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Microsoft MVP summit starts next week : MVPs need love like everything does April 03, 2004 [General] | By anonymous 1. If Microsoft is the Matrix, then MVPs are agents of the Matrix. 
Once a year Microsoft invites several MVPs (Most Valued Professionals = activists who seemingly without paycheck help users of Microsoft products) to its headquarters to Redmond in Washington, USA. For most MVPs (at least in Windows-land), Microsoft is only paying for lodging and transportation to the various events/locations in Seattle. MVPs are responsible for purchasing their own plane fare to Seattle. Some groups or national groups are having their transportation to the summit provided (primarily international and a few special product groups). The vast majority of MVPs however must pay to attend. Currently there is about 2600 Microsoft MVPs and 1500 out of them will participate in this year´s summit. Usually such meeting would be not important - just internal marketing matter - but we can expect some announcements related to Windows Mobile so it is worth mentioning... During the Microsoft MVP summit Microsoft will be revealing to MVPs various roadmaps and upcoming product information. It is worth mentioning that although officialy MVPs are just "hobbyists helping users online" in reality Microsoft is sometimes paying money and employing some MVPs (see here for some examples). Apart from that they are receiving free gifts (in case of Windows Mobile MVPs: free MS Smartphones, free Pocket PC PDAs, and any Microsoft software for free) and early access to information what is particularly useful for those of them who are webmasters. Having "Microsoft MVP" title is also boosting professional careers of many (if not the majority) of these people - particularly those whose work is related to Microsoft technologies. Microsoft also gives to MVPs access to source code of their products, so that they can peek at it and better help the end users. Generally Microsoft MVPs are for Microsoft very good "value for money" - they help users of Microsoft products in return for peanut money, that Microsoft spends on them, and bring their own passion and interests to the community. The only problem with them is, that Microsoft considers them to be "representatives of end users" but in reality Microsoft MVPs are trying to justify Microsoft´s mistakes to end users, rather than try to bring the real life problems of common users to the attention of Microsoft itself. All in all the overall impact of Microsoft MVPs is however very positive and constitutes one of the most clever marketing tricks of Microsoft corporation (neither Nokia nor any other cell phone vendors have anything comparable to MVP). Microsoft MVPs are present in all areas of Microsoft´s business activities, but if you would like to know who are Windows Mobile MVPs (working in areas of MS Smartphone and Pocket PC), and what they do, click here - where you can see also our subjective opinion about each of them. 
Please note: nobody from msmobiles.com staff has Microsoft MVP title, what allows us to bring more information to our readers in general, and more independent views in particular. msmobiles.com is not affiliated with Microsoft Corporation.  Post your comment (free registration is required to post, but if you register you can edit your posts later) [ 4 Comments ]
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