July 2025 marks a decade since I was first awarded the Microsoft MVP designation. I’ll be honest, 11 or 12 years ago, MVP wasn’t even on my radar, let alone being an MVP for a decade. It’s both surreal and humbling at the same time. But what does it mean to be an MVP? That is a question with a different answer for everyone, I think. As this is the 10th year I’ve been named an MVP I’d like to share with you what that means to me. But first, if you’ll indulge me, I’d like to discuss my journey, as I feel that will help paint the full picture.
Why I Started
I’ll be honest. When I started blogging, it wasn’t to become an MVP. I blogged for a couple of reasons. The first is that I wanted to keep track of some of the solutions I found while I was learning, working, and fixing problems. Back then, I was working on a combination of SharePoint Administration and code development, which is reflected in my blogs. In fact, my first post was about how I resolved an error on an SP 2010 web front-end server’s search service that was throwing an obscure error. I was very heavily invested in the on-premises world. In fact, I didn’t dig into SPO until nearly five years later. Look at me now, right?? When I was hired by Protiviti, Haniel Croitoru called me Dave “On-Prem”. It was my specialty at the time. But I digress. As I began to devise solutions that I couldn’t find on the internet, I wanted to start keeping track of them because I knew they would likely arise again. Even now, I’ll do a search for the odd problem, and ironically, one of my blog posts might be the first to come up.
The second reason I started to blog was that I wanted to pay it forward. I learned a lot by reading others’ blogs and presentations, so I felt it was a way for me to pay that forward. I didn’t pay them for the blogs they wrote that helped me learn, so I felt it was important to do the same. I hope it helped others over the years.
Getting the Nomination
After writing blogs for a year or so, someone said that I should try speaking at conferences. This wasn’t a concern for me. I actually taught Effective Speaking courses to Air Cadets back when I was an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces. Speaking wasn’t the problem. Finding a place to speak was. I lived smack dab in the middle of Canada, right in the prairies (one of the reasons my original domain was prairiedeveloper.com). There weren’t a lot of conferences to get to. However, a good friend of mine (now), D’Arcy Lussier, organized and ran the Prairie Developer Conference in Regina, Saskatchewan, and Winnipeg, Manitoba. He also covered all travel expenses. I was lucky enough to be selected and even became one of his regular speakers. The running joke was that I was the token SharePoint guy. During the last Prairie Dev Con of 2015 (or maybe the Winnipeg Code Camp), D’Arcy dropped a bomb on me. If my memory serves me right, it went something like this.
D’Arcy: “You’ve been doing this for a while, right? What all are you involved in?”
Me: “Yah, blogs, your conference, of course, Regina Tech Community, Saskatchewan SharePoint User Group. A few things”
D’Arcy: “Yah, thought so. I’m nominating you for the MVP Program”
Me: “…. What?!…”
D’Arcy: “Yup”
I still have the nomination email he sent to Simran Chaudhry.
Securing the Award
There is no set criterion for the MVP award. At least not one that they tell us. We all have our suspicions about what the requirements are, but the bottom line is that for Microsoft Certifications, you know exactly what you need to get it. With the MVP award, the best you get is guidelines. So I started blogging even more and answering forum posts. My very good friend, co-presenter, and vlog partner Joanne Klein acted as my editor. Reviewing many of my posts and giving me great feedback. I traveled a bit more to get some additional speaking opportunities. For my first award, I had five speaking engagements, 20 blog posts, and 85 forum answers. Back then, new MVPs were named annually instead of monthly. This is why April 1st is also known as “F5 Day” among those of us who were MVPs then, as we would spend the day hitting F5 on our keyboards to refresh our emails and see if we had received the nod. I was one of the lucky ones that year.
