It's nearly that time again ... jeesh how time flies when you're having so much fun.
The next instalment in the saga of the Johannesburg BizTalk User Group will be happening on the 7th of May at the Microsoft campus in Bryanston at 18:00.
Topics planned for this session include;
- EAI Patterns and their application in a BizTalk environment with an introduction to the BizTalk pattern wizard by Jon Flanders; which can be found here.
- Business Rules Engine, best practices, tips and tricks from the field
- Q&A ... so bring your questions and let's see if we can come up with the answers together.
Check out www.biztalkug.co.za. Yes I know the site is UGLY, out of date and in need of a serious overhauling, but hopefully if the universe plays along, and the sky does not fall on my head again, we'll have a new fully featured functional site up and running by beginning of next week. I love deadlines; mostly I love the sound they make when the go wooshing by :D. But seriously watch this space ...
So anybody who actively uses BizTalk server, is interested in BizTalk, or has heard about it and is wondering how it can revolutionise the way they integrate systems is welcome to pop in and share a cold beverage with us! We're not as bad as you may have heard....
Just please drop me an email and let me know you are planning on attending; the last thing we'd want is for you to get there and find we've run out of beverages or the ultra geeky, but really cool BizTalk T-Shirts... Whilst you're at it, please feel free to include requests / suggestions / demands / offers of free overseas trips etc. and we'll try get on top of it as soon as possible!
Ciao for now
So with the MVP summit currently under way in Redmond I am once again reminded of the different caliber local MVPs out there.
Some of the guys are brilliant and do fabulous work in the communities for their respective areas of speciality. They blog constantly with interesting posts, tips and tricks that they've picked up from their daily experiences using the technologies. They host community events, deep dives, training sessions; often free to the community. Even now as we speak, whilst they're off hot knobbing with the big brains out there at the MVP summit they constantly blog, letting us know what is happening and where they can let us know about the new exciting things we can be expecting down the road. These guys are clearly passionate about their areas of speciality and do what they can to share their knowledge and enthusiasm with the rest of the community.
I am talking about Willy-Peter Schaub for Team System and Zlatan for Sharepoint in particular... well done guys; you do a great job! These guys host user groups, blog regularly with very valuable information, host training sessions etc. It is in part due to their constant knowledge sharing in respective areas that I have personally found a new interest in these technologies.
And then...
Then you get those on the opposite poles to the category mentioned above...
Well, what can we say about them? These are the guys that year after year get voted into their roles yet you NEVER hear about them. In fact one particular case I did not know we even had a local MVP until one of the foreign MVPs I had been interacting with often suggested I contact the local guy ... what we have a local MVP? Jeesh blow me over ... These guys head off to MVP summit year after year yet never seem to share any of the knowledge gained with the guys back home. You never see them presenting at events, you never hear of them doing anything in the communities and even their blog sites are dead with not a single post in the last 6+ months. I shall refrain from mentioning individuals from this group in a public space like this, for obvious reasons but I am sure we have all had our dealings with them.
quoted from http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) are exceptional technical community leaders from around the world who are awarded for voluntarily sharing their high quality, real world expertise in offline and online technical communities |
So they are meant to be leaders in the community; imagine that...
quoted from http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
MVPs tend to be early adopters of new technology and actively communicate their experiences to millions of other technology users. Through their extensive community activity, MVPs help others solve problems and discover new capabilities, helping people get the maximum value from their technology. |
They're meant to volunteer their time and knowledge helping out other professionals!?!
Yeah granted it's not an easy job! We all understand that you yourself are holding down a regular day job; but I guess that's the price you gotta pay for fame and fortune. Some are doing it really well, and others seem to not even try. In fact some are down right negative when it comes to their involvement with community events and user groups.
So what I want to know is how year after year some of these guys get voted in?
quoted from http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/gp/mvpawardintro
In order to receive the Microsoft MVP Award, MVP nominees undergo a rigorous review process. Technical community members, current MVPs, and Microsoft personnel may nominate candidates. A panel that includes MVP team members and product group teams evaluate each nominee's technical expertise and voluntary community contributions for the past year. 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 candidates each year. |
So that is how it is meant, but how does the nomination process and voting system really work?
Do you think I am being harsh and unfair? I would love to hear from the current SA MVPs or those in the know....
Should a few rotten apples be allowed to spoil the bunch?
PS. There are other great local MVPs (past and present); so if I did not mention you specifically then for that I apologise; but you know who you are.
And for the rest ... If the shoe fits...