2005 MVP Summit Comes to a Close - Life Returns to Normal

encece · Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2005 3:21 pm Post subject:

No offense intended, but I need to ask....why is it after every MVP conference, all I read about is urinals and shooting guns and who drank what. That is all very cool and I enjoy the stories. I understand there are a bunch of NDA items under discussion. But I hardly ever read about relavent things after the meetings.

MVPs are supposed to be OUR conduit to Microsoft in a sense. Information is supposed to flow both ways thru you guys. Am I wrong? Instead all I hear about are non-ms-ppc/smartphone related things and we are usually given the line that you cant talk about anything.

At least tell us all the cool stuff they gave you so we could be jealous. Smile

Along the year, we ask you and other MVPs questions and submit issues for you to bring to MS. It would be cool to have them answered and addressed in some formal fashion after the summit....in some form. PLEASE!

I'm not trying to sound like MSMOBILES in ANY WAY! Please dont take it that way. I would just like the "leaders of the mobile community" to share the information that they learn at these things.

I feel like I'm at work and there is another closed door management meeting going on....only here...I cant go to the office on the other side of the wall, a listen in thru the duct work! Smile

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Why can't I make cool signatures here!?!

Janak Parekh · Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2005 3:34 pm Post subject:

Mike Temporale · Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2005 3:35 pm Post subject:

Janak Parekh · Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2005 3:43 pm Post subject:

encece · Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2005 4:03 pm Post subject:

That STINKS! Twisted Evil

If I am wrong and the intention of MVPs isn't to bridge the space between MS and it's users then they should really consider creating a vehicle that would do just that.

I need to stop ranting and get back to work!

PS.
You guys got jipped! I thought you get free phones and MS Products at the conference...I goodie bag of sorts! I've read that's what they've done in the past. Well, if they don't then they should.
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Why can't I make cool signatures here!?!

Mike Temporale · Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2005 4:33 pm Post subject:

Mike Temporale · Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2005 4:37 pm Post subject:

Janak Parekh · Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2005 7:53 pm Post subject:

Mike Temporale · Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2005 6:28 am Post subject:

Oh, I have to tell you guys about Jake, one of 2 SPOT MVPs in the world, and the only one that was able to attend the summit. Jake is maybe 15 years old - 16 max! I had a couple different talks with him, and I must say that Jake really knows his stuff. He mentioned his website to me, but I've forgotten the name already. Sad

Anyway, since he was the only person in his product group, Jake's sessions consisted of him visiting different members of the SPOT team - at their desk. Imagine getting the chance to chat 1 on 1 with the developers for a couple days. Very Happy

Where ever you are Jake, I'm certian you've got a bright future ahead of you. :way to go:

Update: Google rocks! In case anyone is interested, here is his website: SpotDev.net Cool

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"I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious" - Albert Einstein

sven · Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2005 11:23 am Post subject:

Thought I'd poke my nose in here. Janak really defined it. MVP is an award for past efforts. You can hang the certificate on your wall, not sign the NDA and walk away, and you'll still have the title for a year.

The additional perks are two fold. We get some stuff that may not be widely available, previews, access to internal info, things that we really can't talk about unless MS says we can talk about it. Generally that only happens after they have already talked about it. This aspect is very frustrating. It has killed me in the past to know that such and such that is being bashed in a newsgroup or forum is being fixed in the next release. In the mobile devices space, releasing such information has different ramafications than in the general MS software space. Beyond just the potential that the fix doesn't make it into the release, doesn't work, or isn't what the users want, which can happen in the purely software side, such info can be detrimental to MS's OEM partners. MS has contractual obligations relative to their partners, and through the NDA, so do we.

What we can do with this info is get enthoused and excited, and a little headstart on what is coming out, so we can try to answer questions when the new devices/OSs appear. We can also point out issues that we see, so they can possible be reacted to before the new stuff comes out. That brings me to the second benefit. We do hold a position of some respect within the Mobile Devices product group. We are by no means a distributed chief architect, but our voices are heard and provided some enhanced credibility. Doesn't mean we are the only feedback MS listens to. They listen to OEMs, corporations, carriers, consumers, and others as well. The Summit is a great opportunity to meet the people at MS we are trying to influence, face to face. I can't overemphasize the value of having direct interaction. It suddenly becomes much more personal, than numeric analysis of surveys, and rants in newsgroups.

This is my third summit and I came away with one thing that I have come away with each other time. The the folks at MS that are producing the code you see, are absolutely dedicated to making the PPC the best experience for you that they can. They are excited, exceptionally competent, energetic, and unfortunately, often constrained by things outside their control. Budget, time, over-arching direction, business goals, all figure into what they can do, which is often much less than what they would like to do.

A side bennie of the summit to me is actually meeting the other MVPs, Mike, Janak, Jason, and many others, in the Mobile Devices space, or others.