Maintaining the Award
This next piece is my opinion only, but it is my opinion that the criteria for a long-running MVP is passion for what we do. Over the past decade, I have seen many first-year MVPs fizzle out after the first year or maybe the second because they wanted that designation and got it, but lacked the ambition that the passion fueled to keep up the pace you need to do as an MVP. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve also seen some great MVPs not get renewed and not because they lacked passion, but they simply couldn’t keep up the pace due to life and work. The blogs we write, the presentations we prepare, the travel for conferences and everything else an MVP does takes up a lot of time and can keep you away from home and your family. It can be very taxing. But I see so many MVPs, bloggers, and regular speakers doing it because they love doing it. So when I am asked what it takes to be an MVP, my first answer is and will always be, a passion to help others improve. I see it everywhere in the community. We don’t get paid as MVPs by Microsoft. Microsoft doesn’t even cover our costs for the MVP Summit or other MVP-specific events. We do this because we genuinely enjoy sharing the knowledge and experience we have gained. Microsoft sees us as experts in our fields, and we are. But we are also teachers. We enjoy passing on that knowledge.
What Have I Gained as an MVP?
Yes, I’ve put a lot into the program over the years. I even missed a couple of birthdays of my kids. My son, in particular. I missed his birthday two years in a row because I was at the MVP Summit. I am so very thankful that my family is very understanding. But I have gained a lot. I wouldn’t hold the current position that I do without being an MVP. Being an MVP did get me noticed. And when Protiviti was looking to grow its Microsoft Practice in Canada, being friends with Haniel Croitoru and Antonio Maio through the MVP program meant they thought of me. We’ve never talked about whether I was their first choice, but I like to think I was ☺. But it was the MVP program that opened that door for me.
I have gained a great network of support. I have direct contact with great people on the product teams at Microsoft. I have connections with others who specialize in areas I am not familiar with. They are always open to discuss and assist, just as I would do the same for them.
Being an MVP has helped me build my brand. This may sound corny, but it’s true. I am recognized for my expertise in data protection and compliance. It’s a topic I love. It’s always changing, so I’m always learning. As I continue to learn, I have the opportunity to share more. It’s a fantastic circle.
I have met and become great friends with so many people. My kids have asked me several times, “Do you have friends all over the world”? And I get to answer them that I do. That’s something great! I was even invited to a wedding of two friends I met as an MVP. My wife and I were the token Canadians! A conference isn’t just an opportunity to share my knowledge and experience. For some of us, it’s like a regular class reunion. We get to reconnect with friends we see very infrequently. So yes, I do have friends all over the world.
What Being an MVP Means to Me
If you’re still here, I thank you for sticking around as I got to the point. This post has snowballed more than I had thought, though I really shouldn’t be surprised. It’s hard to summarize 10 years into a single blog post. Being an MVP means someone sees in me a passion to help others. Being an MVP means someone sees that I love to share my knowledge and experience. Being an MVP means someone thinks I know what I am talking about (glad someone does ☺). Being an MVP means I wanted to pay it forward, and I did.
Before I Finish this Post
I do want to take some time to thank a few people. There are so many I want to thank over the years. I will likely forget someone. If I do, I am sorry.
- First and foremost: Grace Drever, my wife. She has the patience of Job with me and has been such a great support. I couldn’t have done it without her.
- My children: Many times they got the short end of the stick because I was on the road or on my computer. But they still call me Dad and are happy to have me around.
- D’arcy Lussier: for seeing that capability in me
- Sim Chaudhry: He (and Johandrina) for coaching me to become an MVP and for all of the support Sim has given me over the years.
- Joanne Klein: Joanne actually started me down the path of SharePoint. In the past 20+ years, we have become good friends, fellow MVPs, co-presenters, and vlog partners. Thanks for hanging out with me.
- Jeff Fischer, Nick Pearce, and the leadership at Solvera Solutions. Solvera isn’t around anymore as it was bought out, but I was with Solvera when I became an MVP, and the leadership team supported me then.
- The many friends I have made everywhere through the MVP Program:
- I get to work with these guys now!!
- Antonio Maio
- Haniel Croitoru
- Drew Madelung
- Mark Rackley
- Sarah Hasse
- Mike Maadarani
- Vlad Catrinescu
- Gokan Ozcifci
- Wes Preston
- Liz Sundet
- Michelle Gilbert
- Luc Labelle
- Andy Huneycutt
- I get to work with these guys now!!
There are so many more that I have likely forgotten. Thanks for letting me hang out with you.
Here’s to many more years continuing the passion as MVPs!!
Thanks for reading!
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