So you want to be a Microsoft MVP

It’s very common for myself and other Microsoft MVPs to get asked “What does it take to become a {:target=”_blank”}by a Microsoft MVP or Microsoft employee for Microsoft to consider you. OK, so how can I provide value to the Microsoft ecosystem you ask. That’s the tricky spot; there are no fixed rules, minimum contributions or formula for getting in. That being said there are a few things you can do to get on the radar:

• you can blog
• speak at conference/user groups
• respond to forum post on MSDN, Stack Overflow, C# Corner and similar forums
• help out your local user groups and Microsoft Developer Evangelists at events
• contribute to open source projects, especially ones that Microsoft is interested in (Thanks @jamie_dixon for the tip)

My recommendation is that you do not make becoming a Microsoft MVP a goal, but let it happen naturally by doing some of the things mentioned above and even if you do not get the Microsoft MVP award, remember that you are still helping people with your contributions.