How Do You Become a SharePoint MVP?
With many getting their SharePoint MVP status renewed last week, it's a good time to explain what it takes to claim this elite status.
What is a Microsoft MVP?
Standing for "Most Valuable Professionals", MVP status is awarded by Microsoft to technological leaders who "actively share their high-quality, real-world technical expertise with the community and with Microsoft."
Coming from a variety of backgrounds, MVPs are generally considered the Microsoft technology community's "best and brightest." To give a sense of scale, out of 100 million technical community participants, only about 4,000 are MVPs. However, MVPs are independent of Microsoft and are not official representatives of the company.
A complete listing of SharePoint MVPs can be found on the Microsoft site, they are listed for SharePoint Server and SharePoint services.
How To Become a MVP
MVPs are named annually based on work done over the past 12 months. So winners cannot sit on their laurels! It's an ongoing process and it makes getting awarded year after year a big deal.
Here's the SharePoint MVP criteria:
- Provides a significant number of useful answers on a regular basis to questions in SharePoint team blogs, community forums, and/or newsgroups.
- Publishes original content (e.g. via a blog or website) and/or tools (e.g. via CodePlex) that are useful to a significant number of people in the SharePoint community.
- Presents or co-presents SharePoint oriented sessions frequently at major conferences (e.g. MS TechEd, MS SharePoint Conference, SharePoint Connections).
- Leads or actively participates at SharePoint oriented user groups or code camps.
- Nominated and vouched for by at least 3 current SharePoint MVPs.
Do You Have What It Takes?
If you know someone who would be a good MVP, you can nominate them for consideration. Be warned, nominees "undergo a rigorous review process" including an evaluation of technical expertise and community contributions by a special panel of judges.
Good luck!