While attending OpenForce '08 in Las Vegas this past week I received a very unexpected email from INETA, one that left me shocked and honored and humbled all the same time. A weird feeling to say the least. In a nut-shell here is what they had to say: We would like to extend our thanks for your participation in the INETA Community Champion program and your commitment to the developer community.  You faced some challenging competition yet your accomplishments speak for themselves.  The Community Champion team is thrilled to inform you that you are one of... [More]

I was updating my professional profile on LinkedIn the other day, and I realized that there was a lot missing about what I do. In essence my profile contained a lot of the stuff I did for a living, but not was lacking all the work I do on volunteer basis. All the community contributions such as speaking, organizing, writing etc, was left out all together. I decided to start compiling a list of my community contribution and while I am sure I missed some things, here is what I came up with so far: Open Source Projects DotNetNuke Core Team Member DotNetNu... [More]

In a recent announcement this week, INETA outlined a new program designed to reward the very hard work of User Group community contributors. User Group contributors are encouranged to participate and submit their contributions regularly on the INETA website. Here is what INETA has to say about the awards programs: Community Champions Award Once a quarter, INETA will recognize leading contributors as Community Champions. In addition to claiming this prestigious title for twelve months, awardees also receive a letter of commendation, a certificate of achievement... [More]

The last time I spoke at a Code Camp I became aware of Community-Credit.com. In a nutshell Community-Credit was founded by David Silverlight, a Microsoft MVP and an active member of the development community, as a way to reward fellow IT Professionals who have contributed toward the development community. Currently, the rewards for these contributions are simply the satisfaction of helping colleagues in the development community. Obviusly I signed up in a jiffy and starting adding all the stuff that I have been doing for the community at-large, from founding the Capi... [More]

I checked my email this morning, as usual, just as I am rolling out of bed (on my phone that is; no, I do not sleep with my laptop next to me.... I slide that underneath my bed, haha!) and found that I won the April 2008 Community-Credit Award! (For more information what it is, go to www.community-credit.com). Here is what they had to say: Congratulations. You won 10th Prize in the April 2008 Contest. As you may know, a lot of people competed, but only a few won. Nicely done! Please also keep in mind that your prize is not just a stupid, geeky gift, but it's also a ... [More]