Hello community,
I know, it’s been a long time without new posts and I’m sorry for that but it’s been a very busy first half of 2019 and for the second six months of the year it’s not really going to change.
However, today I want to say thank you to all my followers, to the community, to Microsoft, to my employer Devoteam Alegri, and to all the others who made it possible to be presented with another consecutive Microsoft MVP Award in the category Microsoft Azure. Last but not least, I want to say thank you to my family for all their ongoing support and understanding for what I do. It would not be possible without you – I love you!
What is an MVP?
The Microsoft MVP Award is Microsoft’s way of saying thank you to individuals who are subject matter experts in their focus area and who are passionately sharing their knowledge with the community. If you ask Microsoft who Most Valuable Professionals, or MVPs, are, they might say
They are always on the “bleeding edge” and have an unstoppable urge to get their hands on new, exciting technologies. They have very deep knowledge of Microsoft products and services, while also being able to bring together diverse platforms, products and solutions, to solve real world problems. MVPs make up a global community of over 4,000 technical experts and community leaders across 90 countries/regions and are driven by their passion, community spirit, and quest for knowledge. Above all and in addition to their amazing technical abilities, MVPs are always willing to help others – that’s what sets them apart.
This statement and more background information is listed on the official Microsoft MVP website https://mvp.microsoft.com/en-US/Overview.
If you want to find MVPs in your location or area, or if you want to simply learn more about individuals who currently are active MVPs, you can look for them at https://mvp.microsoft.com/en-us/MvpSearch. To give you some interesting facts, stats, and visibility, Andrew Koltyakov has created a GitHub project called MVP Monitor.
What does it take to be an MVP?
First of all: it’s not about yourself, it’s about community! It’s about passion, not about self-marketing! Members of the MVP community are community leaders, conference speakers, bloggers, authors, lateral thinkers, podcasters. They are diverse and inclusive, and they are united by their mindest of learning and helping.
There is not a check list to work through and there is no official measurement like you need to write x blogpost or you need to talk at y conferences but, generally, there are three principles to follow:
- Be an expert in your focus area! MVPs are honoured for their deep knowledge in all things Microsoft technologies. There are MVPs focused on security, infrastructure, development technologies, collaboration, databases, you name it. It doesn’t matter what you’re good at, you just need to decide what you want to be an expert at.
- Make an impact! Do a lot of what you love. Be visible. Talk at conferences. Write books. Run user groups and communities. Have your own blog. Do it all together. Whatever it is that you love – do a lot of it!
- Let Microsoft know! Talk to MVPs or Microsoft FTEs in your location or area and let they know about what you have done for communities within the last 12 months. If they are convinced that you would be a good fit for the community, they will propose you for the application process. If not, MVPs can mentor you to become community heroes.
Now it’s your turn: get up, make an impact, get yourself nominated, and then see you at the next MVP Summit in March 2020. I’m looking forward to it!
Bye for now,
Tom
Azure and beyond 