15 Years on Staff for bushido_man96!

[Patrick]

Hey all,

Today marks 15 years that Brian (bushido_man96) has been on our staff.

This is an incredibly unique milestone. I've been moderating online communities for 23 years, and in any community I've ever been apart of, I have never seen a staff member who had remained so for 15 years. I've never had one on any community I've managed. Brian is the first.

It represents a truly special contribution to this community. Brian has more posts here than anyone else - 28,843 in over 15 years of membership - but to say that is almost to simplify his contribution to a number. Which doesn't do it justice.

There are other numbers, too. He's been nominated by the community, for a KarateForums.com Award, 49 times. That's more than anyone. He's won 17 awards, which is second most.

But the real impact is when you think about the people who were touched by those posts. Not just in the sense of sharing some helpful piece of knowledge and advice. But more importantly, the space that he creates for others to feel comfortable enough to come out of their shell, share what they know, and feel welcome. That's really what I notice.

It's easy for me to say that Brian's posts have touched hundreds of thousand of people. It could even be millions. (If you want to hear from Brian, have a listen to this podcast).

As a staff member, Brian's tenure has been marked by consistency and reliability. He has been dependable, proactive, and thoughtful in how he approaches the task. Brian is a great team player, who understands the importance of moderation and always wants to us to arrive at the right choice in every decision we have to make.

I am so grateful that we've had Brian as a member of the community and feel fortunate to have had him on our staff for so long. He's made KarateForums.com a better place, and it's hard to think of this space without him in it!

Brian, thank you for your friendship, kindness, and support over the years. It means a lot to me.

There's a really cool gift that's being made for Brian right now. Unfortunately, it is not in his hands yet, but maybe once it is, we can share some photos. I'm pretty excited about it.

Please join me in congratulating Brian on this major milestone!

Thanks,

Patrick

[Zaine]

That's awesome, Brian, congrats!

[sensei8]

Congrats. Brian for reaching this major milestone. Patrick, highlighted many of Brian's accolades he's achieved for KF, the community, and its members. His contributions at KF are without any reservations whatsoever across the board.

I'm most fortunate to have him as my friend in and out of the Martial Arts. I've learned so many valuable lessons from Brian over these many years. His staunch support of KF, its community, and its members is truly of no surprise. Brian has loyally and unselfishly spent every day of those 15 years as part of Staff here at KF to give of himself for the betterment of and for KF and all call KF home.

Thank you from, the bottom of my heart, Brian for all that you have, and will no doubtfully continue to contribute in every shape, way, and/or form.

For many more years to come, Brian, your light here at KF will never demise, no, not even glimpse of a flutter; these aren't idle words whatsoever.

I bow to Brian for achieving this major milestone, so, here's to another 15 years here at KF, if that be Gods will.

[bushido_man96]

Wow, 15 years on staff! I didn't realize it'd been that long! I feel truly blessed to be part of such a great community, discussing something that is very near and dear to me in this world.

At first, I thought KF was a great place to come and talk about Martial Arts. As I've gone along all these years, I've found that KF is just a great place to come and talk with good people about anything; I've shared ups and downs, highs and lows, within my MA journey and from life in general. Outside of my immediate family, I've never found so much great support and camaraderie.

I can only hope that I've given back to this community as much as it has given to me over the years. Thank you everyone!

[Wastelander]

Congratulations, and many thanks for all your contributions over the years!

[The Pred]

Awesome 👍 Congratulations 🎊

[Patrick]

Thanks for joining in, John, Bob,, Noah, and The Pred.

That's really nice to hear, Brian. It means a lot, and I appreciate you sharing it.

Excited for you to get the thing that is on the way!

Patrick

[bushido_man96]

Thank you for all the kind words, everyone! They mean a lot to me!

[Patrick]

Update: Brian has received the item I mentioned in the initial post: a KarateForums.com jacket. Here's what it looks like:

http://www.karateforums.com/img/photos/brianjacket/brianjacket.jpg

http://www.karateforums.com/img/photos/brianjacket/brianjacket2.jpg

http://www.karateforums.com/img/photos/brianjacket/brianjacket3.jpg

http://www.karateforums.com/img/photos/brianjacket/brianjacket4.jpg

http://www.karateforums.com/img/photos/brianjacket/brianjacket5.jpg

http://www.karateforums.com/img/photos/brianjacket/brianjacket6.jpg

[Zaine]

That's crazy cool!