We're continuing our Monday series, "Interview with a TechNet Wiki Author!" Today's author is Leonid Ganeline!

Leonid Ganeline is a Microsoft Integration MVP since 2007 and lives in Vancouver, Canada.

My favorite quote of the interview I have done with Leonid is:

"But the most important that your goal is not be a MVP, but to share knowledge and experience and to help people with your knowledge."

Before we start with the interview here is a picture of Leonid with some of his Integration MVP buddies. We as integration MVP's all love Leonid!

Leonid (far right) and his Integration buddies at the MVP Summit 2013.

So now to the interview with Leonid.

• Who are you, and what do you do?

I am a programmer and am graduated from the Samara State Aerospace University. Hope one of my program is still working in space. I'm doing system integration using BizTalk Server for more than 10 years now. I'm running in the summer and skiing in winter after doing integration.

• What do you do with TechNet Wiki, and how does that fit into the rest of your job?

If I investigate some interesting stuff, I put it into Wiki to share it. It could be code, it could be information or just my thoughts. I follow a simple principle, if I spent time and got an information which cannot be googled out of Internet, it will be original, unknown to date I will put it in a Wiki. If I develop something and reuse it several times in different situations, it is a good candidate to share, like the BizTalk Application Naming Conventions article. Next time, when I reuse it, it would be upgraded with my new experience.

• How did you become an MVP? Do you have any suggestions for other community members who hope to eventually become MVPs?

I was an active participant in the BizTalk news (now they are moved to the MSDN Forums) and started couple BizTalk blogs (one of them on Russian). There were several interesting discussions and articles and then Microsoft decided to award me with the MVP status in 2007. I am MVP since 2007. My suggestion is you have to be persistent. If you are answering in the forums or blogging than there should be dozens articles and answers after a couple of years. Just a couple of months is not enough. But the most important that your goal is not be a MVP, but to share knowledge and experience and to help people with your knowledge.

• What are your favorite articles you’ve contributed?

1. BizTalk Application Naming Conventions - is the most popular article. I saw it as a part of documentation in several BizTalk implementations. Sometimes there was my name as an author. :)
2. BizTalk: Instance Subscriptions and Convoys: Details - it was a result of research in big project with elaborate routing.
3. BizTalk: Advanced Interview Questions - the most fun article for experienced BizTalk developers and architects.
4. BizTalk Integration Development Architecture - this was a recent article on the Microsoft MVP blog.

• Do you have any tips for new Wiki contributors?

Wiki is the quintessence of knowledge, like a dictionary. I like it when the wiki is laconic and keeps only important information. But Wiki is not exactly a dictionary article. I enjoy it when a Wiki is informal, or controversial, or raise some generic questions.

Tips: Compare systems and applications, made performance measurements and labs, use microscope to hammer nails, - it would be entertaining and authentic.

Do you have a question for Lenonid Ganeline? Leave a comment!

Steef-Jan (Blog, Wiki, Twitter, Profile)