At the end of last year, rumors were flying that Microsoft was rethinking its commitment to its Most Valuable Professional (MVP) program. But on Wednesday, Microsoft ended that speculation and awarded as MVPs a pool of independent technology experts and announced plans for a 2005 summit for them.

MVPs are experts with knowledge about one or more Microsoft products and technologies. Their job is to help Microsoft support developers and customers via online communities, trade shows, and other ways.

Microsoft is holding the MVP headcount steady in 2005, at 2,600, just like it was in 2004, according to company officials. Of these, 173 are first-time MVPs. But this year's MVP crew includes more international representatives, as well as experts with knowledge about a broader group of technologies, including ERP systems, Office development technologies and the like.

Microsoft officials said they will hold the 2005 MVP summit —
where Microsoft officials privately show off current and future technologies —
from September 28 to October 1 in Redmond at Microsoft headquarters. More than 1,500 MVPs attended last year's summit. Microsoft also has more than 10 regional worldwide MVP summits planned for the coming year, officials said.

Microsoft's MVP program is now in its eleventh year. In 2003, Microsoft extended its Shared Source program to include qualifying MVPs. In 2004, the company began highlighting MVP blogs on its various product portal pages.

In spite of these steady advances, some MVPs said last fall and winter that they were hearing that Microsoft was wavering in its commitment to the program.

According to these MVPs, who asked not to be named, some company officials thought the company was too ambitious in growing its MVP program. Three years ago, there were about 600 MVPs, according to one program participant's estimates, but now there are more than four times as many.

"The selection process seemed to be a check to see if they had a warm body and if so they were awarded (MVP status)," said one MVP. "Obviously, they ended up with a few not-so professional participants."

Microsoft is committed to making sure the MVP credential means something, said Sean O'Driscoll, global director of the MVP Program and Technical Communities for Microsoft.

"I want the MVPs to know I am as paranoid as they are about the quality of their peers being awarded in the program," he told Microsoft Watch.

Some MVPs have speculated that Microsoft might thin the MVP ranks to return more cachet to the program. Others claimed Microsoft might do away with the MVP summit. And at least one MVP said he thought Microsoft could go so far as to shut down the program, like it attempted to do in October 1999, when Microsoft abruptly announced it was killing off the MVP program. As a result of public outcry, the program was reinstated a few days later.

In December last year, O'Driscoll, global director of Microsoft's MVP and technical communities programs, published an open letter in which he restated Microsoft's commitment to the MVP program.

"Over the next year, the MVP Program will continue to grow to meet the dynamic needs within the ever changing landscape of global technical communities as well as to award MVPs in new products and technologies. You can be assured that we will strive for consistent program experiences for all MVPs globally based on MVP feedback while continuing our focus on delivering outstanding program satisfaction for the MVPs," said O'Driscoll in his note.

"The key criteria for being an MVP is credibility and accessibility," O'Driscoll reiterated on Wednesday. Microsoft expects its MVPs to go "wherever customers go" to interact, whether that be blogs, trade shows, newsgroups or other communities, virtual or not, O'Driscoll added.

He said Microsoft appoints as MVPs individual with expertise in competing technologies, too, such as Linux and Oracle databases.

"We feel input on non-Microsoft technologies helps makes MVPs credible, too," he said.

(This is an updated version of an article which appeared in the December 9, 2004, issue of the Microsoft Watch newsletter. Want to see what other Microsoft news nuggets you might have missed? Sign up today for a free two-week trial subscription to Microsoft Watch.)