"Bob Lucas" wrote in message
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"Mike Hall - MVP" wrote in message
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"VanguardLH" wrote in message
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Bob Lucas wrote:

Are there any special rules governing the use of the designation
MS-MVP?

I ask the question because, according to the page at
https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/communities/mvp.aspx, the Microsoft
MVP Awardee directory contains a listing of all MVPs that want to share
information publicly.

However, when I conducted advanced searches against the names of
contributors to several newsgroups (who claim to be MVPs), the search
engine produced the following response "No results were found for your
search criteria".

Some MVPs claim they don't want their private information published in a
public place. That doesn't preclude that they are *listed* as an MVP.
If an MVP doesn't have themself published in the MVP lists (and which
does NOT require any public disclosure of their personal info) then I
don't consider them an MVP. If you want to check on the credentials of
a cert that an employee claims to have, you check with the issuer to
find out if that cert was actually ever awarded to that person. If
someone claims they are an expert in some profession, they must provide
proof of such. Lack of proof means lack of expertise. I'm not allowed
to claim that I'm a doctor, cop, or any other professional without
having traceable credentials. To me, if they can't prove that they were
elected by other MVPs to become themself an MVP then I'm not going to
believe them just because they say so.

If an MVP wants to hide, consider why they want to hide. They don't
need to give out their street address, phone number, or any private
information. Obviously if they want to have an identity as an MVP then
*something* of them must be made public. If an MVP wants to hide from
the public but only let other MVPs know about their MVP status then let
them hide inside an MVP-only forum or MVP-only mailing list. If they
don't want to be public then don't claim to be an MVP in public.

If someone says they are an MVP but if the public can't verify that
status and if the one claiming to be an MVP can prove their status then
they aren't an MVP. Anyone can claim anything they want in the Usenet
anarchy. Hiding MVPs dilute the status and potence of the MVP title.


You have it all worked out, eh.

Some may not be public because their employers might think that they
would possibly do free work in works time.

Some employers may consider the MVP award status to be in competition
with what the company does/supplies.

Some MVPs may not be in a position politically.

PCButts is a wannabe..

--
Mike Hall - MVP
How to construct a good post..
http://dts-l.com/goodpost.htm
How to use the Microsoft Product Support Newsgroups..
http://support.microsoft.com/default...help&style=toc
Mike's Window - My Blog..
http://msmvps.com/blogs/mikehall/default.aspx






Those are valid reasons for claiming anonymity.

However, I still believe that if a contributor to a newsgroup claims to be
an MVP, other contributors should be able to verify that appellation (in
the same way that members of the public can check the credentials of
doctors, dentists, lawyers, etc.)

MVPs provide a valuable service - and I am not decrying their expertise
and willingness to help. However, many non-MVPs also offer useful
contributions.

If an MVP does not want his name to appear on a public register, there is
nothing to prevent him/her from posting to newsgroups without claiming
membership of the MVP community. Regular newsgroup users will have little
difficulty forming an opinion about those contributors, who have provided
reliable contributions over a period of time.

The real danger comes from people who claim to be MVPs (which implies
special expertise and a willingness to help) - but are impostors.

Consequently, MVPs should be prepared to allow their names to appear on a
public register - OR refrain from using the MVP suffix when they post to
newsgroups.


I, for one, would have nothing against my name appearing in an official list
provided by MS. I just don't want my life history made public. They *could*
have two lists, but they don't. I have nothing I need to hide in my profile,
it's just a "nobody's business" thing.
--

Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP Outlook Express
Imperial Beach, CA