By Don Burnett

Rock Star Syndrome/Aged Actor Syndrome comes to the Tech World

This is one of those off-subject personal posts. Why write this ?  Because now I am worried  about some of my friends these days and honestly about myself. I hope many of my friends read this especially my friends in Microsoft’s MVP program as well as some ex “softies” that I know of.

How Social Media, Reality TV, Blogging and Community Engagement has changed our World

It used to be that only older rock stars and actors were at risk for this problem now it’s many others..

Beware the Fame Monster

No this isn’t a song from Lady GaGa, that I am talking about. It is a real problem that people have today thanks to the rise in social media.. We all live in a world now where millions of people can instantly hear from any one of us via the internet and social media. It’s very true now that if people like what you have written and or a company or organization likes the content you have written about them, you can find yourself a “favorite” person in no time.

It’s easy when you get there to forget why you got there in the first place and want to ride that train of adoration and fame as long as you can. For at least myself it was a fresh new approach and innovation long ago that vaulted me into public awareness.

What most people find out is that fame is a fleeting thing and while the information you provided was important at the time that in a little while that information or “service” you provided is no longer needed (“yesterday’s news”). You might even find that someone younger than you and/or sometimes smarter or even less experienced than you is ready to snap at that gold you coveted around your neck for being the “hero” of the day..

Olympic athletes have this problem too, because usually they have a limited scope due to aging and the fact that the games usually happens every four years. You don’t see 50 and 60 year olds or more in the Olympic Games for instance.

Most software developers (outside of their work, but not all)  are usually introverted people, they may have a family or not. They may  need to find outlets to realize their value as a contributor out in the world. With social media in these folks have new outlets like blogging and presentations. Nerds and geeks are cool these days as they are seen as innovators. My younger friends have coined a new term for it they call us “techies”.

Before social media things weren’t as instant. Most tech folks herded together at conferences and user groups to learn things and worked together. Today because of the internet that user group scenario is not as common.

User group attendance as a whole is down worldwide and people tend to blog, have on-line meetings, etc. This happens because it’s more convenient on schedules and we now have instant collaborations. The internet via social media is now one “huge” user group meeting.

In the past user group leaders and presenters were given small group “celebrity” status and if you worked in the tech industry it helped your career a lot.. Today not so much.

The Blogger Content Race

As I mentioned above there is always someone “new on the scene” with new skills and new technology edging out older folks and established people. This is because technology is constant evolving and people are constantly back at school learning new things as well. This has accelerated knowledge, growth, and content many fold over time. This by itself is a very positive thing. Everyone has contributions that can be made.

The same has happened in the world of blogging. Everyone is onto the next “big” thing in hopes of out distancing others and putting them ahead of the crowd and into the spotlight with the next big thing. The problem is that like the user group meeting ( which I mentioned before has only 12 meetings a year). Blogging the next big thing has a more accelerated schedule. This means there is only so many opportunities to grab folks’ attention especially if you are a blogger and keep ahead of trends or you loose readership.

You hope to grow your audience, but where will the content come from ? Does it come from a product announcement that someone else makes first that you repost on your blog ? Probably not.. People tend to see product announcements as just that. When it’s out there it’s old news. That’s why you will see 300 of them on different websites a day or more when something new comes out all saying the same thing. The industry sets this up so that people reposting can never have an exclusive over anyone else or lead time. You and your blogger “friends” or even “friendly competitors” out there for audience never truly get ahead or get an exclusive..

Exclusives and Almost Exclusives

If you do get what you feel is an exclusive or close to one be ware. The person giving it to you might have their own agenda and may not be at that company for very long.

So why does someone come to your Blog ?

If you are lucky enough to have a longer term readership you find out why your audience was coming to your blog by finding out what their favorite articles were. It may not be what you thought in the first place. Yes it’s important to help get the word out, but I myself have been in the spot where I got something out first, in two to three days found myself inundated by seeing the same article in many other place that looked just like mine..

