[fel64]

Uh, yeah, thanks for copy-and-pasting. When you are asking other people to spend their time helping you, the least you can do is take a little time to make it easy and appropriate for them.

> So, as a newb to using databases and php, should I choose a stand-alone like bbPress or a plugin I just upload to Wp?

If you can install wordpress, you can install bbpress. It’s no harder. Integrating them is also not difficult. Despite never having used one I’d assume a plugin would be a little easier though.

But if you care about the potential and speed of your forums, you should go for actual forum software, not something tacked onto something unrelated. In this case you should choose bbPress.

You can certainly do both; which is better for you is something you’ll be best at deciding.