It All Started With Some Swearing…
One year ago, I got frustrated. I was annoyed that I was having a very hard time finding out the answer to a simple question. At this point, I can’t really remember what the question was. I do, however, remember the feeling of trying to find that answer.
The blogs I had stumbled across seemed to be talking at a higher level than my question and, for the most part, seemed to be more concerned with politics and showing off how good they were at the range than anything else. The forums, with only a couple of exceptions, were filled with elitist fanboys who would rather flame you off the board than answer a simple question. I remember seeing a post on a rather prominent board where someone was asking if there was a significant advantage of .45 over .40. You would think the guy had pimp slapped the Pope. There were almost 3 pages of nothing but insults and not a single attempt to even answer the question in a polite manner.
I shouldn’t have been surprised. It is the internet, after all.
But just because that’s the way things are doesn’t mean I have to accept it. A short while later, I launched GunNoob.com. I had a rough idea of what I wanted to do with it and the site has evolved a bit since then. I wanted a friendly place where someone could ask even the most basic question and get a straight answer with no ridicule.
Originally, it was just me writing what amounts to research papers. My very first guide was a bullet size guide followed by a bullet terminology guide. It was pretty much all going to be about handguns because, well, that was all I was familiar with at the time.
Then TJ came aboard. I’ve known TJ since the 7th grade and he is not only active military but a long time hunter as well. He has been able to bring rifle knowledge to the site as well as a slightly more experienced perspective to things. There’s been more than once I was going over stuff with him and he was able to say “yeah, you might want to research that a bit more” (albeit very rarely now as opposed to when we started).
After a while, the audience was growing and my wife, after reading over the site, made the comment “It’s kind of a sausage fest over there isn’t it?” As if fate was listening in, a couple weeks later I got an email from a lovely lady named “Rebecca” in response to a call for guest articles. She sent me “An Open Letter to the Firearms Industry”. That article proved to be one of the most popular articles that has ever been posted on the site, even to this day! I would be an absolute fool if I didn’t bring her on.
So now the board was set…
I had a certain set of goals in place when I started and my agreement with myself was that if I didn’t reach them at the end of the first year, then I would hang up my bowler hat and move on to a different project. I’m pleased to say that Gun Noob has passed ALL those goals by a long shot! I’m more convinced than ever that this was the right idea and I’m set to continue growing this site and bringing more interesting content.
So what’s next?
Updates have been sparse the last month, I agree. I’ve been working on a large number of behind the scenes stuff to be able to do what I want to do with Gun Noob in year two and beyond.
- First and foremost, I feel that we’ve covered a large amount of the noob info but not all of it. Not yet. We’ve covered enough, however, that I feel comfortable moving into the “and intermediate” part of the site’s description. Keep an eye out for some slightly more advanced techniques and concepts moving forward. We’ll still continue pushing out the beginner’s stuff as well. After all, it wouldn’t be “Gun Noob” if we started ignoring the noobs, would it?
- The videos have been popular but they’ve also been a second fiddle thing as well. I was filming everything in a tiny room with barely enough room to stretch my arms out much less get complicated in my demonstrations. That’s changing. I’m building a large studio and working out a deal with a local shooting range to be able to film there after hours. Live fire ftw!
- I’m feeling as though Dot Net Nuke, the content management software that powers GunNoob, is getting to the point that it’s holding me back. I’ve been using the free “community edition” for some time now and the next step up is expensive. I’m in the process of exploring new options and, with a new technology will come a new design! Stay tuned for that as well.
And most importantly…
There is no way that I would go through a 1 year wrap up without mentioning the most important aspect of the site: You. Without you, dear reader, this site would be pointless. Without you, I might as well be sitting in my room talking to myself. All of us here at Gun Noob would like to thank you for taking a few moments out of your day to browse the site, for following us on Facebook and Twitter, for sending in the feedback and for sharing our stories with others. You are the real reason we do this. There is no way that I could possibly thank you enough for sticking with us this past year and I hope you keep checking back.
Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Like what you read? GunNoob is now part of Pew Pew Tactical. Check out the rest of our awesome resources:
Leave a Reply