It's a "challenge" done each month by Microsoft, via the TechNet Wiki!
The results from each month are published; you can see the last result (from June) on the official blog of the TechNet wiki. You can go look to get an idea of the competition. It's a competition divided by category (Biztalk, Sharepoint, BI, ...) and based on article done on the TechNet Wiki.
Each category is judged by MVPs and Microsoft employees!
Up to now, this challenge was only for English articles; now we open it for any French articles!
The various category available are listed on this page.
For this first try out, this challenge is open until 2014/09/30
Why participate ?
A lot of reasons! The principal reasons are:
The articles are noted (commented on) by MVPs and Microsoft Employee, thus it gives them notable visibility (and great feedback for future improvements).
The results are shown on the official blog of the TechNet Wiki, and for example, the result page for June 2014 was has more than 2000 views and 20 comments (and climbing every week).
It's fun! That friendly challenge enables you to meet more great community experts and interesting people!
Your résumé : participating in this challenge will bring more visibility to what you do, to the community, and to Microsoft!
How do I participate ?
It's simple : You go on the home page of the Wiki, sign-in, and click on the menu to "Post an article" !
When your article is done, let us know by inserting the link in this Wiki article.
Rules to respect
The rules are simple: it must come from you (from scratch or copied from your blog or forum post).
In no case it can be from another source than you.
Today the interview will be with our three time SharePoint Guru Geetanjali Arora. So far Geetanjali has written 5 articles and has been active on forums since August 2011.
Mahesh: Who are you, where are you, and what do you do? What are your specialty technologies?
Geeta: I am a Senior Software Engg at ZenSar Technologies in Pune. I am originally from Jalandhar, Punjab but have been staying in Pune for past couple of years now. I have a total of 6 years of IT experience and since past 5 years I am madly in love with SharePoint. My journey for SharePoint started with MOSS 2007, after which I worked on SharePoint 2010 and then SharePoint 2013. I have worked both on premise as well as Office 365 SharePoint Online Things that describes me the most are my enthusiasm and passion for SharePoint. So whenever I have time besides work I try to explore something or the other around how technology is evolving. I like to hang out with my sister and my friends, write poems, watch movies and most important of all I like to spend my weekends at a good coffee shop with my laptop and exploring new stuff.
Mahesh: What are your big projects right now?
Geeta: Currently I am involved in exploring the new features of SharePoint 2013 like the App Model or the Cross Site Publishing or the Content Search etc. So my biggest task right now is to have an understanding of what all can be achieved using these new features in SharePoint 2013 with their feasibility check in Office 365. Besides exploring, I love to write blogs at my blog site at http://myloveforsharepoint.blogspot.in/ and also like to contribute on MSDN forums. Also getting my certifications done is the another thing that is in my to do list.
Mahesh: What is TechNet Wiki for? Who is it for?
Geeta: TechNet Wiki is not just about content, it is also about connect where people from diverse technical backgrounds come together and collaborate. It is a vast ocean of knowledge with no boundaries of who can take a dip in it. Everyone including you and me can make the best out of it by not only contributing to it but also by referring to it in our everyday job. It is your best friend who will help you in your work. Besides being this immense source of knowledge, it also makes you connected to the world of Geeks from whom you can learn so much and whose aura itself pumps so much of adrenaline in your blood that you feel motivated. Wiki is simply for everyone where people around the globe collaborate to deliver quality articles which becomes a valuable asset for the entire community from where people can get the most out of it. Just like “Anyone can cook” in Ratatouille, “Anyone can contribute” in TechNet Wiki with no limitations and boundaries when it comes to knowledge sharing.
Mahesh: What do you do with TechNet Wiki, and how does that fit into the rest of your job?
Geeta: TechNet Wiki is an ultimate source of knowledge which I refer in my day to day life not only to solve problems but also to keep myself updated to the latest things going on in Technology. It is the one stop shop where I can find anything and everything related to my areas of interest that not only fits my job but also helps me in learning things beyond the boundaries of my job. I also use the wiki’s to share new learnings with the community in the form of articles. Besides this it also makes me feel connected to people around the globe who collaborate on the articles and make them better.
Mahesh: What is it about TechNet Wiki that interests you?
Geeta: The most interesting thing about TechNet Wiki is the Monthly TechNet Guru Award. The feedback that are given by experts in the field really helps to improve the quality of articles and thereby end of the day you feel motivated as there are people who not only appreciate your efforts but also help you make it better. Another great thing about TechNet Wiki is how everyone in the community engage together to make every single article a better one. So, if I have to search for something and I see a TechNet Wiki article on the topic, I know that it is a very reliable source for me because that’s the end result after all the revisions by many master minds.
Mahesh: What are your favorite Wiki articles you’ve contributed?
Geeta: The favorite article that I believe is my very first article that I wrote on TechNet Wiki which was on Device Channels. It is a very new and interesting topic for which lot of R&D was done. Also since it was a beginning of my journey with TechNet Wiki, it is special to me. I am really thankful to all the judges who appreciated my efforts and gave me valuable suggestions to help me improve my articles a lot. http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/23157.sharepoint-2013-device-channels.aspx
Mahesh: Who has impressed you in the Wiki community, and why?
Geeta: Everyone who are contributing to the Wiki community deserves an applause as they are adding a lot of value through their endless endeavor to make every single article a master piece. Where else can you find so many minds working on a single article and shaping it in a way that it stands up for itself? That’s the beauty of TechNet Wiki and everyone is making this happen.
If I have to name few then Ed Price will be on the top of the list and his name itself needs no justification at all. Thanks Ed for making TechNet Wiki a huge success.
Amongst other whom I find really consistent and impressive in terms of their contributions to the SharePoint category include Daniel Christian and Matthew Yarlett. There is so much to learn from their articles.
Rahul Shinde’s Yammer expertise is unbelievable. These are just a few names. Everyone is doing a great job because they are doing it for all of us and each contribution that is being made is making the community stronger.
Thanks Geetanjali for all your contributions, and welcome to the community again.
Eric Ligman, Microsoft Sr. Sales Excellence Manager wrote a blogpost about the largest collection of FREE Microsoft eBooks ever, including: Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Office 2013, Office 365, Office 2010, SharePoint 2013, Dynamics CRM, PowerShell, Exchange Server, Lync 2013, System Center, Azure, Cloud, SQL Server, and much more…
Eric is absolutely THRILLED to see the overwhelming response you have had to the FREE eBook giveaway again this year and we he is happy to announce that not only did you hit the ONE MILLION free eBooks downloaded in a week, but you did it in just TWO DAYS! That’s right; the community surpassed the ONE MILLION mark within 48 hours! So a lot of thanks to the community to taking advantage of this offer and getting the free Microsoft eBooks!
My role, herein?
Well, as being a TechNet WikiNinjas Member one of my tasks is to evangelize the WikiNinjas with eBooks. With the fellow SharePoint WikiNinjas we wrote all together 2 wonderful ebooks named:
Wiki Ninjas Guide to SharePoint 2013
The Wiki Ninjas Guide to SharePoint 2013 – Part II
