Bort has created a thread which gives a great introduction to those new to the hobby:
A Beginner’s Guide to Flashaholism
“Flashlightwiki” is another good source of info; it’s linked under “Related sites” on the left side of all BLF pages. And we’re always glad to answer questions when you can’t find the answers. Once you understand the acronyms and abbreviations you’ll find a lot more pleasure in reading the more advanced posts where such things are more common and you’ll be “speaking the lingo” along with us in no time at all.
Phil