I think websites like Stack Overflow, GitHub and HackerNews attract a certain type of programmer, which might not always be the sort of person a business is looking for. Or, at least, it will exclude a lot of people who aren't interested in being involved with online development communities. That is, they are too hardcore.
Yes, but there are tons of other data sources out there, right? For example, how many developers are members of mailing lists for a given API, service, language, tool, etc.? How many contribute? Plus, that doesn't even include the world of personal blogs, twitter accounts, etc.
I think we're entering an age for software engineers where expressing yourself externally is going to be even more important than your resume. For example, a really intelligent, well-thought-out post like the one linked above can really move you forward in your career.
I'm focusing on making a startup that captures all this stuff and uses it for both display and matching candidates. I'm still in the very early stages and would love some feedback! http://proovn.com
