How do I become an Exchange MVP?

This is a question that both current Exchange MVPs and Microsoft employees get asked quite often.  The fact is, there's really no answer to this question.

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Overview

Microsoft MVP is Microsoft Most Valuable Professional.

The MVP Award recognizes exceptional technical community leaders from around the world who voluntarily share their deep, real-world knowledge about Microsoft technologies with others.

Potential MVPs are nominated by other technical community members, current and former MVPs, and Microsoft personnel who have noted their leadership and their willingness and ability to help others make the most of their Microsoft technology.

To receive the Microsoft MVP Award, MVP nominees undergo a rigorous review process. A panel that includes members of the MVP team and Microsoft product groups evaluate each nominee's technical expertise and voluntary community contributions for the past 12 months. The panel considers the quality, quantity, and level of impact of the MVP nominee's contributions. Active MVPs receive the same level of scrutiny as other new candidates each year.

MVPs are independent of Microsoft, with separate opinions and perspectives, and are able to represent the views of the community members with whom they engage every day.

Tips on becoming an Exchange MVP

There’s no golden recipe to follow in order to achieve an MVP award on Exchange, but the following list of activities  can help improve your chances of being nominated:

  • Be active in Exchange forums Go help out your peers in online forums. The most popular Exchange related forums are the ones on Microsoft TechNet (find them here and here) and MSExchange.org. Both are being monitored for potential MVP nominees by both current MVPs as well as Microsoft personnel.
  • Share your knowledge via blogs and articles In order to see how exceptional you are when it comes to Exchange, you must be visible. A good idea is to share tips and tricks with your peers via a blog or by writing articles. But please don’t think you will earn an MVP award simply by blogging Exchange content originally authored by other individuals or by blogging Exchange related news. You must create your own unique content.
  • Speak at conferences and/or Exchange user groups Another way to show you’re exceptional when it comes to Exchange is to deliver sessions in local Exchange user groups or at conferences such as Microsoft TechEd or Exchange Connections.
  • Take the lead Not only is speaking for local user groups an asset, but you could also start a user group yourself or join as community lead. Organize events yourself and reach out to the off-line community.

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