Each year, we designate several hundred individuals from around the world as VMware vExperts and invite them to participate in our yearly program. The vExperts are people who have gone above and beyond their day jobs in their contributions to the virtualization and VMware user community.
vExperts are the bloggers, the book authors, the VMUG leaders, the tool builders and town criers, the tinkerers and speakers and thinkers who are moving us all forward as an IT industry.
A vExpert should demonstrate knowledge about VMware solutions and their benefits, and how they fit into the overall IT landscape. A vExpert designation is not a technical certification of any kind, although they are often very articulate and knowledgeable about virtualization and IT topics, both technical and non-technical. It should not be confused with a VCDX (VMware Certified Design Expert).
A vExpert designation is
- a thank you from VMware for contributing to the communty and helping people along their journey to the cloud;
- a way for VMware to help you in your evangelism and your career, with access to private beta programs, product licenses, and exclusive briefings from VMware and its partners;
- a way for VMware to dialog with its community of very smart and innovative users.
vExpert program criteria are
- Value to the community. Did you create something valuable for the greater community of VMware users, such as a blog, book, tool, event, or presentation? Both technical and non-technical contributions are considered.
- Technical merit. If your contribution was technical, was it correct and useful?
- Effectiveness. Were your contributions effective in making VMware users more successful?
- Professionalism. Did you communicate in a professional manner?
- Reach. Was your contribution useful to a large number of people? This award weighs public contributions that the entire community can benefit from.
- Effort. vExperts typically put forth a great deal of time and effort over the course of the year, often beyond the boundaries of their normal day job. Did you demonstrate sustained effort above what was expected of you in your virtualization projects over 2010?
A few things that we're doing differently this year:
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We ask everyone who would like to be considered to fill out a vExpert Information Form detailing your activities in 2010. In past years, we often haven't had complete information on your activities, which made decision making difficult. Even current vExperts should fill this out so we know what you've been up to.
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On the Information Form is a place to enter a VMware employee reference. This is completely optional, and most vExperts will be designated without any sort of reference. However, if you feel like your activities are not very obvious and available on the web, or if they were predominantly not in English, or they don't quite fit into the fields provided in the Information Form, you may want to include an employee reference who is familiar with your efforts.
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There is a separate nomination form. If you think someone should be a vExpert but believe they may not apply to be a vExpert themselves, please nominate them. Fill out the Nomination Form and both VMware and the nominee will be sent an email with your message. However, the nominee must still fill out an Information Form so that we have a complete view of their activities. Nominations are not required and are multiple nominations are not counted as votes for your designation; instead, simply fill out the Information Form to be considered.
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We're weighing the "above and beyond" portion of the nomination more highly this year. The vExpert designation is given to an individual, not to a company. Your contributions could have been a part of your corporate activities, but your individual contribution should be clear, beyond what was expected of you in your corporate role, and noted in your Information Form.
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VMware employees are encouraged to apply this year. VMware employees will be selected separately after the non-employee selections.
As in previous years
- The vExpert designation is based on contributions during 2010. Activities earlier than this are not considered.
- The award duration is one year. Existing vExperts are not guaranteed a renewed award and are evaluated each year with other nominees.
- A committee of VMware employees chooses the recipients of the vExpert awards.
- You must be 18 years old to be eligible for the award.
And now that you've read through all the above, here are your next steps. We will accept Information Forms until midnight PST Friday, May 6, 2011. vExpert recipients will be notified within the following two weeks.
Good luck, and thanks for all your support.
The VMware vExpert Program Team
[vExpert 2011 Applications and Nominations are now closed. Thank you!]
