Not your OP, but when I was in the program it was because MSFT people found me and awarded it to me based on posts I had already done. I didn't apply. It was in

Not your OP, but when I was in the program it was because MSFT people found me and awarded it to me based on posts I had already done. I didn't apply. It was in 1992 when the big transition to Windows 3.1 was underway. I had already been assisting people with Windows programming questions on Compuserve, because of my belief that it was then an important transition. I believed it was going to be easier than people thought, and my aid was meant to help people see this. When my priorities changed and I stopped posting, MSFT didn't award me MVP status again. The MSFT self-interest was that the awards were things that made it easier for us to post more, such as comp'ing the minutes we spent in the Windows forum on Compuserve and the like. Although I heard rumors of MSFT leaders/liasons encouraging individuals to post after their awards, I didn't get such communications personally. I bet it's all different now but I have had not been involved.