What are the eligibility criteria? Are there any specific benefits? Existing MVPs please chime in.
I am wondering why I am still not an MVP despite being an active participant in the Microsoft community.
+8
A:
From the FAQ:
Q3: How does Microsoft select its MVPs?
A3: Over 100 million people participate in technical communities but there are only about 3,500 MVPs worldwide. Outstanding technical community members are nominated by their peers, Microsoft employees, and MVPs. Each year a panel of Microsoft employees reviews the contributions of each nominee for quality, quantity, and level of impact on the technical community. Today's MVPs reflect Microsoft's global customer base and the breadth of its technologies.
Q6: Do Microsoft MVPs receive any payment from Microsoft?
A6: No. The MVP Award Program does provide a small award of software and other benefits as part of its core program offering, but MVPs do not receive any monetary payment from Microsoft.
Michael
2009-05-29 15:12:22
am lucky not to be an MVP... It sounds like being an MVP makes one just as special as the kid who saw dead people in Sixth Sense.
Peter Perháč
2009-05-29 15:29:50
+3
A:
Creating a site like Paul Thurrott's and evangelizing Microsoft at every forum, blog, thread you can. The Men In Black will notice... ;)
Kensai
2009-05-29 15:14:57
MVPs are fiercely independent of Microsoft, actually. We're very willing to recommend non-MS products etc.
Jon Skeet
2009-05-29 15:30:32
Yes, but you actually *have* to spare a couple of good words for them to notice. After that you can freely bash them, but how many MVPs do actually critisize MS products after such prestigious honoring?
Kensai
2009-05-29 16:28:09
@Kensai: I'm constantly putting them down when they deserve it. I find your suggestion to the contrary to be offensive.
John Saunders
2009-06-01 20:29:17
The question was how does one BECOME an MVP. Not what one does to REMAIN. My comment might be "offensive" (although it was never meant to be), not my answer. Then again, proof is the best evidence. Can you show me real MS bashing by MVPs somewhere on the Internet? I've seen Paul Thurrott criticizing MS' products in the past but NEVER bashing them. It's one thing say "I sort of don't like this" and another "what a load of crap Microsoft is throwing at us again". I don't quite believe the "fiercely independent" part. Unless someone consciously wants to lose his/her MVP status. That's all.
Kensai
2009-06-02 08:11:02
@Kensai: I don't usually "bash" anyone. I usually just tell the truth as I see it. When the truth is that Microsoft has made a mistake (Web Site "projects", for instance), then I say so, and don't care if it offends the MS folks who made the decision. Same with "can't use a WCF proxy in a using statement". Bad design decision - they missed that one. I call it as I see it, and that's all there is to it.
John Saunders
2009-06-03 20:46:11
@Kensai: I also don't even know who nominated me or otherwise put my name into consideration. I was very surprised to be chosen, as I hadn't thought I was being very helpful at the time, and certainly not in the area in which I was awarded. If I'd needed to kiss ass to be awarded, I wouldn't even have known which one!
John Saunders
2009-06-03 20:47:59
+2
A:
MVPs are mainly nominated by other MVPs and Microsoft itself. From my conversations with a C# MVP, they're looking for people who are active in several areas of expertise and evangelism. Blogs, conferences, user groups, forum postings, and speaking engagements are the main areas they look for people.
If you feel like you should be an MVP, you should talk to an MVP about a nomination and find out what they would want to see before they stick their neck out for you.
Robert S.
2009-05-29 15:18:12
I am wondering why they did not notice me yet... as I am very active in many communities.
CodeToGlory
2009-05-29 16:04:23
@CodeToGlory: In what areas are you active? I don't recall having heard of you, at least not by this name. One issue may be that there are a lot of areas, and a correspondingly small number of MVPs per area to possibly notice you. There are only about 4,200 world-wide.
John Saunders
2009-06-01 20:30:42
A:
Check out my detail post on this topic www.adilmughal.com/2010/05/how-to-become-microsoft-most-valuable.html
Adil Mughal
2010-05-20 18:29:41