Voice of the DBA

Tag: mvp

  • The MVP Award Looks Backward

    I was awarded the Microsoft Data Platform MVP designation in July 2018. I’ve been honored to receive this designation since 2008, though the award doesn’t drive my work. I started writing articles to help others get better with their work, just as I got help from others before me. That was the goal of SQLServerCentral, and I’m proud whenever I hear that I’ve been able to help someone solve a problem, learn a new skill, or improve their career in some way.

    Microsoft has an MVP site, and they describe the people they recognize in this way: “Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals, or MVPs, are technology experts who passionately share their knowledge with the community.” The award is for those that make efforts to help others “ranging from speaking engagements, to social media posts, to writing books, to helping others in online communities …” In other words, for those that help others, Microsoft chooses to designate some of them as MVPs for their efforts.

    Their past efforts.

    That’s the key. If you are awarded the MVP designation, then you’ve spent quite a bit of time during the previous year helping others and sharing knowledge. You could stop all your writing, speaking, etc., and you’d still be an MVP for the next year. You might not be renewed after that, but you could use the logo, attend the MVP Summit, and more during this year.

    There are budget constraints to the MVP program, just like other corporate initiatives. As a result, not every speaker, blogger, open source MS stack developer, etc. gets awarded. People get nominated, or if they’re already MVPs, they’re automatically considered for the next award period. This leads to an evaluation process where every nominee for some period is ranked in some order. I have no idea what method is used, but it’s a combination of speaking, blogging, organizing events, writing free/open source software, and likely more. There is a budget that says only xx people will be awarded, and the top xx people get picked. I really have no idea how this works, but since I’ve been a recipient of the award, this is what I’ve observed.

    Most people appreciate the award and continue to contribute to the community. Some really want to earn the award and make special efforts to ensure they make plenty of contributions. If you want to get recognized, it takes a lot of work. This is a competitive environment, with many people regularly making contributions to the community. You have to make enough to rank above the cutoff, regardless of accomplishments in prior years.

    I’m always appreciative of the award, but as I mentioned, it doesn’t drive me. I have a set of things that I do for work, and a set that I volunteer for as a part of the community. If that earns me a high enough ranking, that’s great. If it doesn’t, I’m fine with that. Ultimately my goal is to help others, and I’ll continue to do that, regardless of recognition.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcast

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  • Another MVP Award and a Few Thoughts

    I got the news of my MVP award last week. I’m honored that Microsoft feels I do quite a bit for the community. This was my 10th or 11th, though I’m not sure since they changed around the award periods. In any case, it’s been a long time.

    As I saw quite a few people posting their award (or re-award), I also noted a few people that weren’t renewed. I wasn’t surprised, even at some of the big names, since I haven’t seen them in the community much in the last year. Keep in mind, the award is for the most recent award period, not your past.

    I ran across this Twitter account, which I’m guessing is someone that wasn’t re-awarded as an MVP. Personally, I think this is a poor showing of one’s professionalism. I’m sure this is why the account is somewhat anonymous.

    This year we had quite a few that weren’t renewed that have been MVPs for a long time. Usually this isn’t a surprise to the individual, as they often know if they’ve been doing lots of blogging, speaking, etc. This can be surprising to others, since often we assume that person XX is always helping others. The thing I always think about is whether someone has done enough in the most recent period, not in the distant past.

    And, of course, done enough in the area Microsoft cares about. If you’re the number one expert in the world with Notification Services, writing and speaking about how to keep it alive, I’m not sure you’re getting designated as an MVP.

    I have no doubt that if I stopped blogging here and speaking at events, I wouldn’t be renewed. I do some work at SQLServerCentral, but I’m not sure it would be enough if I weren’t volunteering more of my time and knowledge in other ways.

    The award is recognition by Microsoft. It isn’t, nor should it be, any validation of your efforts to help others. You might be a great community volunteer that does a lot of writing, speaking, organizing, and more. Those are all efforts to be proud of and continue to do, if you enjoy them. They just might not be enough to beat out everyone else, again, in Microsoft’s view.

    As a friend told me, play your game. Do what works for you, and reap the rewards if they come. If they don’t, you should still be happy with what you’ve done.

  • Becoming an MVP

    “Climb the mountain to see the world, not be seen by the world.” – from Tim Ford.

    This past July 1 was the renewal date for a number of Microsoft MVPs. The program has changed in the last year, moving from a quarterly nomination/renewal to a monthly award. The first of every month moving forward will see new MVPs awarded. All MVPs are now renewed on July 1.

    For existing MVPs, we had a bit of a change, and some of us were up for renewal this year, and some next year. I happened to move from my Jan 1 date to next year, so that’s when I’ll find out if I am going to be recognized by Microsoft again.

    There were a few surprising changes last week, when a few people were not renewed as MVPs. I expect that the bar for being an MVP has been raised, with so many more individuals participating in blogging, speaking, software, and more. The level of community participation in 2015 might not have been enough in 2016 to be renewed.

    How do I Become an MVP?

    “Climb the mountain to see the world, not be seen by the world.” 

    As the quote notes, you should tackle the challenge without any concern about whether or not the world, or Microsoft in this case, notices.

    Help the community publicly. You can do this in many ways:

    • Write technical articles
    • Speak at technical events
    • Organize events
    • Build OSS software
    • Answer questions online

    There are any number of ways to be a community person, but do so because you want to. Become the best technical community person you can, and you won’t be sorry.

    If you meet some bar, and are nominated (feel free to ask others to nominate you), then you may be awarded, but you should help others because you want to. Not because you expect to be repaid with an MVP award.

    Help others because you want to help others, not because someone will see you helping.

    Once an MVP, always an MVP

    The people recognized by Microsoft are chosen based on their community contributions in a period of time. However, these are smart people who are capable, helpful, and friendly. They will always be an MVP to me, and likely always willing to help. They continue to learn, teach, and expand their knowledge of technology.

    They can always remember that they were recognized as an MVP by Microsoft, even if they aren’t today.

  • Becoming an MVP

    I see a lot written about the Microsoft MVP program and the various impressions the MVPs leave in the community. It seems that the view of MVPs is mostly positive in the community, and I hope that I do my part to further that feeling with my actions.

    However, one shouldn’t work to become an MVP. Personally I think it’s not a goal for anyone to make or work towards. The MVP award is a recognition of your community service from Microsoft. It does consider what contributions you make technically to help others, but this isn’t a test to pass or an evaluation of your skills.
    I view the MVP as a side effect of the work I do. I enjoy writing about SQL Server and speaking at events to try and help people get better at their jobs, inspire them to try something new or solve a problem in a different way. I enjoy helping others, and being a part of this amazing SQL Server community.
    You can read articles on becoming an MVP, Microsoft gives guidance, and there’s even a Wiki article on it. However I’d say you shouldn’t even worry about this. Do the things you enjoy, the things that give meaning to your job. If Microsoft things those things are worth of the award, great. If they don’t, you should still feel a sense of accomplishment over what you’ve done.
    Steve Jones