John,

This is my last post in this thread. You may now have the last word if you wish.

>But what does becoming a MVP have to do with business secrets? If you are saying that "assisting your fellows publicly to become a MVP" automatically creates entitlement to commercially advantageous foreknowledge and other secret information, then you are describing "elitism" just as surely as I did but using different words.

Becoming an MVP brings whatever benefits Microsoft chooses to bestow. There is no automatic "entitlement" attached to those 3 letters other than whatever Microsoft chooses to do. Elitism has nothing to do with this kind of business decision. Sorry, no conspiracy or self-annointed elite.

>Elitism is of course fine unless its beneficiaries shroud it in secrecy, in which case one has a duty to challenge, IMHO.

Let me get this straight. You think it's your duty to publicly challenge the fact that a company may shroud details of its operation in secrecy? Remind me not to ask you to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

>Only those whose position will not stand up to scrutiny need to fear that.

Don't kid yourself. I don't think anyone fears your scrutiny about this. Is this a case of sour grapes, or what? I just don't get what all this noise is about.

I'm done.