Comments on: Congratulations, You’re an MVP! Here’s What You Need to Know.

By: You Didn’t Get The MVP. Here’s What You Need to Know. | InterWorks Europe

You Didn’t Get The MVP. Here’s What You Need to Know. | InterWorks Europe — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 22:17:49 +0000

[...] post was inspired by ‘Congratulations, You’re an MVP! Here’s What You Need to Know’ from Brent Ozar (blog | twitter). Brent is one of my favorite SQL bloggers; if you don’t [...]

By: MVP Status: Renewed | SQLAndy

MVP Status: Renewed | SQLAndy — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 21:59:20 +0000

[...] to be an MVP? Brent Ozar wrote a nice post Congratulations, You’re an MVP! Here’s What You Need to Know that is worth reading if you’re interested in what you get as an MVP and a little bit about how [...]

By: Mala

Mala — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 21:25:15 +0000

Brent, upon re reading i understand your ‘thanking the speaker’ analogy better. You are equating it perhaps to mvp= like speakers who are lucky to get thanked, others dont get thanked but go on anyway? That makes sense, and I get what you told Paul on badge versus love of work too.I am still trying to understand it more though.There is more to it than ‘good’ mvps who love their work and treat it largely as an optional add on versus people who commercialise it as a badge and fake community work or go after community work with just that in mind. I have seen more gray areas than just those two extremes, that is all. Don’t wish to go on and on about this. Thanks.

By: Aaron Bertrand

Aaron Bertrand — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:39:09 +0000

Great post Brent!

Just a couple of quick clarifications and additional suggestions, and I’m steering clear of the discussion about motivations for becoming an MVP.

1. At the MVP Summit, travel costs are up to you, and accommodation costs may apply, depending on whether you are willing to room with another MVP. If you are thinking about going to the next Summit, you should start making those connections now.

2. The MSDN benefit offers not only dev/test software but some programs are completely free to use in any scenario, as if you had purchased retail. Office for both Windows and Mac are currently in this category (I think both are valid for up to 10 machines, but that may be a moving target between versions).

3. The mailing list is by far the greatest benefit – you learn a ton of stuff from most of your fellow MVPs as well as the product group. Hook it to another folder as Brent suggests, but as noisy as it may get, don’t delete things. You will almost always remember a conversation that happened a month or 6 months ago, and have to come asking the list for someone to re-post it. Keeping it in your archives will make sure you can always find it without relying on someone else to have saved it. The conversations are mostly just textual so you shouldn’t need to worry about exceeding your mail server’s limit.

By: Mala

Mala — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:33:28 +0000

Ayman, community service is not an easy thing to measure. You can still keep blogging and answering questions on forums etc – or engage in more active forms such as speaking at sql saturdays and so on. What Paul is saying perhaps is people who act like they are interested in community till they land the badge and then quit doing some of what they do (or keep up a very barebones version of it) after they get it. There are people who are that way.

By: Ayman El-Ghazali

Ayman El-Ghazali — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:24:49 +0000

Well they can only use the MVP title if it is current, right? So when they drop out, after a year they lose the title. Unless maintaining the title is a lot easier than getting it. Or am I missing something?

By: Paul Randal

Paul Randal — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:16:25 +0000

I should clarify – I think that if people are doing community stuff *just* to get the MVP badge, that’s wrong. They should be doing it because they want to help the community, and if they get the MVP as part of that, excellent. But to only be putting in the time because they want the MVP badge isn’t the right mindset. I’ve seen people strive for MVP, get it, and then drop out of the community.

Make more sense now?

By: Mala

Mala — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:13:23 +0000

That is a very good question Brent. And one I will remember more consciously. I have tried to thank speakers I have found approachable, truthfully i have. But if people seemed too self absorbed/unfriendly/etc etc then I don’t – even if i have learnt from them. I just go with intuition and have been wrong many times – but I learnt and move on. What you say on doing things that energize you makes 100% sense to me, no arguing that at all. This year , in short, for me, is for more study and less community work. And who knows , as you say, the love might come back. I am sure it will but now is just a time to give it a break!!

By: Mala

Mala — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:07:17 +0000

Hi Brent, I was only quoting what I have heard from people – about the self esteem issues as well as about the program changing lives. I can see what you say about the self esteem part – to me it works both ways. I am in a room with people who know an awful lot more than I do – I feel privileged and proud, as well as humble at the same time. Does that make any sense? Sorta like hangin with you on SQL cruise, in a small way, maybe ) Yes though it does change lives. MVPs get a lot more exposure than others – there are companies that take pride in employing someone with the title, and vendors who take great pride in associating with people who have it. For people have strived too long for it that it is just an add on, but there are others who get it after lesser effort and for them it definitely does. In an ideal world it perhaps should not be so but the world we live in hardly ideal, is it?

By: Ayman El-Ghazali

Ayman El-Ghazali — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:21:33 +0000

“It’s totally worth it. Every time I see someone’s eyes light up because they understand a topic for the first time, that’s the payoff.”

That’s why I became a MCT and started my own blog; although I can’t see the eyes light up through the internet I have received thank you emails which make my day. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing that light bulb turn on. No title could give me the same satisfaction to be honest.

For me as a “new kid” on the scene it’s nice to know what our MVPs do behind the scenes. I see it as an opportunity to learn about where I need to step up and help the community as the next wave of SQL professionals. Thanks for sharing your experience on this one. I have to say that every single MVP I have interacted with has been super helpful and definitely deserve the title. It has been a pleasure interacting with them all. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for folks like you and the other MVPs.