I'm an ASP.NET MVP
I'm very happy to announce I was selected as an ASP.NET MVP. Most software developers I've told about this, after congratulating me, confess that they don't really know what an MVP is. I wasn't 100% sure myself. Here's what the MVP site says:
Thank you for the significant contributions that you make to technical communities by sharing your high quality, real world expertise.... Your participation in these communities promotes the free and objective exchange of knowledge. You are recognized in technical communities as a reliable, independent expert, benefiting all who participate in communities. Your expert advice and influence in technical communities help users adopt new technology and help Microsoft understand and meet our customers' needs.
I really like helping people, so it's great hear that I've been helpful.
Here's another, more selfish reason that I love sharing information about software development: There's just so much unrealized potential in the huge network of computers that surround us, doing the equivalent of blinking "12:00 AM" like so many unprogrammed VCR's. I love to write code, to be part of the effort to realize that incredible potential, but the amount of code I'll write in my career is limited. By sharing information and helping others get things done, I feel like I'm cheating the clock a bit.