Joel Oleson Awarded MVP – 10 years of Community Building in Pictures

I’m humbled and excited to be recognized by Microsoft as an MVP for Office Apps and Services.  It’s been about 11 years since I left Microsoft back in March 2008, and started my journey to connect to IT communities in every country in the world. 

10 years later, and over 100 speaking engagements, and 100 communities later…

Here are a few of the highlights…

It started with Jordan… my first community visit after Microsoft

SharePoint in London and on the battlefields of Gettysburg

Many Many Share-Point I Mean SharePints later

From Bethlehem

To 3x in Lima Peru

Many Share-A-Okes!

You wouldn’t believe the LadyGaga SharePoint Outing in Sweden

SharePoint Bermuda…. Speaker shorts required

SharePoint Saturday Jamaica!  They said it wasn’t possible!

Sharing the Point in Vietnam in 2011

SharePoint Singapore x4 including User Group, SPS, and TechEd South East Asia x3 (man I miss that event)

SharePoint Malta

SharePoint Amsterdam x3

SharePoint in Czech

SharePoint Sweden (SEF!) x 3 + ESPC

Trinidad and Dominican Republic

SharePoint in Morocco

SharePoint in Slovenia (Thrive) x8

Getting interviewed in Berlin by Michael Greth… about 8 years ago.  5+ trips to Germany for the community.

Including a European SharePoint Conference where we saw the 20 year anniversary of the Wall topple!

SharePoint in Iceland!

More than a few SharePoint Limos.  (Many photos not included to protect the innocent )

SharePoint Manilla

They said it wasn’t possible to do a SharePoint event in Georgia

SharePoint Bangladesh… Thanks MJ!

Ecuador

and of course one of my favorites… Chile x2  and Costa Rica x4 with Ricardo and Crew

The Latin American SharePoint Community is still very strong

Guyana, Colombia, Mexico, El Salvador

And many trips down with Share The Point Under to Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Signapore… Thanks Debbie!

75 signed up in Yeravan Armenia…. but 125 showed up!!

We made it happen in Bolivia

and in Venezuela

From Nigeria

To Ghana

And Nairobi

SharePoint in Antarctica

The bottom of the world

Arab community

To Tunisia

So many fun crazy times at SPC

and Brazil

and Pakistan

and Egypt

Bulgaria

SharePoint in Full Robes in UAE Dubai

SharePoint has definitely made the rounds in the middle east

Central Asia Tour in Uzbekistan

Azerbaijan

And in Kurdish Iraq!

Sri Lanka

SharePoint Saturday Algeria

On the Top of Africa –  Kilimonjaro

To the Bottom of the world – Yes that is Dan Holme… I took this shot

Many Late nights

Hanging out with fun people who make big impressions…

Who are these young pups?

To the ends…

Ukraine and Russia… it’s more fun with friends…

The Russian Speaking community is fantastic!

Across deserts and mountains

SPS Cuba (previously forbidden places)

Building relationships in the Persian community and then not getting allowed to see them was tough, but I’m happy to say Persian language packs in SharePoint 2010 on have a small contribution in part to my relationship with an MVP who’s business is in Dubai that I met 10 years ago.  Thanks Neo!

Thanks much to the whole community, with special mention to those who left a whole in my heart…

I miss you!  Dave, John, Abir, and Patrick

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays!  Happy New Year!  Thanks to the community… it’s been a lot of fun these past 10 years!

Thanks to those that believed in me and made it enjoyable.  I really love our community…  I hope you can see that.  The recognition has always been just a bonus, but it does mean a lot.  It’s been a lot easier to find people when they’ve been recognized by Microsoft. Community does change lives.