For instance in the past month  here on this blog, to my own shock, reader’s favorite article on my blog was an entry called  “NET tools that I would never want to part with”..

http://www.uxmagic.com/blog/post/2011/01/26/NET-Tools-that-I-would-never-want-to-part-with.aspx

It wasn’t any announcement nor was it any talk of a new product or new technology. It was an entry about tools that I valued and why..Adding value is what blogging is all about and people who value your opinions and solutions.  That’s the win in this arena every time. It’s about what you add individually not what comes from Microsoft/Apple/Google whoever in any case.

The Microsoft MVP Program is not American Idol

There has been lots of talk about what the MVP program is and isn’t on people’s blogs recently. The program was initially conceived as a way for Microsoft to meet with folks using their products and get feedback about them so they could grow and move forward with it, by having more direct dialogs with community leaders.

It was never intended on giving them a boost in their careers, nor telling them Microsoft secrets so they could have a boost over someone else. It wasn’t even designed to have people tell Microsoft how they should market their products and to who..

Somewhere along the massive growth that program has had it has gone wrong and I agree should get reset. In my opinion you probably should be an MVP for one product for three years but not any longer ? Why that number ? Why the term limits?

A tech product goes through many different versions and has about a three year cycle. I am of the opinion that a product by the time it gets to market and has had three years growth it’s probably mostly mature and a new product or technology is probably on it’s way to take it’s place..

Due to social media, people who are known to be MVPs put it on everything they do, that keeps the cycle of MVPs flowing into the program. Recently a blogger made a point that MVPs probably aren’t really experts on something. That maybe true, usually they are just people who use the software every day. It doesn’t make them outgrowths of the developer team. It just hopefully means that lines of communication are open for them to have more direct contact with those folks to help improve the product.

MVP Award = NOT A DEGREE

Is the program like a degree or recognition ? Yes and no?.. If you talk to most MVPs you will find they love the product but it doesn’t mean career advancement or any kind of push that would give you any kind of edge in your field over others. Does it mean you are the smartest guy or gal out there on the subject, most assuredly no!   Does it mean you have a good work ethic and did an incredible amount of extra work to promote products ? YES…

In fact to stay an MVP in good standing you must perform an increasing number of presentations blog entries, community events etc. just to stay in the program to get limited benefits (which basically comes down to a free MSDN subscription) and listing on their website.  Most people actually doing a full time career and a moving forward with one find it difficult with the current requirements. I am sure somewhere there is a formula to all of it and how much money they have made off of your efforts to afford you the coveted subscriptions and it’s probably 4x  or more the amount of work that it would cost you just to go out and buy it on your own.

Other Misnomers about MVPs

MVPs don’t get Microsoft conferences paid for or huge discounts (most of the time), they don’t even get extra consideration as consultants out in the field. In fact in that matter it’s just the opposite.

Hiring managers often avoid MVPs more often than not because recognition means they have to pay these folks a “TOP” wage than someone who is probably younger and just out of school. Also if you get the job and don’t live up to that so called “super hero” status at work your boss is disappointed.  So does it help with your career ? Probably not.

Most MVPs working as consultants will tell you it’s harder to get work because that MVP credential is behind your name and because you have the spotlight on you by an entire community nothing you do remains quiet (which is important to work on new products). You won’t get a job in a hot new cutting edge product because they don’t want the spotlight.  So sometimes being an MVP is sometimes like having a magnifying glass on you and YES it can get HOT when the sun comes out.. Just like with rock stars and media celebrities.

The other side of the “Bubble”

The other side of the bubble is the actual tech company employee or soon to be ex-employee in about three years. Remember that three year tech cycle I was talking about?. If you last longer with the company your role ends up being elevated to one the public doesn’t see and your celebrity status gives way to someone younger or you get “forced out”.  Have you heard of many people “retiring” from Microsoft or Apple, etc. ? Probably not it’s just the culture of these tech companies.. You get rich quickly or you are out.

People who get forced out have a difficult time with it. I think Microsoft and Apple should require anyone leaving their employee to get mandatory counseling about this instead of getting the security walk out, they should be sending you to the on-staff psychologist as part of your severance to help you adapt back to the real world.

To be fair about it these companies are upfront with you that you don’t have any kind of long term stay with them. However once in that elevated status and working 24 hours a day just focused on task it can seem like an eternity. You get public adoration and known world-wide in the tech community and in the blink of an eye you are in front of millions of people, which can really go to your head..

