Today, we celebrate our Contribupendence Day. A day when we can contribute to our colleagues and friends to improve their online standing. A day when we take advantage of those features of social networks that we always put off until tomorrow. You can read my full description of Contribupendence Day here.

Although I have posted my contributions this morning to Plaxo and LinkedIn, I thought I would share with you what I’ve written. Perhaps to inspire you to participate in this holiday of giving, or perhaps provide you an opportunity to connect with some of the people I have most enjoyed working with.

James Bender – James is one of the most passionate developer/architects I have ever worked with. He is constantly keeping himself up-to-date with the latest technologies, and still makes time to help others that need it. His development skills range from modern day .NET back to legacy systems written in VB6. He is an incredible asset to any technical team, as well as an active speaker at technical conferences. I look forward to working with James in the future.

Tim Wingfield – Tim is an accomplished software developer. No matter what the challenge, Tim consistently steps up and takes it on. His passion for web development is infectious, as evidenced by his speaking abilities as well. Tim is a natural leader on any team he’s on, and is capable of contributing in a variety of roles and skillsets.

Philip Jordan – Phil is a software developer that continues to surprise and delight me. In the time that I had an opportunity to work with him, I saw him grow from a junior developer to an accomplished, experienced developer in his own right. He is determined to improve himself every day, and it’s evident in everything he does. I would recommend Phil completely.

Tarah Gaa – Once in a while, you encounter someone whose talents astound, and whose personality is infectious. That is my impression of Tarah. She is a modest, but extremenly talented graphic designer, with a focus on web development. With each new project I work on, she is always at the top of my list for design talent. I would recommend her for anything I need design assistance with.

Wendy Flowers – Wendy is as detail-oriented as they come in the Project Management world. I’ve personally witnessed her take projects that were headed in the wrong direction and get them squarely back on the tracks. She is accomplished in both waterfall and agile methodologies, and builds strong relationships with her teammates. Wendy is one of those people I would want on every project.

Chris Woodruff – Chris is an incredibly passionate guy for technology, and his contributions to the Deep Fried Bytes podcast is perfect evidence of that. I am thankful to know him.

Jeff Hunsaker – Jeff Hunsaker is one of those people that I wish I had an opportunity to work with. He’s a natural leader, and an all-around nice guy. I am looking forward to getting to know more about him in the future.

Joe O’Brien – Joe has an internal energy that is just infectious. Every time I talk with him, I leave with a passion for technology that I rarely feel otherwise. I am looking forward to getting to know him better in the near future, if only to bottle some of that energy for myself.

Josh Holmes – My experiences with Josh have made him both a friend and mentor. I have had an opportunity to learn so much about public speaking from him, but also how to make the most of the communities I am a part of. I am truly thankful to have worked with Josh Holmes.

Sarah Dutkiewicz – Sarah is, for lack of a better reference, a “diamond in the rough.” When I first met her, she was quiet, reserved, but passionate. Since that time, she has started speaking on technology, started a blog, organized a technology conference, and become a force to be reckoned with in the developer community. It is that internal drive and passion that is creating her momentum. I’m looking forward to see what she has in store for the coming years…