Back Draft

Demystifying the Microsoft Regional Director

By Jonathan Goodyear

In the March 2006 issue of asp.netPRO, I answered the question of just whatis a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) anyway?, as well as providedinsight on how to become one yourself. This month I am going to share somedetails about another hat I wear ? that of Microsoft Regional Director (http://msdn.microsoft.com/isv/rd/).

The comment I get most often when I introduce myself tosomeone as a Microsoft Regional Director (RD) is that they didn?t know I was aMicrosoft employee. Of course, that assumption is false. RDs are not employedby Microsoft. In fact, we are not compensated for our role as RDs (that?s notcompletely true ... more on that in a bit). The role of an RD is to act as anunbiased third-party evangelist of Microsoft products and services and to workwith software developers to ensure successful project engagements. We act asthe glue between Microsoft and the developer community.

There are approximately 50 RDs in the United States, and approximately 130 worldwide. The word ?Region? in thetitle doesn?t equate to any particular boundary, though. Rather, it is based onthe population density of Microsoft customers and developers. For instance,there is an RD just for Silicon Valley alone, while someRDs cover several states. I happen to be one of two RDs for the state of Florida.You shouldn?t think of RDs as bound to their assigned region, though, as we dotravel a lot.

Microsoft has their own Developer Evangelists (DE) withwhom RDs work closely. A Microsoft DE, Alex Lowe, has written a pretty goodexplanation of his job function in his blog (http://blogs.msdn.com/alowe/archive/2004/02/07/69495.aspx).An important distinction between RDs and DEs is that DEs can be influenced toride the party line. RDs, on the other hand, can (and often do) voice strongopinions in opposition to things Microsoft is doing that the RDs feel don?t fallin line with the interests of Microsoft developers, end users, and customers.RDs have many media contacts, so their voices are heard loud and clear. In thisway, RDs act as a strong advocate for the Microsoft community.

RDs present at large conferences like TechEd, PDC, VSLive,and ASP.NET Connections. They also frequent smaller venues, like user groupmeetings and Code Camps. They even visit individual companies like yours toprovide free guidance on Microsoft technologies.

Back to the issue of compensation.Although there is no cash compensation for being an RD, the position does comewith numerous benefits. Some of these include MSDN subscriptions, freeadmission to conferences, and access to insiders and insider information.Essentially, Microsoft gives RDs the tools and access they need to help itscustomers make intelligent technology decisions. Several RDs (myself included) own consulting companies, so we alsoprovide longer-term paid consulting services to some customers we visit thathave such a need. RD visits are not sales pitches, though, which is a point Icannot over-emphasize.

So, how do you become an RD? There?s really no simpleequation. The title isn?t strictly merit-based like that of MVP, and Microsoftdoesn?t often create new RD positions. The term of an RD is two years, butthere is no limit to the number of terms a particular RD can serve. Animportant point of note is that while MVPs are not obligated to do anything,RDs carry a great deal of responsibility. Microsoft expects RDs to connect withtheir customers and developers on a regular basis. This large responsibility cancause turnover; but this is a good thing, because it adds fresh insight, ideas,and motivation to the entire program. Microsoft has also been known to hiresome RDs who are able to fill a particular internal need they have. When a newRD is needed, Microsoft turns to nominations (both internal and external to theprogram).

I hope this column has helped educate you on the role ofthe Microsoft Regional Director. I also hope you will reach out to your localRD and ask them to come speak at your company, your user group, or your Code Camp. That?s why we?re here, and we really doenjoy meeting each of you, getting you excited about Microsoft technology, andhelping to guide you in the right direction. We also want to hear what you likeand don?t like about Microsoft products and services. We have the ability totake that feedback directly to the people at Microsoft who can help answer yourquestions, resolve your issues, or exact necessary changes ? they are just asanxious as we are to make you happy.

Jonathan Goodyearis president of ASPSOFT (http://www.aspsoft.com), an Internet consulting firm based in Orlando, FL. Jonathanis Microsoft Regional Director for Florida,an ASP.NET MVP, a Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD), and co-authorof ASP.NET 2.0 MVP Hacks (Wrox).Jonathan also is a contributing editor for asp.netPRO.E-mail him at mailto:jon@aspsoft.com orthrough his angryCoder eZine at http://www.angryCoder.com.