mvp-ness - originally posted 10 july 04

I continue to have the most remarkable experiences as a Microsoft MVP. This is a community of people representing somewhere around 78 countries who volunteer their time to provide technical support and assistance for users of Microsoft products.

I am consistently heartened by the warmth of this group of people--as wellas the 'Softies (as they're sometimes called) who support the program. I have rarely met a group as interesting, well-rounded, intelligent, funny and caring as the folks involved with this program. Many of us have never met, though some of us have been able to shake hands, hug, or put faces with names when we meet during the MVP Global or Regional Summits. Most of our interaction is online, through private and public newsgroups and e-mail. We share technical knowledge, debate politics, share jokes, and the usual spectrum of online community communication. However, there are some extraordinary things that we do, that never cease to make me proud of being a part of this group.

• A 'Softie contacted Missing Persons to find out about a MVP who suddenly wasn't online. The MVP had gone into a diabetic coma and was in the hospital. There was no family nearby, and jsut a few friends. The outpouring of tangible and emotional support was amazing, including someone visiting the hospital to check on her care, people offering her computer equipment so she could stay connected while she was away from home, and people who were contacting her regularly by telephone.
• When I announced the births of my children, there were over 75 congratulatory responses, many from people I've never met, from all over the world. I printed them all and put them in the baby books. (Now, that's a sign of the times, when baby cards are printed from an electronic forum.) We share stories of the joys and anguish of our lives; death of family, health crises, marriage, divorce, job losses, promotions, birth of children, death of pets, problems with neighbors--you name it. And each post receives caring attention from the members of the group who resonate with the announcement.
• A post by an MVP mentioned that the MVP would be out of the group for awhile, due to a divorce. The community responded in great sympathy and some advice (which this group will *never* hesitate to offer, solicited or not!), including an offer of lodging, if needed.
• Once I mentioned that my kids like the "Magic School Bus" books, show and games. An MVP sent, at her own expense, an extra copy of a MSB video to our house, just because she had an extra (and because she's nice).
• We have a haiku forum for those of us who need a break in the day. There are weekly posts and responses, and anyone not posting in haiku form is gently and humorously admonished.
• A recent discussion about frustrating newsgroup posts, specifically those who ask you to do their work for them for free (such as "How can I transfer an Excel check register and create a program in Access that will let me manage my company's accounting system?"), led to a discussion of a tenet of Eastern Indian culture: that if someone is in need, the community will go out of its way to help, no matter the request. Our Western culture categorizes that as "freeloading"; however, in certain cultures it is not. Several MVPs (including myself) expressed gratitude to have been given that new insight, in order to be more considerate of cultural differences. MVPs are good at keeping you honest, while at the same time coming to your defense.

We yell at each other. We laugh at ourselves and joke about silly things. We try to solve the world's problems. We are Muslim and Christian, atheist, Buddhist and Jew. We are gay, straight, bi and whatever. We are blind and in wheelchairs. We are diabetic, suffer from sleep apnea and a host of other ailments. We are smokers and "smokers" and teetotalers. We are French, Brazilian, Canadian, Israeli, British, Australian, Texan, Portuguese, American, South African, and Korean. We are musicians, postmasters, salespeople, pilots, firefighters and computer professionals. We are introverts and extroverts, age 15 through 78. We are Mac heads, Linux lovers and Windows geeks. We are women and men, angry, giddy, opinionated, fun-loving, direct and level-headed. We represent every political view imaginable. We are smart and sometimes do stupid things. Sometimes we agree to disagree, but in the end, with a very few exceptions, it is a community that maintains respect for our differences and the unique experiences we all bring to the table, brought together simply because we share the fundamental desire to help other people learn about this neat stuff called "technology".

Remarkable.