Advice on garnering the Microsoft MVP Award

Most Valuable Professional (MVP) is an award presented by Microsoft.

Microsoft MVPs are exceptional technical community leaders from around the world who have been awarded for voluntarily providing technical expertise towards technical communities supporting Microsoft products or technologies. An MVP is awarded for contributions over the past year.

As a developer who is on the path of continuous self-improvement and advancement, I believe that achieving the Microsoft MVP is a motivating goal.

For those of you who have reached that goal or are on the same path, what do you believe are the qualities, activities, behaviors that help you achieve that?

From stackoverflow

• The only requirement to being an MVP -- as far as I can tell, since I'm not one -- is to be very active in the programming community. Meaning hang out here and at other places, answer questions well, and somebody might approach you.

  Writing a good blog with an active following also helps. :)

• Just do good stuff in the community. Becoming an MVP shouldn't be something you aim for, IMO - it should be something that happens as a natural result of you being passionate and helpful in the community.

  Give great answers here and on other forums. Speak at user groups. Write a fabulous blog. All good, rewarding stuff in itself - being awarded as an MVP is just icing on that cake.

• The first rule MVP is you don't talk about how to become an MVP

  Marc Gravell : Since they don't really tell you, that is a non-issue ;-p

• Be yourself
  Share with folks
  Ask the community questions
  Get to know folks
  Pursue knowledge about the MSFT technology you enjoy
  Share that knowledge
  Get to know your MSFT DE (I cannot stress this enough)
  Get to know your Regional Director (see above)
  Get to know MVPs in your area and others (see above)
  Speak/Attend/Organize Code Camps and User Groups (see above)
  Write a book - I totally do not reccomend this based on experience :)

  Fill out the application with the MVP lead sends it to you, I have a friend that put it off over a year ago and still has not finished the application process.

• When I was an MVP for word vba years ago, I was very active in their newsgroups. But I think to get the award you have to be nominated. See http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/gp/mvpfaqs