Industry professionals

[theJanitor]

Is there a list of the "Industry Professionals" and what company/s they're associated with?

i like to know where they are coming from and be able to interpret their points of view.

[Jay Cunningham]

This forum designates a very choice few members with the title of Industry Professional. These are individuals who have extensive first hand experience with the deployment of small arms, execution of proper tactics, or development of the past or current military weapons platforms. Generally speaking, they are well compensated for the information that they provide; and providing information on a free internet forum is a service to us all. Often in an internet forum other posters may not recognize the individual behind certain screen names or have checked their screen name bio. This title is a helpful tool for a viewer to identify such individuals. You are welcome to disagree with their opinion (debate is one of the best ways to fully understand and exchange information), but please take a moment to recognize where their experience and information comes from.

[sl4mdaddy]

I've only been exposed to the AR for the last year or so, and needless to say quite hooked on 'em, and the resources here are top notch. It's great to have those in the know actively involved and being able to access this information for free is invaluable.

[C4IGrant]

Is there a list of the "Industry Professionals" and what company/s they're associated with?

i like to know where they are coming from and be able to interpret their points of view.

J, did a good job explaining this. Generally speaking though, the majority of the IP's work for Uncle Sam and NOT for a company.


C4

[BlueForce]

J, did a good job explaining this. Generally speaking though, the majority of the IP's work for Uncle Sam and NOT for a company.


C4

Perhaps "Industry Professional" is not the precise term for this then.

Industry, by definition, means private sector companies. "Industry professionals" work with "Uncle Sam professionals" to develop solutions to meet their operational needs. Industry professionals often refer to Uncle Sam professionals as soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, troopers, warfighters, end users, or just plain old "customers". These are the people who have first hand experience on how to deploy solutions in a real-world environment.

As you imply, the experience part is the MOST critical aspect of the equation, and what makes their opinions more valuable by far than those of others. Industry professionals can have a lot of knowledge -- and know of ways to solve end user problems they may have never imagined -- but first hand experience beats "knowledge" every time. However, to solve problems effectively the two MUST work together!

[C4IGrant]

Perhaps "Industry Professional" is not the precise term for this then.

Actually it is as it pertains to THIS forum. M4C's view of what a true Industry Professional is someone that pulls a trigger for a living. Someone that is well versed in Tactics, Weapons and Real World experience.
Other forums might have a different view of what an IP is, but this is ours.


Industry, by definition, means private sector companies. "Industry professionals" work with "Uncle Sam professionals" to develop solutions to meet their operational needs. Industry professionals often refer to Uncle Sam professionals as soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, troopers, warfighters, end users, or just plain old "customers". These are the people who have first hand experience on how to deploy solutions in a real-world environment.

As I said, IP means different things to different people. On other forums you can buy the title of "Industry Professional", but not here. You must earn it.


As you imply, the experience part is the MOST critical aspect of the equation, and what makes their opinions more valuable by far than those of others. Industry professionals can have a lot of knowledge -- and know of ways to solve end user problems they may have never imagined -- but first hand experience beats "knowledge" every time. However, to solve problems effectively the two MUST work together!

The other type of person that can qualify for IP status is a weapon designer. We have the SCAR and M16A2 developers on this forum as well. There are also exceptions to the rule, but they must be voted in by their peers and are generally thought of as a SME in a particular area.



C4

[BlueForce]

Actually it is as it pertains to THIS forum. M4C's view of what a true Industry Professional is someone that pulls a trigger for a living. Someone that is well versed in Tactics, Weapons and Real World experience.
Other forums might have a different view of what an IP is, but this is ours.

Thanks C4IGrant. FYI, my comment was regarding how industry and the DoD end user community views this, not any particular internet communities of interest. I have little knowledge in that area and will differ to you on that.

[theJanitor]

This forum designates a very choice few members with the title of Industry Professional. These are individuals who have extensive first hand experience with the deployment of small arms, execution of proper tactics, or development of the past or current military weapons platforms. Generally speaking, they are well compensated for the information that they provide; and providing information on a free internet forum is a service to us all. Often in an internet forum other posters may not recognize the individual behind certain screen names or have checked their screen name bio. This title is a helpful tool for a viewer to identify such individuals. You are welcome to disagree with their opinion (debate is one of the best ways to fully understand and exchange information), but please take a moment to recognize where their experience and information comes from.

thank you. i understand that they have valuable insight and information, but all professionals (in any field) have their own area of expertise and different points of views to accompany them.

Most of the IP's have some sort of info about themselves somewhere, either on their sig lines or in their profile, but a few have none. i don't want to bother anyone and ask, nor do i want to make incorrect assumptions about them or their experience.

thanks again for your responses.

Kent

[BlueForce]

thank you. i understand that they have valuable insight and information, but all professionals (in any field) have their own area of expertise and different points of views to accompany them.

Most of the IP's have some sort of info about themselves somewhere, either on their sig lines or in their profile, but a few have none. i don't want to bother anyone and ask, nor do i want to make incorrect assumptions about them or their experience.

thanks again for your responses.

