Yes, I’m Still a Microsoft MVP, and That Says a Lot About Microsoft

Every year that I’ve been renewed as an MVP, I’ve been pleasantly surprised. For years – long before I became an MVP – I always wanted to be a journalist for the community. Journalism is printing what someone else does  not want printed: everything else is public relations. That means I end up posting things that Microsoft wasn’t happy about, and you’d better believe I got feedback about it.

And Microsoft kept awarding me the MVP anyway.

For years, that’s been awesome. I’ve always been appreciative of that MVP designation, and I wouldn’t have voluntarily given it up. It’s opened doors for me, and I’ve enjoyed the things I found inside those doors. MVPs are a rowdy, opinionated bunch that love helping others.

I’ve worked even harder on my journalism this year, and I know I’ve rubbed folks the wrong way with posts like:

• PASS Passwords Were Shared – a vulnerability we’d shared with PASS months ago, and they never notified members about the risks
• Here’s Why My PASS Blog Posts are So Angry – PASS knew members weren’t getting their election eligibility emails, and didn’t do anything about it
• 3 Reasons the BA Conference Will Fail – pointing out serious business flaws in a conference Microsoft really wants to happen
• I Need Your Help Improving the PASS Summit – attendee feedback isn’t considered when selecting speakers, and that’s a problem.
• Partners? What Partners? – Microsoft is competing head-on with their own partners.
• Fact-Checking the 24 Hours of PASS – Microsoft took over the 24HOP name, and the first session was flat out bad science and marketing.
• Will Microsoft Read Your Azure-Hosted Data Too? – MS read Hotmail in order to win a court case, so what about your data?
• Good News About Standard Edition’s Limits – celebrating the reduced-crippling of SQL 2014.
• How to Pass the Microsoft MVP Exam – which is probably a good post to finish the list with.

Microsoft isn’t just one big thing: it’s a group of so many people with so many opinions. When I keep taking strong stands, it’s no surprise that I’d hit a critical mass of people inside Microsoft who don’t want me to get the MVP award. I would totally understand if I lost my MVP status due to complaints, either inside Microsoft or from outside.

But I didn’t. I’m still an MVP this year.

That’s amazing, and it says so much about Microsoft’s commitment to the community.

If you’d like to thank Microsoft for embracing the rowdy, intensive community, here’s where to find them:

• @MVPAward on Twitter
• MVPAwardProgram on Facebook
• Email MVPGA@Microsoft.com