Microsoft Technical Communities in Sri Lanka

1. What are the Microsoft Technical Communities in Sri Lanka?
   Currently there are 4 Microsoft Technical communities in the country. Those are .NET Forum (http://www.dotnetforum.lk/), IT Pro Forum (http://www.itproforum.lk/), SQL Server Universe (http://www.sqlserveruniverse.com/) and Student Champ Community. Among these the student champ community is dedicated for university students and the other three are open to anybody.
   
   • .NET Forum (http://www.dotnetforum.lk/)
   • IT Pro Forum (http://www.itproforum.lk/)
   • SQL Server Universe (http://www.sqlserveruniverse.com/)
   • Student Champ Community (http://champs.dotnetforum.lk/)
2. Who are the members and what do they do?
   Currently with a user base of over 6500 members, which these members are representing various areas including university students, lectures, software professionals, managerial people from software companies and IT enthusiasts. Participation and Contribution of each member is different. Some contribute in the online forums, some contribute in the offline monthly presentations as technical presenters.
3. What is the purpose of these technical communities?
   Share the knowledge, connect with peers in the community and grow the technical awareness
4. How can I join?
   Simply go to the online website which you are interested in an use the register option. You can register in more than one community.
5. What are the activities happening in these technical communities?
   Each technical community have a monthly meeting (a User Group Meeting). At these monthly meeting MVPs and other technical experts are doing presentations on the latest/upcoming technologies and following are the date/time for each user group meeting. These user group meetings are absolutely free for anybody for participate.
   • .NET User Group Meeting - First Thursday of the month
   • SQL Server User Group Meeting - Third Wednesday of the month
   • IT Pro User Group Meeting - Last Wednesday of the month
   • Student Champ Meeting - First Friday of the month
Meeting Time and Venue will be notified through the monthly Newsletter.
6. How can I find more details?
   You can contact any of the Sri Lankan MVPs or contact the Admin (admin@dotnetforum.lk)

Sri Lanka IT Pro Forum

1.  What is it?
   IT Pro Forum is the community dedicated to discuss about Microsoft Infrastructure Products and Solutions. Currently there are over 1000 registered members.
2. When was this started?
   IT Pro Forum was started in mid 2005 as www.tech2guys.com and later in 2006 was re-named to Sri Lanka IT Pro Forum
3. Can I do a presentation @ a User Group Meeting?
   Yes and you are most welcome. Please contact the admin (admin@itproforum.lk) or contact one of the Sri Lankan MVPs. Their contact details are on the .NET Forum home page.
4. What will I get in return for contributing in the IT Pro Forum?
   Other than the knowledge you'll be able to gain and contacts you'll be able to build with peers your efforts will be recognized in many ways. One way is the MVP award.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional

1.  What is the Microsoft MVP Award?
   The Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Award is an annual award that is given to outstanding members of Microsoft's technical communities, and that is based on contributions made during the previous year to offline and online technical communities.
2. Why does the MVP Award exist?
   We believe that technical communities foster the free and objective exchange of knowledge, thereby creating a reliable source of independent, real world expertise that benefits everyone. The Microsoft MVP Award recognizes exceptional technical community leaders worldwide who actively share their expertise with technical communities.
3. How does Microsoft select its MVPs?
   Over 100 million people participate in technical communities but there are only about 3,500 MVPs worldwide. Outstanding technical community members are nominated by their peers, Microsoft employees, and MVPs. Each year a panel of Microsoft employees reviews the contributions of each nominee for quality, quantity, and level of impact on the technical community. Today's MVPs reflect Microsoft's global customer base and the breadth of its technologies.
4. Are there Microsoft MVPs experts in all Microsoft technologies and products?
   No. Although many MVPs have in-depth knowledge of more than one product or technology, none of them are experts in all Microsoft technologies or products.
5. Do MVPs represent Microsoft?
   No. MVPs are not Microsoft employees, nor do they speak on Microsoft's behalf. MVPs are third-party individuals who have received an award from Microsoft that recognizes their exceptional achievements in technical communities.
6. Do Microsoft MVPs receive any payment from Microsoft?
   No. The MVP Award Program does provide a small award of software and other benefits as part of its core program offering, but MVPs do not receive any monetary payment from Microsoft.
7. How long does the Microsoft MVP Award last?
   The MVP Award lasts for the duration of one year. During this time, MVP Award recipients are free to refer to themselves as Microsoft MVPs and to enjoy all of the privileges that are included with the award.
8. What does Microsoft expect of its MVPs?
   Because MVP status is awarded based on past contributions, Microsoft has no expectations of MVPs beyond the expectations of courtesy, professionalism, code of conduct, and adherence to the community rules that we ask of all Microsoft community members. These rules can be found on the Microsoft Communities Rules of Conduct page. .
9. How can I become a Microsoft MVP?
   Individuals are nominated for the MVP Award by their peers or by Microsoft, based on their contributions during the previous year to offline or online technical communities. Each nominee's contributions are then compared to the other candidates' contributions for the same year to determine who will receive the award. Nominees are chosen from traditional and emerging community venues, including public news groups, forums, third-party Web sites, user groups, book authors, event speakers, Web boards, blogs, and wikis. Current MVPs reside in over 90 countries, write in 30 languages, and share their expertise in over 90 Microsoft technologies.
10. Are there any requirements to be awarded as a Microsoft MVP?
    Yes, all Microsoft MVPs must be 18 years or older.
11. Why must Microsoft MVPs be 18 years or older?
    Microsoft is committed to the safety and privacy of minors. Minors are defined as anyone who is not 18 years or older. To help ensure their safety, the MVP program has implemented a policy that all Microsoft MVPs awardees awarded as of April 2006 must affirm that they are 18 years or older.
12. How do I get the contact information for Microsoft MVPs?
    While you can find a list of all current MVPs on our awardees page, we do not list MVP contact information for privacy and security reasons.
13. How do I contact the MVP program team?
    MVPGA@microsoft.com is the universal contact for the MVP Award Program team.