On July 13th I received an e-mail that stated "I wanted to let you know that you have been nominated  for an MVP award for your exceptional contribution to the Microsoft technical community!". I was thrilled with this prospect; but knowing that there are likely thousands of candidates across the globe that are nominated each quarter I was prepared to be happy with just the nomination.

It was late on October 1st when I arrived at home from my day of work. After dinner, I migrated into the family room and began my nightly routine of catching up with the daily chat on Facebook and Twitter. Upon checking my e-mail I saw e-mail from Microsoft that read, "Congratulations! We are pleased to present you with the 2009 Microsoft® MVP Award!". the rest of the evening is a blur.

The next morning, I gave Jimmy May, my buddy who nominated me for the award, a phone call to inform him of the good news. In his admirably enthusiastic manner he exclaimed "Way to go El Magnifico!", which is his long time nickname for me. I was on cloud nine.

In my conversation with Jimmy, he asked me what would I do with my MVP status. I replied with "Keep doing what I'm doing." My participation and contribution to the technical community was not driven by the passion to receive the award; but rather the passion to share knowledge and to aid in the building of a strong technical community that has a collaborative spirit and is accessible to all who are interested. That has not changed with this honor.

Another question that has been asked of me lately is how to become a Microsoft MVP. There is no such thing as a check list of things to accomplish which results in the MVP designation. My answer to this question is to participate in the technical community, find your passion and be its advocate.