The Joys and Benefits of Being a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional

I've received the Microsoft MVP award for the tenth year in a row! The award brings lots of benefits - tangible and intangible:

• Microsoft provides a free MSDN subscription 
• Direct interaction with top guns like ScottGu and the ASP.NET team
• A worldwide MVP conference at the Microsoft campus in Redmond
• People recognize you at industry events
• It's easy to get invitations into Microsoft betas

Another non-Microsoft benefit is free access to some of the best software tools in the industry. Many software vendors provide free licenses to MVPs in their field. Reasons vary, but vendors find that getting their products into the hands of community leaders often creates a 'buzz' or viral networking/marketing that advertising dollars just can't buy. Vendors also get honest, expert feedback because MVPs aren't shy about announcing their likes and dislikes with any product. I haven't named the companies that participate in the not-for-resale (NFR) third-party programme because I don't have their permission. However, think of the top companies in the ASP.NET market and you're going to hit a fair number!