It’s easy to become a member of Brian’s Forums and discuss USPSA, IPSC, and IDPA shooting, for pistol, rifle, or shotgun training and competition, rules and equipment, your favorite books and movies, and much more. In fact, if I need an answer to a computer question, I’ll get the answer faster here than I will in a “Computer Forum.”
Feel free to surf (“lurk”) the Forum’s at will. But you will have to register (become a Member) in order to ask or answer (“post”) questions. Another bonus of registering is that whenever you visit the Forum, all the new posts (since your last visit) will be indicated by differently colored icons. In other words, if you’re not registered, you won’t be able to tell the new posts (since your last visit) from the old posts.
It’s easy to become a member:
Click for the Registration Form. (The Registration Form will open in a “new window,” so you can refer back to these instructions if you need to.)
Click the “I have read, understood…” checkbox – then click “Register.”
Fill in the fields with a log-in username and a display name. (Note: It’s best to use the same name for both.)
A password, and a valid email address.
Set your time zone, and click to “Submit my Registration.”
Please record your username and password in a safe place.
Check your email (it may take a few minutes but usually it is very quick). Follow the instructions in the email from “Brian’s Forums… Maku mozo!” by clicking the link to confirm your registration.
In addition, at your discretion, you can enter optional information in your Profile so a guest can learn more about you when they click your “Profile.” You can even choose a cool “Avatar” (icon) that will appear beside your username in each post, to further enhance your identity.
After registering, as long as you’re using the same computer, you should not have to “log-in” each time you return to the Forums.
I recommend that you surf the forums until you are comfortable navigating your way around before you begin asking questions.
If you still have any problems, send me an email and we’ll get you set up.
Please read the “Forum Guidelines” link at the top left of the forum’s homepage before posting. Thanks for coming in!
Brian
Note: Check the list of Forum terms below – they might make your Forum perusing more enjoyable.
Forums The entire huge mass of questions and answers with a specific name; in this case: “Brian’s Forums.”
Forum A specific group of questions and answers with a common theme, such as “Handgun Technique Discussions.” In singular form, however, the word “Forum” is often used to refer to the huge mass of Forums. (Like in my website’s nav system or in The Forum, for example.)
Forum Category A group of Forums with a similar theme, such as “Shooting Discussions.”
Topic A specific group of questions and answers within a specific Forum, often called a “Thread.”
Thread Drift An intentional (usually announced by the Savvy Member) or unintentional (always unannounced by the Quantoster), which steers the original Thread’s question off course.
Post n. : A single question or answer within a Topic. Often as a verb: To post.
Forum God
Administrator An absolute all-powerful god of the Forum, who’s job entails overseeing every aspect of the Forum, including but not limited to: running behind the scenes admin duties such as attempting to decipher why someone can’t post, from this email: “Help – I can’t post.” Deleting stupid, offensive, or double posts, and treating everyone fairly, including the Moderators Nightmare, however tiring this last requirement may be.
Moderator An individual with a vast amount of expertise in a certain field, generally acknowledged as possessing near god-like knowledge and abilities. This may not always be the case, however, as often a Moderator is simply chosen because he is the only one silly enough to volunteer for the job. In addition, they make the administrator’s job easier because they manage specific Forums, leaving the Administrator free to do other important tasks, such as the previously mentioned – deleting offensive or double posts.
Member One who’s taken the trouble to register, thereby gaining the ability to have any question answered almost immediately.
Savvy Member An experienced Member capable of doing really complex stuff – like suggesting an improvement for the Forum while at the same time drifting the thread.
Lurker Either a Member or a Guest who surfs the Forums daily but never asks or answers a question.
Guest An individual that is currently surfing the Forums, but who is not a registered Member. Unfortunately for these poor souls, it becomes impossible to keep track of either the threads they have read, or threads that have had new posts since they read them. (The Forum does this for you if you are a Member.)
Forum Greats Accomplished posters, such as Flexmoney, Patrick Sweeney, Kelly Neal, shred, Erik Warren, EricW, George, and many, many others, who have nothing whatsoever to gain by answering huge numbers of questions, but ceaselessly do so anyway.
Avatard
Member who lacks the abilities to create and/or select a proper avatar. He may be using a reserved stock avatar, or an annoying animation, or one with bizarrely scaled dimensions.
Forum Gull
Appears suddenly, makes a lot of noise, craps all over everything, then flies away.
