to build It's so good to come into an organization Having that attitude Right?
And so it changes that mindset In your mind And it's like You're not unsure You're not shy It's like, okay, I'm here Let's see what we can do Right?
And I'm excited And to start off with that energy Positive energy And to be surrounded by people Who are just as positive And supportive And engaging I mean, we So many people came up to me And said, hi, I'm here And I'm doing this And let's talk Every week I meet with new people Who have just joined Different teams Not even from support, et cetera So it's such an inclusive environment That your whole mindset Your whole approach to coming to work In the morning Changes And that's certainly been the case With me And so you carry that on Right?
And that doesn't stop Because every day You're surrounded by this kind of positivity And this kind of energy And you can draw on that Even on the down days It's like, you know, I'm feeling a bit tired today But it's like, no, I've got to push on I've got to do this And people are relying on me And I'm relying on people And so again, that sense of closeness And togetherness Is probably why you see that You see so much energy And you see so much fun I love that You were really articulate With what I was trying to say You said, thank you for taking my messy thoughts And turning them into a sentence That was brilliant Hey, I really appreciate you spending your time Coming on today, Nerio I know you're busy And your insights and experience Are unreal And so thank you for sharing those with us today I'd also like to say Happy birthday again, Cloudflare TV I can't believe you're just turning one now I've been with Cloudflare for less than a year But I feel like I've done more than a year's worth Of playing with these new toys That are fabulous I'd also like to thank The Cloudflare community For your great questions that were coming in Through the TV chat And on the community board It's been great So we're going to get The ones we haven't answered yet We're definitely getting to And keep asking them Because as I said earlier We're going to roll over different time zones So when we're finished here With our lunch break We're going to hand it off To the rest of the team And go around the world Like a kind of celebration And a huge, big thank you To my partners in crime here on Cloudflare TV Likita and Gargan And also the people backstage For us The Cloudflare TV tech team Do amazing stuff And also Tim and Romy In the Google chat They've been kind of Feeding us all the information And herding all the cats In the background So once again Thank you all I'm just going to hand over To Likita to say goodbye And then we get to celebrate Cloudflare's first birthday Off air Definitely So as I already said We have not gotten enough But happy birthday Cloudflare TV Once again Thank you so much Gretchen It was really fun Today with you And thank you Nireo For taking some time And doing this with us It was really insightful And I'm pretty sure There's going to be a bump In the number of applications We'll be getting after this I just want to know Is there any cake?
It's your birthday right? There's got to be cake Look One thing Cloudflare is really good at I would say Is that review process And making things better next time So let's make sure There's cake tomorrow Definitely You'll definitely get a cake Nireo Thank you everybody Thank you so much For making Cloudflare community So much fun And take care everyone Stay safe And now it's DJ For some music please Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex Alexis Alexis Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex I want to take a car, taxi, please drive me away, from my thoughts.