Freshly re-minted VMware vExpert 2016
VMware vExpert 2016 recipients have been named, and I'm happy to find that I've made the list again this year, my 3rd year.
joining the 919 other vExperts out there. It's quite the list, check it out!
TinkerTry is a completely independent blog. But because my day job is at IBM, to get into this program originally in 2014 was tricky. I had been writing a lot about VMware here at TinkerTry for 3 years already. What I really needed was a VMware employee to recommend me. In the full description of the vExpert paths - Evangelist Path, Customer Path, VPN (VMware Partner Network) Path, the process is explained:
VPN (VMware Partner Network) Path
The VPN Path is for employees of our partner companies who lead with passion and by example, who are committed to continuous learning through accreditations and certifications and to making their technical knowledge and expertise available to many. This can take shape of event participation, video, IP generation, as well as public speaking engagements. A VMware employee reference is required for VPN Path candidates.
I didn't really know anybody well inside VMware at the time, but Scott March helped me out there, a guy I met at a vBeers who wound up working at VMware. That story is detailed in my first vExpert post. Thank you again, Scott!
Validation
What being a vExpert has meant to me was a validation that my outreach to the virtualization enthusiast community has made a difference, including the blogging here, the video library, the podcasts, and finally, the presentations that I really enjoy doing every year, made possible by my consulting work finally allowing me to work from home. See also:
Being a vExpert is really way more than what I've expressed so far. I haven't done it justice. Here's some more thoughts.
Foot in the door
Getting to meet senior level VMware employees at VMUGs and at a special get together at VMworld 2015, along with a zany dinner with Rawlinson Rivera (@PunchingClouds), Brian Graf (@vBrianGraf), Emad Younis (@Emad_Younis) and the VMUG Boston leaders (thanks Greg over at VMUG HQ!). Just some examples..
Pre @BostonVMUG fun with @vBrianGraf @PunchingClouds and @Emad_Younis @legalseafoods in Boston! #BOSVMUG pic.twitter.com/mjIQ5J36rC
— Paul Braren (@paulbraren) December 8, 2015
Vendors now reach out to me, not the other way around
Most of the time, this is a good thing, an honor. Yeah, it does mean more email that I can't even keep up with anymore. But that's OK. I write about what I want to write about, and make all the decisions about who I choose to write about.
I turn down a lot of offers for sponsored posts and the like. I just write stories about software and hardware that I find of considerable practical value for my home lab, then I publish the details that might be useful for others to learn about. Simple.
Emails from Corey Romero
What more can I say, the hardest working guy at VMware regularly keeps vExperts up to date on the latest big doings at VMworld, including the big announcements on Feb 9/10/11/16th, detailed here.
Credibility
When doing any kind of consulting, it's nice to have some logos, on the email footer, and on business cards. A great conversation starter.
So there you have it, another year of acknowledgment from VMware that I'm helping make a difference. Hopefully helping others on their path to trying out virtualization, and the ever growing, and increasingly complex, ecosystem that's grown around it.
Interesting to note
It would seem Corey Romero may have done a soft announcement of the vExpert 2016 member list this year. Let me explain.
We vExperts had a heads-up a while back that Friday, February 5, 2016 would be the day of the announcements.
And indeed, the very first tweet I see about this news was 3 hours ago, by Paul Woodward Jr. @ExploreVM, when I was doing a Twitter search for vexpert 2016 at 12:15pm Feb. 5th. Here's the screenshot:
Here's another search, this time, Googling for vexpert 2016 at 12:18pm Feb. 5th, and look what I get, first hit:
Yep, it would seem the post got indexed by them Google bots up to 7 hours before the first Tweet. Way to go, Paul Woodward Jr., perhaps the first to spot Corey's post and tweet about it!