Kent

Discussing these topics on the internet is tricky business. Often the people with the best, most relevant information can't share it, nor are they able to identify themselves in any kind of public forum. Nature of the beast. Others could potentially share relevant information, but not be able to identify themselves, in which case readers would question their advise. Still others can both share relevant information and identify themselves. They are probably the most useful contributors and highly saught individuals in a venue like this. Few fit into that category.

(Of course there are those with neither relevant information nor credentials, who offer advise freely none-the-less... There is no shortage of these!)

[K.L. Davis]

I would say, that one of the best parts about this forum, is that not only are there the folks here who have the answers and experience, but that the body collective polices its own ranks... those IPs that ring in on something here, are the ones that are best qualified to speak to the subject at hand.

[Detective_D]

I would say, that one of the best parts about this forum, is that not only are there the folks here who have the answers and experience, but that the body collective polices its own ranks... those IPs that ring in on something here, are the ones that are best qualified to speak to the subject at hand.

That is what I was about to say myself. From what I have seen on here, if an IP makes a post about a subject, they seem to know exactly what they are talking about.

Just one more thing I really like about this site. Keep up the good work and to all the IP's, thank you for your insight and taking the time to answer the questions that sometimes are the hardest to get the best answers to.
~D

[theJanitor]

if an IP makes a post about a subject, they seem to know exactly what they are talking about.


I wholeheartedly agree, but i also don't want to just trust someone on the account of their title/label.

no different when we attend a training class. we go to a "professional" to learn, absorb and to see things through their eyes. but to see where they're coming from, they need to tell us where they've been and why they think in a certain way. we also know that we cannot take their word as gospel (this subject has been beaten to death numerous times). i don't take my personal instructor's (an IP on this site, ironically) word as the absolute final truth and he doesn't expect me to. he expects me to question his training ideas and understand his experience to judge it's value.

i look at other IP's in the same way. they have so much experience and insight to provide, that they can sometimes be regarded as an instructor.

what i DON'T want to be is nosy, and disrespectful, and undermining their standing. that's why some info on their "professional" status could be useful to some of us who don't know them personally.

i don't want this to seem like some sort of mission for me. i just wanted to know if there was a resource identifying the IP's current position.

[BlueForce]

Apart from there being a feature on the site that provides that information, there is a way to "do it the hard way". You can go to their profile, click on "Statistics", Click on "Find all posts by so-and-so". Then scan back through their posts to see if there is enough intel there to "get the picture".

[DrMark]

Most of the IP's have some sort of info about themselves somewhere, either on their sig lines or in their profile, but a few have none.

Some have entered bio info, but bio info no longer shows up in profile here. If you're curious to see if a particular member (IP or not) has entered any bio info for their account, you can find their name in the Members list, where the bio info still shows up. Of course, as mentioned, some have rightly provided no info.

[rob_s]

Apart from there being a feature on the site that provides that information, there is a way to "do it the hard way". You can go to their profile, click on "Statistics", Click on "Find all posts by so-and-so". Then scan back through their posts to see if there is enough intel there to "get the picture".

I do this all the time on all forums with all sorts of people. If I see someone post some totally off-the-wall nonsense I'll search their username and see if it's what they're known for or is there's a frame of reference that I'm missing.

[C4IGrant]

I wholeheartedly agree, but i also don't want to just trust someone on the account of their title/label.

no different when we attend a training class. we go to a "professional" to learn, absorb and to see things through their eyes. but to see where they're coming from, they need to tell us where they've been and why they think in a certain way. we also know that we cannot take their word as gospel (this subject has been beaten to death numerous times). i don't take my personal instructor's (an IP on this site, ironically) word as the absolute final truth and he doesn't expect me to. he expects me to question his training ideas and understand his experience to judge it's value.

i look at other IP's in the same way. they have so much experience and insight to provide, that they can sometimes be regarded as an instructor.

what i DON'T want to be is nosy, and disrespectful, and undermining their standing. that's why some info on their "professional" status could be useful to some of us who don't know them personally.

i don't want this to seem like some sort of mission for me. i just wanted to know if there was a resource identifying the IP's current position.


I do not think anyone is asking you to "trust" what an IP is saying. If you disagree with their opinion, then do so in a polite manner. If you want to know more about the IP's background, send them an e-mail and or PM and ask.

It is safe to say that that the people running around this forum with the blue title know a whole lot more than the people without it. So I wouldn't worry too much about "trusting" what they say.


C4

[ZDL]

The body of knowledge concerning the AR platform is, by nature, limited. I think it's obvious, with minimal reading effort, to ascertain who the people are that possess the entire scope. These people also tend to be able to effectively communicate their knowledge and experience in a generally helpful manner.

The contrary is also obvious. Those with few posts and no reputation that spout off absolutes and defend violently, proven false beliefs are quickly handled I've found.

There is a group of individuals on this forum that have extensive experience in the area of weapons and tactics and all of them typically echo the same ideas. If opinions, coming from vastly different backgrounds, all share important similarities... this is called a clue.

While LE and an avid enthusiast, I am out of my element on this board concerning many of the topics discussed, related to weapons and tactics but in my short time I have figured out who to sit up and pay attention too when they speak. My short time here has accelerated my learning process as much as it has lightened my wallet.

Individual's forum designated title and color of screen name simply serves as a helpful heads up to new comers as to who is taken seriously here. In my opinion of course.