It’s official! I received notification yesterday that Microsoft has awarded me the MVP (Most Valuable Professional) designation for the ninth consecutive year.
The email proclaims: “Congratulations! We are pleased to present you with the 2014 Microsoft® MVP Award! This award is given to exceptional technical community leaders who actively share their high quality, real world expertise with others. We appreciate your outstanding contributions in Windows Expert-Consumer technical communities during the past year.”
Just to clarify for those who think this implies my opinion is biased toward Microsoft, receiving the Microsoft MVP award does not in any way make me indebted to Microsoft, or indicate that Microsoft has any say whatsoever in what I write about the company or its products and services. I am not an employee of Microsoft, and Microsoft has no authority or control over anything I say or do. In fact, it is my autonomy and credibility distinct from Microsoft that make me a valuable asset for the broader Microsoft community.
The Microsoft MVP website describes the award like this:
The Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Award is our way of saying thank you to exceptional, independent community leaders who share their passion, technical expertise, and real-world knowledge of Microsoft products with others. It is part of Microsoft’s commitment to supporting and enriching technical communities. Even before the rises of the Internet and social media, people have come together to willingly offer their ideas and best practices in technical communities.
I will continue to share my thoughts, insights, and expertise on all things Microsoft over the coming years. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that my contributions to the Microsoft community over the next 12 months will be valuable enough to warrant receiving the award again next year. Ten is a nice, round number, and being a 10-time Microsoft MVP has a certain ring to it.