Internet Drama Queen
Specializes in being a victim, finding (or feigning) insult where none was intended, and bringing drama to where none is wanted.
non-grammarian
this person rarely uses capitols misspells freequently and almost never uses punctuation. adnd makes horrible run-on sentances But english is this person’s first langugge (Last four from Erik Warren)
Emoti-thon n. : A post in which the user has inserted an abnormal number of emoticons in an effort to emphasize his/her idea or phrase. Regularly employed by the Geeker and JokeMaster. May also describe multiple posts consisting of only emoticons in an effort to get one’s post count higher – also known as tight-looping. (From Carina Burns)
Foser An individual with little or no shooting or competition experience, who, for some mysterious reason, persists in offering specific advice anyway, day after day after day. Internet companion: Gonad.
Incompoposter Anyone who posts (like myself, except I have the power to delete or alter any post), the same question or answer more than once. Internet companion: Membicile.
Newbie Typically, though not always, a newcomer, who posts questions that have already been posted. (Didn’t read the Forum Guidelines and do a Search.) Although this is easy to do because of the size of this Forum, it’s still fun to have a derogatory name for these individuals.
Membicile An Member who answers a question in the wrong Forum.
TypoPoster Any Member who misspells more than 25% of the words in his post. This includes failure to capitalize the beginnings of sentences as well as writing in all lower or upper case. Although not seen on this Forum, posting in all caps is grounds for banning from all Forums – for life. Internet companion: none.
Geeker A member who thinks they deserve special credit, like a free book for example, for posting their one-thousandth, two-thousandth, or five-thousandth post.
Quantoster A Member who posts with the hope of having the secret of the entire universe revealed in the answer. Internet companion: Savvy Member.
JokeMaster An individual who never answers a question, much less asks a good one; but instead uses the Forums as a means of humoring himself with his jokes and anecdotes.
AcroPoster (AP) An Member who uses so many acronyms in his posts that it is impossible to discern any meaning whatsoever.
Forum Challenged An individual with an unexplainable fear of posting on Forums. However, with a few kind words and a little instruction, these individuals may turn into a:
User An individual who discovers a new meaning to life by virtually living on The Forums, and may subsequently need professional help if The Forum “goes down.”
Forum Withdrawals The worst nightmare of the Forum User. Due to an unexpected disruption of service, which often remains a mystery as to its source, the Forum User may suffer symptoms similar but not limited to: general uneasiness, marked grouchiness, “drug-like” withdraws, or a complete inability to function at work or in normal daily life. In severe cases intervention may be necessary.
Gonad (Seldom seen on our Forum.) An individual who believes he could whip Bruce Lee in a fight or outshoot Robbie Leatham with a pistol, and yet, with no hesitation, quickly asserts this to anyone silly enough to provoke him. Note: seldom seen in action, it is believed by most that they never leave the house, (or their Mom’s house).
Fandi A Member who has delved so deeply into specific matters that he is capable of posting one single question that would require an entire book or series of books to answer.
Metard A poster who asks so many questions that he doesn’t have enough time in the day to read the answers tirelessly provided by the Forum Greats.
Confuser An poster who words his questions so that it’s absolutely impossible to figure out anything at all about what he is actually trying to ask.
Mixeruper An individual who either deliberately or unconsciously posts an answer to a question without actually answering the question in any way whatsoever. (An effective technique, if done at the right moment.)
Avitexted Bored forum members decide to start a “Name Game” to customize the text (Member’s Title) under a members avatar. Which usually describes the on-line habits/antics of the member better than the member could themselves. If this happens to you, you can say fun things like – “Oh! I’ve been avitexted!”
Buyrcry Posts items or long lists of items at high retail and BTT for days on end with aggressive sales patter coupled with disdainful and condescending attitude toward potential buyers, leading the general forum populace to band together and raise money for the posted items just to get it out of their collective faces.
reBUTTalHEAD One who argues in the What I Hate forum, contrary to its guidelines.
Jack-in-the-Box Tinkles out inane comments hoping nobody notices, then jumps out with an advertisement after 25 turns of the crank. Typically slam-dunked back into the box. Internet Companion: Salibate
Salibate
(sal-i-bate) -noun 1. A person who abstains from financial relations.
Moderators Nightmare A member who continuously disregards the Forum’s few, simple guidelines. And when called on it, always begins whining in an attempt to justify their inappropriate behavior, saying things like – “He said this,” or “My buddy said he saw this happen,” or “I always call it like it is,” or “It’s the truth…” Internet Companion: Forum Dick
When the Modertors Nightmare’s Member name is not his real name:
Forum Dick A member who can read and has read the Forum Guidelines, but is certain they do not apply to him. Therefore endlessly posts with an attitude that is just irritating to all the good folks who have worked so hard for so long to make this forum the greatest place on the internet to just hang out – while insisting on remaining anonymous.
So please be polite, respectful, helpful, or what the heck – all three.
