Global program enriches the technical community, fuels innovation
REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its ongoing commitment to enrich the global technical community, Microsoft recently announced the quarterly recipients of the Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Award. This award recognizes outstanding technical community leaders from around the world who foster the free and objective exchange of knowledge by actively sharing their expertise with users and Microsoft. This quarter, Microsoft honored 1,140 top-tier technology influencers for their contributions to the social and technical community.
"When the global technical community thrives, everyone benefits and enjoys a better end user experience," said Toby Richards, general manager of Community and Online Support for Microsoft. "Therefore, Microsoft takes seriously its commitment to recognize technology's best and brightest and give them opportunities to enrich their knowledge and continue to share their expertise with others." Of this quarter's awardees, 295 are first-time recipients, while 845 are repeat awardees. MVPs are truly a select group of technical leaders - there are around 4,200 Microsoft MVPs worldwide out of millions of global technical community members.
MVPs represent more than 90 countries and speak nearly 40 different languages. MVP expertise is vast, covering around 90 technologies that range from Windows and Visual Studio to Word and SQL Server.
Microsoft MVPs are some of the most active members of the technical community and participate in newsgroups and online forums, host user groups, author books and articles, speak at conferences, etc. For example, in preparation for Windows 7, which became available to the public on October 22, several MVPs published books and online guides for users to more easily navigate the new tools, tricks and benefits of the new operating system. Thousands of technology users tap these resources each month.
Additionally, MVPs help to improve Microsoft products and services, regularly interacting with Microsoft product groups and providing feedback from their respective communities and their own in-depth knowledge of certain products. For instance, Microsoft sought feedback from nearly 450 MVPs during the development of Windows 7.
MVPs often gain early access to product information from Microsoft and are invited to annual global summit in Redmond, Wash., during which Microsoft product groups typically offer several hundred technical sessions. Microsoft uses feedback from MVPs at Summit and throughout the year to better understand its customers, make product revisions and develop new technologies.
Prospective MVPs are nominated by technical community members, current MVPs, and Microsoft personnel. A panel that includes MVP team members and product group teams evaluates each nominee's technical expertise and voluntary community contributions in the past year and considers the quality, quantity, and level of impact of the MVP nominee's contributions. Active MVPs receive the same level of scrutiny as other candidates each year.
About the Microsoft MVP Award Program Microsoft began the MVP Awards as a way to recognize members of the general public who devoted their time and technical expertise to helping users in various online technical forums. Over time, the program evolved, and awards are given to members of technical communities worldwide for their contributions to communities including third-party Web sites, user groups, blogs and wikis.
More information about the MVP Award Program can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/mvp or http://blogs.msdn.com/mvpawardprogram/.
More information on Microsoft technical communities can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/communities.
About Microsoft Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
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