Kicking Off 2009 In Style

by KodefuGuru 1. January 2009 12:36

I opened my email this morning to discover that I received two awards. First of all, I was awarded 7th place in the Community Credit December 2008 contest. I wasn't able to log into Community Credit for months because my user name didn't appear to be working. However, last night I was determined to submit my points for the INETA Community Champion Program before the year ended, and that program links to the Community Credit program. I eventually figured out how to get my user name, then submitted everything I could remember from the past year. My prize? The Plug Mug!

The Plug Mug

More importantly, I was awarded MVP Visual C#! I am very honored to be recognized by the MVP program for my contributions to the development community over the past year. I hope to live up to the title and deliver even more for the community in 2009!

If you're not an MVP and haven't received "stupid prizes to smart people"; here's how you do it. Get involved. If you're reading this, you're likely already a software developer of some caliber. Join your local user group. If one doesn't exist, start one. Give presentations on something that interests you. Answer questions in forums. Blog about technology. Once you do this, you may even discover that the official awards given by organizations aren't the true awards. The true awards for being involved are the people you meet, the connections you make, and the personal growth you experience.

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Tags: mvp, communitycredit, ineta, champs

Path Notes

EventsPrevious and Upcoming Events that Chris Eargle has spoken at.PDC 2009 Registration OpenRegistration for PDC 2009 is now open. If you register by September 15th you can save 500 bucks. Or ...2009 Silverlight Control Builder ContestA week ago, I posted a few summer contests to partake in during those lazy weekends we all experienc...

Comments

1/3/2009 3:51:19 PM #

Congrats to both, particularly the C# MVP! I took a look a few months ago at what it takes to become an MVP, I know that it is no small amount of work and effort!

J.Ja

Justin James

1/7/2009 2:57:30 AM #

Thanks Justin! If you're seeking that award (which I gather since you were looking into it), I can help direct you down that path. After seeing your presentation and reading your articles, I know you're passionate about .NET programming. Let me know.

Chris Eargle

1/7/2009 12:54:40 PM #

I was actually looking into MVP more out of curiosity than anything else; I use the TechNet and MSDN newgroups on occassion, and I noticed that MVPs usually provided the best and quickest responses, and I wanted to know if they actually worked for Microsoft or were otherwise obligated to provide such support. Once I found out the details of the MVP program, I was pretty impressed. Personally, my writing over at TechRepublic takes up about 80% of the non-work time I have that can be spent on code-related items, so I really just do not have the hours in my day to try for it.

Right now, I am editing a book, which is taking up at *least* an hour each night, which I am looking forwards to having back when I finally get it done. It's really slow going, imaging trying to load 300 pages of code (it's a 300 page book) in your head, then have to mentally compile, parse, and debug it. That's what editing a novel is like, because I have to remember every single detail and make sure that the stuff I am currently reading agrees with what I already read, and I am constantly fact checking every little item. It's actually a really pleasurable experience, but it is exhausting at the same time. The hour a night I spend on it typically gets me through 6 - 10 pages.

And then, when I get done with that, I need to re-do the MSDN article (I decided to kill the one I had written before they put it to press, after looking at it objectively, we met our goals for the article, but the original idea wasn't the best, so we came up with an alternative idea for it), and when that is done, I will be getting back to writing my book...

Whew, that's a lot!

On that note, I'll be doing my presentation in Florence on 2/10, and in Greenville on 3/17. Thanks for passing me along to those groups!

J.Ja

Justin James

1/16/2009 3:49:50 AM #

Writing for Tech Republic and MSDN is already a significant contribution to the community.

Good luck with your upcoming presentations.

chris

1/27/2009 1:59:44 AM #