>>>>>>>>>Naomi, as Bonnie said, someone needs to nominate you.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>My understanding is that the nomination comes best from someone in the same area (I don't know that for a fact, but it's my understanding) - and I'm guessing you want to be an MVP in the SQL Server area.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>I know that you are strong in SQL Server and T-SQL. I'm going to take a look at your posts this week.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>"Don Corleone, I am honored and grateful that you have invited me to your daughter's wedding... on the day of your daughter's wedding. And I hope their first child be a masculine child. I pledge my ever-ending loyalty."
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I must be missing something -- what does that mean?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I thought Kevin was trying to play godfather.
>>>>>
>>>>>Gee, and here I thought he was helping her by reviewing her contributions.... so, since MVPS become MVPS by recommendation by another MVP, are all MVPs Godfathers? Does that make Bonnie Kevin's Godfather? :o) (GodMother just doesn't have the same "ring" to it :o)
>>>>
>>>>The program has changed a lot. It used to be much simpler. There were no nomination rules AFAIK.
>>>>
>>>>I will let it go but it does annoy me when John Baird tries to explain it to everyone. I was an MVP long before he was, back when there were very few of us.
>>>>
>>>>Back to the Positive Outlook for 2011 ;-)
>>>>
>>>>UPDATE: ask Jim Booth. He was an MVP even before I was and still stands in my mind as the epitome of the award. When I was still learning FoxPro he was on the Compuserve Foxforum every day patiently answering questions. He answered some of mine. He not only told you what, he told you why. I was never, ever as good as Jim Booth.
>>>
>>>The MVPs of today do not take away from the MVPs of the past. They still deserve (and earned AFAIK) their award. Was he inaccurate? If not, does the truth annoy you? Is it John Baird who annoys you or is it that the process has changed so much? I can certainly understand the latter, but everything in life changes....not just the tools we use. Sometimes that's good and sometimes it's just change. I am surprised that you don't seem to respect the earning of the award of those who hold it today. They put in a lot of time and energy just as those in the past did. There is a lot more competition today too (in the sense that there are more folks out there contributing and working hard in the community so more to consider for the award). More people in the field period. That doesn't take away from those who earned it in the past, it is just a different world now.
>>>
>>>BTW, I just checked and while the tool is still in use, there are only 10 VFP MVPs now:
>>>https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/communities/mvp.aspx?product=1&competency=Visual+FoxPro
>>>
>>>But as you know, some of the current .net (or other) MVPs were once Foxpro MVPs...
>>
>>It's John who annoys me. Now that I have calmed down, yes, I'm sure he has earned it. And times do change. I just don't agree that online help has become irrelevant. Let's not forget that's how the whole program started. Microsoft offloaded tech support to the user community and it was a way of dangling carrots.
>>
>>BTW, I think you are deserving of an MVP. You knocked my socks off just the other day with the hardware problem. Maybe you should hit the road and give some speeches ;-)
>
>Thanks, but no. That just came from years and years (and a long time ago doing the full MSFT and various systems and also security systems training for the govt) of building systems from scratch and supporting hundreds of users in previous employments... I help when I can on only a couple of user forums and after so many years of traveling, I prefer to stay put these days :o) I don't have the drive and commitment that folks like Kevin, John B, Bonnie, and the other MVPs do. There was a time about 3 or 4 years ago when Kevin came to my rescue. I was doing research (I do enjoy research and proof of concept projects) and had to test something in .NET that I could not find ANYWHERE online. It just didn't appear to having been done yet and MSFT was no help whatsoever. Their position was basically -- it should be possible (I have since helped others online in other forums with the same thing). Kevin took time out of his BUSY schedule to help me with it. It was not something he had done in the past either but he invested time to help me figure it out and do my proof of concept (which worked). Now THAT is an MVP.

Noted. I'll give him some points for that.

I was not joking about you being deserving, though. You have made many great posts about both software and hardware. You know more about hardware than about 99% of the people here. Which is really amazing for a blonde chick ;-) (--JOKE! JOKE! JOKE!) I give you a hard time about your internet links sometimes but you have my complete respect.