As you might already have seen last week, the videos of the SUGCON are now available on Youtube. One of the videos is from Jacqueline Baxter. She gave the presentation on So you want to become a Sitecore MVP. A really helpful presentation on how to become an MVP.
In this blog post, I want to gather some valuable lessons from that presentation I think we all can use. The first thing that you need to know; becoming an MVP is a reward for your work in the past 12 months. So it's something you've earned, not what you'll get if you commit to doing the work in the upcoming year.
Ok, that's cool and all, but how do I get there? Let's start with some pointers:
- Choose a topic that you really like talking about, and make it yourself easy. Choosing a topic that is new in the market can really help you set yourself apart from the rest.
- Choose which type of media suits you best; do you like blogging, vlogging, or talking on stage. It doesn't really mind which media you choose, all are fine. But to get the strongest application for an MVP, blend online and offline activities
- Make sure to put your work out there, and share it with the community
- Keep a track record of all your work throughout the year, nothing is more annoying than finding all the work that you have done the last year for your MVP application
- Make it easier for the reviewer of your application; share links to your work, also put in clear answers to questions
- Share your work relevant to the product, Sitecore, Microsoft, etc.
Sitecore goals
Blogs
- 3+ blogs per year
- Create a series to get more out of a topic
- Expand on a presentation via a blog post
- Leverage the company blog, make sure you're credited as the author
- Write Sitecore specific content is a must
Presentations
- 2+ presentations per year
- Take advantage of virtual events
- Find your local Sitecore Usergroup
- Tip: repurpose content that is not accepted for other SUGs, SUGCON, VMD, VDD, SMAC webinars
- Remarks
- presentations only count when you deliver the presentation. Putting in your presentation suggestions doesn't count
- Customer and internal presentations are not counted for Strategy MVP category. These presentations don't benefit the community as a whole. Recorded and publicly shared videos will count
Socials
- Twitter and LinkedIn
- Add context and perspective, don't just retweet content, add your own thoughts to it
- Save links as prove
- Tag people and add hashtags for visibility and conversation, tags like #SitecoreMVP #SitecoreSYM
- GitHub
- Have an update for the year in question
- Slack
- Active and consistent participation
Tips and tricks
- Reach out to the Sitecore User Groups
- Keep a running log of your activities
- Participate in both online and offline activity
- Get recommendations from colleagues AND Sitecore employees
- Get involved with Sitecore-led whitepapers, e-books and other efforts
- Reach out to Sitecore SMAC and Sitecore employees if you have questions
- Ask for help with the application r for review before submitting
- Space content throughout the year when possible
Sitecore MVP mentor program
Gain new experiences, skills, knowledge, support and more.
- Provides guidance to those in the Sitecore Community who want to become an MVP
- To apply to the Sitecore MVP mentorship program please send the Sitecore team an email at mvp-program@sitecore.com
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me via Twitter or Linked.
Until next time!