Yup just recently in October, Chad, and a few others came on board....

The official list is as follows

Small Business Server
Andy L. Goodman
Calvin McLennan
Chad A. Gross
Cris E Hanna
Eliot M. Sennett
Grey Lancaster
Harry Brelsford
Jeff Middleton
Jim Behning
Les Connor
Malcolm Osborne
Mariette Knap
Merv Porter
Nick Whittome
Oh joo Kwon
Roger Otterson
Steve Foster
Steven Teigher
Susan Bradley
Wayne Small

Some are awarded based on newsgroups, some on "User group" leadership,
some on their Yahoogroup leadership, some for web sites.  This year we
even have a Korean MVP.

The process is a bit of imput from both camps.

Microsoft is proud to announce its Most Valuable Professionals for 2004!

The MVP Award was established by Microsoft more than nine years ago as a
way to award amazing individuals for their outstanding contributions in
a wide range of community activities. From newsgroup to top user group,
websites and message boards worldwide, MVP status is awarded to the most
active online community “gurus” for their technical expertise, voluntary
willingness to share their experience and commitment to helping others
realize their potential within Microsoft technical communities.

Now more than ever, online technical communities devoted to one or more
Microsoft products are used by millions of customers worldwide. Each
year, Microsoft looks to these communities—message boards, web sites,
USENET newsgroups, and other technical peer to peer communities—for the
most outstanding, active participants providing credible and noteworthy
contributions to a technical community.

By far, Microsoft’s largest online community is the Microsoft public
newsgroups with over 11% growth in membership and nearly 1.5 million
active community members annually participating at Microsoft.com or
news://msnews.microsoft.com. There are thousands of freely available
newsgroups covering a wide variety of Microsoft products and
technologies, including more than 250 devoted to developer topics. In
nearly all of these newsgroups you are likely to run across a Microsoft MVP.

Not only are Microsoft MVP’s active experts on one or more Microsoft
products from Office to Visual Studio .NET, they also represent a
diverse group of backgrounds and professions from artists to technical
trainer and from author to student, police officer, homemaker, firemen,
doctor and more. They range in age from 18 to 80 while spanning the
globe from Brazil to China. Not only are they online and active but many
host websites, author best selling books and train others; while always
finding the time to voluntarily give something back to the community. It
is this amazing “spirit of community” and willingness to share combined
with technical expertise and a sense of professionalism that truly
reflects the Microsoft MVP Award.

Anthony Russell, Program Manager for the Microsoft MVP Program sums it
up best. “Microsoft MVP’s are amazing individuals sharing a common
passion for technology and willingness to help others. They provide
invaluable feedback that enriches the broader customer and community
experience while making a difference in Microsoft technical communities
worldwide. Microsoft MVP’s are credible, technology experts and among
our very best; most accessible community members. I am constantly amazed
by their efforts and consider it a privilege to work on a worldwide team
focused on recognizing and improving the MVP’s connection with Microsoft.”

MVPs make a significant contribution to our customer and overall
community satisfaction, and we sincerely appreciate their efforts.
Microsoft would like to congratulate and thank the following Microsoft
MVPs for 2004.

Hey Rick -

Thanks for the congrats, I appreciate it - and I was glad I could help.  As
Susan mentioned, I just came on board Oct 1 - so I'm the 'newbie' MVP around
here  :^)

Hi,

Congratulations Chad!

Your help to me in the past dark and panic days also
entitels you to add SEVP as well (Sam Extremely Valuated
Person!)

Thanks!
Sam

This is really Spooky!    Contratulations, Chad

Craig