First we would like to say thank you to everyone who applied for the 2017 vExpert program. I’m pleased to announce the list 2017 vExperts. Each of these vExperts have demonstrated significant contributions to the community and a willingness to share their expertise with others. Contributing is not always blogging or Twitter as there are many public speakers, book authors, CloudCred task writing, script writers, VMUG leaders, VMTN community moderators and internal champions among this group.

I want to personally thank everyone who applied and point out that a “vExpert” is not a technical certification or even a general measure of VMware expertise. The judges selected people who were particularly engaged with their community and who had developed a substantial personal platform of influence in those communities. If you feel like you were not selected in error, that’s entirely possible.

The judges may have overlooked or misinterpreted what you wrote in your application. Email us at vexpert at vmware.com and we can discuss your situation as well as provide feedback and guidance on what you can do to receive the award. We looked at all of the 2016 activities to determine the voting results. We will open the second half 2017 applications around May / June which will only allow for two voting periods this year.

If you were selected as a vExpert 2017, we will be conducting the on-boarding throughout the next few weeks so hold tight and expect future communication from us soon. To be listed in the vExpert Directory, you must have a VMTN Community account. We will provide instructions on how to create your own directory listing as well as how to gain access to the private forum in the next communication. We will send the welcome email to the email address provided in your vExpert application. Congratulations to all the vExperts, new and returning and we’re looking forward to working with you.

Command + F away and find your name if you can’t wait for the welcome email. The 2017 vExpert welcome email will go out soon along with access to the vExpert private community.

Thank You,

Corey Romero, and the VMware Social Media & Community Team

Applications for the 2017 vExpert program are now open. Applications will be accepted until December 16th at midnight PDT. The vExpert 2017 announcement will be on February 8th 2017. Current 2016 vExperts need to apply through the fastrack application only. 

The VMware vExpert program is VMware’s global evangelism and advocacy program. The program is designed to put VMware’s marketing resources towards your advocacy efforts. Promotion of your articles, exposure at our global events, co-op advertising, traffic analysis, and early access to beta programs and VMware’s roadmap.

Each year, we bring together in the vExpert Program the people who have made some of the most important contributions to the VMware community. These are the bloggers, book authors, VMUG leaders, speakers, tool builders, community leaders and general enthusiasts. They work as IT admins and architects for VMware customers, they act as trusted advisors and implementors for VMware partners or as independent consultants, and some work for VMware itself. All of them have the passion and enthusiasm for technology and applying technology to solve problems. They have contributed to the success of us all by sharing their knowledge and expertise over their days, nights, and weekends.

vExperts who participate in the program have access to private betas, free licenses, early access briefings, exclusive events, free access to VMworld conference materials online, exclusive vExpert parties at VMworld and other opportunities to interact with VMware product teams. They also get access to a private community and networking opportunities.

Evangelist Path
The Evangelist Path includes book authors, bloggers, tool builders, public speakers, VMTN contributors, and other IT professionals who share their knowledge and passion with others with the leverage of a personal public platform to reach many people. Employees of VMware can also apply via the Evangelist path. A VMware employee reference is recommended if your activities weren’t all in public or were in a language other than English.

Customer Path
The Customer Path is for leaders from VMware customer organizations. They have been internal champions in their organizations, or worked with VMware to build success stories, act as customer references, given public interviews, spoken at conferences, or were VMUG leaders. A VMware employee reference is recommended if your activities weren’t all in public.

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.

Apply for vExpert 2017

• Current vExperts (all vExperts including VCDX) apply thought the fastrack application at https://form.jotform.com/63124887851969.
• New applicants please use the full application form at https://form.jotform.com/63124382084957.
• Recommend a colleague to apply for 2017 vExpert: https://form.jotform.com/40285869039970 (They will still need to fill out the application at https://form.jotform.com/63124382084957)

Questions & Updates

For questions about the application process or the vExpert Program, please send email to  vexpert@vmware.com. Be sure to follow @vExpert for updates on the 2017 vExpert program.

Thank you to all who have participated in years past,
Corey Romero & the Social Media Team