Well, I have managed to make it through one full week as an MVP without upsetting anyone. Well, not anyone inside the MVP program at least. And I decided that it was about time to expose the MVP’s for what they really are: people.
Turns out that MVP’s have questions, just like the rest of us have questions. And they like to use some private newsgroups in order to ask questions, get answers, and exchange ideas. I wonder if I just broke my eNDA by mentioning the existence of the private newsgroups? Oh well, it is a risk I am willing to take, because I want people to know the truth. Yes, the private newsgroups do exist. There, the truth is loose.
I am not one to sit around all day trolling the newsgroups looking to answer questions. And there is very little chance I am going to be answering any questions on these forums. However, after one full week I have realized that the MVP program is not really about what is being given to you. No sir. It is more about what you can take.
See, I used to be involved with the Education field. And one thing that always bothered me was when parents would be upset that a particular school wasn’t doing this or that for their children. Even when I was going through school I would sometimes think that way if for no other reason because people around me would say those same things. But along the way I realized that school is like life, and it will be what you make of it. If you sit around and wait for things to happen, they probably never will. If, however, you actively get up and go looking for things, you will find your experience enriched to a higher level.
I forget when I learned this about education, but I believe it was in college. And it served me well in graduate school as I went out of my way to take on extra challenges. Those challenges helped me land my first job which ultimately has led to me typing this sentence.
And so that is how I am approaching this MVP thing. I am not going to sit around an wait for things to be tossed my way (although I am still checking on those Microsoft Points). Instead, I am going to go suck it up and start trolling the MVP newsgroups for information. I even went so far as to configure Entourage on my iMac so I can browse the newsgroups on the weekend. I want to see the conversations that others are having. I find it amazing that some of the biggest names in our field are on these newsgroups asking questions, I always assumed they already knew everything. Turns out they don’t, they just know enough to ask for help, and they are fortunate enough to get the best help available.
I swear, it’s like they are real people, who put their pants on one leg at a time. Oh, and are way smarter than the rest of us. But they talk to each other, and ask great questions, and get insight into the product, and then share that knowledge with others. Honestly, it is amazing and I hope I can take a lot from them over the next 51 weeks and in turn pass it along to others.