ITCamp 2012 - Alessandro Teglia - Community open panel

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Open Panel: IT Communities and personal development

Alessandro Teglia – CEE Community Program Manager MS

@alead

Cristian Lefter – Microsoft MVP SQL Server

@xmldeveloper

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ITCAMP 2012 SPONSORS

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Today’s Agenda The WHAT

What is the MVP Award Program

Becoming an MVP

What they do?

What is a Community The CPM

The “Influencer”

The WHO

MVP Nomination Cycles

MVP Tips & Tricks

The HOW Where to find them

Where to be active

The WHERE

MVP Population

MVP Quick Facts

Some Data

Convention-al IT online places

New web 2.0 Presence

Going Social

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Community Overview

• A group that shares a commonality either through experience, point-of-view, communication, location or a topic of interest

What is a community?

• Ability to influence

• Efficient source of information and insights

• Ability to reach masses

• Perceived as unbiased third-party

• Provide excellent external customer and partner experience (CPE)

Why are communities important to Microsoft?

• Peer networking

• Business development and competitive business advantage

• Credibility, recognition, prestige

• Early access to product roadmaps and bits/technical curiosity

• Access to Microsoft personnel

• Ability to influence Microsoft product direction

• Free stuff (e.g. MSDN subscriptions)

Why do influencers participate in Microsoft

Programs?

What’s in it for them?

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Influencer Communities (based on program’s primary purpose)

Outbound

Activities

Inbound

Activities

Managed Unmanaged

Partner

Advisory

Council

(PAC)

Placement logic: Driven by the primary purpose of the community on the y axis (inbound vs. outbound influence) and by the

degree to which they are managed vs. unmanaged by Microsoft on the X axis.

Product Adoption

Community

Tech

Adoption

Program

(TAP)

Insiders &

Advisors

Metro

Most

Valuable

Professiona

ls (MVP)

Regional

Directors

(RDs)

Microsoft

Student

Partners

(MSP) &

Tech Clubs

Microsoft

Partner

Network

(MPN)

• VSIP

• SPI

Sparks

• Website

• Dream

• Biz

Microsoft

Certified

Trainers

Faculty

Connection

Individual

Commun-

ities

Analyst

& Press

Relations

Product Input

Community Reach Community

User

Groups

User Group

Support

Services

(UGSS)

Microsoft

Community

Contributor

Award

Customer

Technical

Support

(Dev

Cluster)

Microsoft

Connect

• Customer

Profile

Program

MSDN

MS Tier 1

Events

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The Microsoft MVP Award Program

- The Microsoft MVP Award is a THANK YOU (for their past

community contributions)

- MVPs are independent experts

- The Microsoft MVP award recognizes exceptional technology

community leaders who foster free exchange of knowledge by

actively sharing their real world expertise with users and

Microsoft

- It’s an year-over-year Award and it’s based on a single

expertise

- Microsoft has no expectations towards MVPs (courtesy,

professionalism, and adherence to generic Code of conduct:

http://www.microsoft.com/communities/conduct/default.mspx

- The MVP is not a MS Certification

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KB Articles Creation

Social Media Presence

Microsoft Properties Enrichment

Content Localization

Blogging/Micro-Blogging

Business Engagements

Technical Support Issues’ Escalation

Forum Support

Microsoft Community Contributor Award

Technical Speeches

Product Feedback

Ask The Expert

Book Writing

Community Content Delivery

What they do (some examples)

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CPE

OEM

M&O C&O

BG Leads

SMB Engagements

Social

PR

CEE HQ

DPE

Product Teams

EDU

CPM

What I do…

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MVP QUICK FACTS

The MVP (Most Valuable Professional) Award Program recognises influential independent experts for their great communities contributions

Reviewed & awarded annually

MVPs can be found:

MVP Fast Facts

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Total 1,421

CEE 333 24%

France 179 13%

MEA 150 10%

Germany 133 9%

WE, 463, 33%

UK 193 14%

1,446 Total

EMEA MVP Population

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Community Program Manager

• Info from the Sub

• Info from the MVP

• Info from the field

• Info from the Product Group

BG Lead

• Approves

• Push back

• Declines

Tie Break

• Agree

• Disagree

1° January

•Nomination deadline

•Lead Review deadline

•BG Lead deadline

•Award Date

1° April

•Nomination deadline

•Lead Review deadline

•BG Lead deadline

•Award Date

1° July

•Nomination deadline

•Lead Review deadline

•BG Lead deadline

•Award Date

1° October

•Nomination deadline

•Lead Review deadline

•BG Lead deadline

•Award Date

The Microsoft MVP award lasts 12 months which means that every MVP has to demonstrate the value he/she

delivered to the Communities and to Microsoft, both from a quality and a quantity perspective

MVP Nomination Cycles

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John Smith

• 15 technical speeches during MS/non MS events

• 1 book

• 12 magazine articles

• UG President

Dean Fargo

• 1200 technical replies on a 3° party forum

• Forum moderator

• 80 technical blog posts

Andreas Valin

• 12 webcasts delivered

• 50 submitted bugs

• 7 technical speeches

• 300 technical replies in TechNet/MSDN Forums

Sergejus Boban

• 7 technical articles published on TechNet

• 30 technical blog posts

• Community website owner and maintainer

• 3 MS events as an ATE

Other useful info could be:

Reach: blog, webcasts, speeches, articles, etc..

Very well recognized as a good technical guru on a specific expertise and with a strong Passion

Friendly, willingness to collaborate, good online manners and tones

Other community involvements like Culminis/INETA/UGSS, Insider (ASP, C#, ), UG Lead, MSP...

MVP Candidates’ Examples

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How to (some tips…)

- Be Available:

- In the forums, during Microsoft events, during User Groups

meetings, after your technical presentations, etc…

- Be Visible:

- With your blog posts, your webcasts and screencasts, your

technical articles, your tweets, etc…

- Be Focused:

- Try to focus your energy on a specific Microsoft

Product/Technologies. See the full list of MVP expertise here:

https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/communities/mvp.aspx

- Be Recognized (by your peers):

- Become a forum moderator/leader/top poster, have a good

network of blog readers, being mentioned in the online

communities, being invite by other User Groups to be a speaker,

etc…

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MVPs Can Be Found… MVPs can be found…

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- Our Twitter site offers MVPs an opportunity to join in the latest buzz in the Community! We re-tweet a range of great content from MVPs around the world. @MVPAward

- Mine: @alead

- Follow #mvpbuzz !

The MVP Award Program engages in three social media activities to:

Engage with the MVP and technical community

Host an environment that generates buzz and excitement around Microsoft technology and community

Raise awareness of the value added by MVPs, by showcasing their community contributions and content.

- Our blog showcases some of the MVP amazing contributions made supporting technical communities http://blogs.msdn.com/MVPAwardProgram - My blog: http://belead.me

- Our Facebook Fan Page offers MVPs a unique opportunity to have fun, share memories and connect with other MVPs and the wider community http://www.facebook.com/MVPAwardProgram - Regional CEE & Italy FB Page: http://www.facebook.com/ceeitmvp

Social Media

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Q & A