Your management doesn’t help as they require you to blog daily about your efforts to market to feed the tech community and you believe you are labeled a superhero (because you are during that time because it takes you most of your time and days away from your family).  The blogging requirement is there because somewhere along the line director level management and above has required you to do so to compete against other teams inside your own company for funding and to generate a product buzz so it can be ultimately successful.

Honestly it’s not fair to people doing this job. It causes long term damage people (tech star syndrome) and sometimes ineffectiveness in the job. Whoever thought this was a good idea should have it  and the whole process re-examined.

Starting over again

So what happens when that all ends  and your three to five years are up? You feel like you have been excommunicated  by your church literally. You miss being in that spotlight, or you don’t get recognized for continuing work and commitment . So what do you do how can you get back that spotlight and those friends you miss who have become your family because you worked 24 hours a day with them getting a product out?

You try to go back to that life you had and pick up the pieces. Yes you have a great deal of extra money for at least a while and it’s back to signing time cards and the daily grind (the eight hour one not the 24 hour one. At that point your family who has missed you are elated to have you back around but they think you have changed and the absence you have spent makes you have to re-learn your family and who they are and who you are.  It’s like starting over again with your life.

Keeping the bitterness out and missing who you were because it ended abruptly

If you really loved your job and what you did you become reticent about news you hear coming out of that company and you start second guessing what was going on because they are doing things differently than when you were there, and after all you were their number one guy and now someone else is in control. Being outside of the “bubble” again you can see mistakes and problems and things that aren’t apparent when you were there.

You finally are relegated to the fact that you are “yesterday’s news”. This is not really true because you are still that same go-getter who can make those gigantic leaps. You just have to find a new situation to do it in. One that gives you the same happiness. You have to go re-invent yourself to find success again. It goes well for some and not well for others. Incidentally that three year product cycle I talked about is really true here too..

Some people find themselves becoming critics of the company they worked for and unable to move forward with their own lives and are stuck in a “purgatory” of sorts for a very long time. At  that point it’s best to take a break before going back to “war” in this arena. Stop and smell the flowers and remember how you got to be successful in the first place and find this again inside yourself.

Everybody has to Re-Invent

Even the tech companies have to do this. It’s like the movie studio which had a breakout success. They have to go back to where they started to find that voice again and find that success they had. I was watching a documentary on Pixar and listening to Steve Jobs talking about  A Bugs Life and Toy Story II and in today’s market and economy it’s still very true. You have to remember what got you there in the first place and that’s very hard..

I have been lucky enough to go through these cycles a few times with a few companies that I really loved to be at and work with.. Having done so comes with the knowledge that it’s all about you and the power to re-invent yourself.

One of the reasons I loved Madonna through most of her career thus far is it’s been about re-inventing herself. She was able to span decades by doing this. In a world of social media this happens much quicker. It’s something we all need to learn.

What about those looking for their first success ?

It probably won’t be through a community expert program that is social media based, or helping people on a forum or Facebook or trying to be the next Bill Gates. It truly comes from inside and finding your own voice and unique way to communicate that in whatever you do.. Everyone wants to be a rock star.

Real success is a state of mind

The real truth to all of that is success is actually a bi-product of you finding your inner voice and being able to apply that to things you do and love. The fame and the money will be there if you truly love what you do and do it all the time. If you are out there just looking for fame or money this is not a way to find it.. Your potential is inside you, not being “credentialed” etc.. Recognition of achievement is a fine thing, but there is always a new goal after the first one. Never loose sight of that.

So is it worth it to want to be either of these ? In my case it’s been a good thing but not for all. Like you hear about the big media stars. Success has it’s positives and negatives it’s all about how you handle it.

If you come off sounding like a critic too much you may have a problem with it. If it’s because you truly want to see things happen in a better way it’s a good thing.  Keep your expectations low and always expect a shortening cycle for things as well. Just keep contributing your best. If you are burnt out take some time away to smell the roses.

Above all don’t define who you are by any of these. Never stop learning and growing in new directions..