Post by distantsmoke on Oct 10, 2017 12:45:19 GMT -5
I've noticed that quite a few folks are heading to our IRC chat room for help, which is great! Todd, for one, is pretty much always there. I'm fairly certain he does not sleep. So in an effort to help control the traffic, so to speak, I am going to make a few suggestions for folks who are new to ICR chat.
1. There is a Sh!t ton of helpful info about IRC chat all over the web. If you want to explore IRC chat please do so. But remember, as with every location, personal knowledge of the location is key. The folks here pretty much know each other. The attitudes you find in the forum are the same attitudes you will find in the IRC chat room. But other "places", i.e. chat rooms are not as friendly or safe as ours is. So when you go exploring, please keep in mind that there are internet predators out there, and the best way to avoid becoming a victim is to avoid the predators. If you hear about a chat room you want to try, I strongly suggest you search it on google first. If a chat room has become a home for predators, people will be talking about it on the web.
2. Now that the safety warning is out of the way, let's look at how the chat room differs from the forum. First you will notice a list of people on the right of your chat room window. These are people who are currently logged in to the chat room. You should see your own nick (nickname) there as well. The first thing to be aware of is just because someone is logged in does not mean they are sitting in a chair staring at the screen waiting for someone to write something pithy or ask a question. Though some of us (most likely Todd) does have their window set up in such a way that they are notified when someone enters the room or "says" something in the room. But this doesn't mean that Todd never leaves his computer. The point is, when you enter the chat room, it's nice to say "Hello" and wait to see if anyone is around to say "Hello" back at you. Popping in and saying "Hello" waiting 30 seconds and then leaving, is kind of bad form. Give us a chance!
3. If you have a question about a puzzle or anything else, it can be nice (but not necessary) to say "I have a question". If anyone is around I am sure they will speak with you to at least find out what you need.
4. There can be several conversations going on in the chat room at once. Some people may be participating some may not. In general expecting all conversation to cease just because you have a question is kind of rude. Think of it like walking into a coffee shop where you know all the people there. You walk into the room, say "Hi everyone", then look around to see what's what. Maybe Jim and Jane are deep in a conversation about D&D. Maybe Jordan is sitting by himself but he doesn't answer when you talk to him. He looks lost in thought. But there's Heather, when you said "Hello everyone" she waved and said hello back.
5. People will come and go. I try to let people know I'm "leaving" the computer but "staying" in the chatroom by using "afk", or 'away from the keyboard'. I stay logged in because I can come back later and read what happened while I was gone.
So really it's no different from real life.
This is a basic basic introduction to chat. Aimed at people who have never used chat before. You may or may not find it helpful.
Hop onto the unofficial Chat Room for more in depth communal sleuthing. Next to the pull down menu that says CONNECT, click "Server". In the space that pops up, type, "irc.chat-solutions.org". Enter the nickname by which you'd like to be known below that, and #mpc in the box for channel.
1. There is a Sh!t ton of helpful info about IRC chat all over the web. If you want to explore IRC chat please do so. But remember, as with every location, personal knowledge of the location is key. The folks here pretty much know each other. The attitudes you find in the forum are the same attitudes you will find in the IRC chat room. But other "places", i.e. chat rooms are not as friendly or safe as ours is. So when you go exploring, please keep in mind that there are internet predators out there, and the best way to avoid becoming a victim is to avoid the predators. If you hear about a chat room you want to try, I strongly suggest you search it on google first. If a chat room has become a home for predators, people will be talking about it on the web.
2. Now that the safety warning is out of the way, let's look at how the chat room differs from the forum. First you will notice a list of people on the right of your chat room window. These are people who are currently logged in to the chat room. You should see your own nick (nickname) there as well. The first thing to be aware of is just because someone is logged in does not mean they are sitting in a chair staring at the screen waiting for someone to write something pithy or ask a question. Though some of us (most likely Todd) does have their window set up in such a way that they are notified when someone enters the room or "says" something in the room. But this doesn't mean that Todd never leaves his computer. The point is, when you enter the chat room, it's nice to say "Hello" and wait to see if anyone is around to say "Hello" back at you. Popping in and saying "Hello" waiting 30 seconds and then leaving, is kind of bad form. Give us a chance!
3. If you have a question about a puzzle or anything else, it can be nice (but not necessary) to say "I have a question". If anyone is around I am sure they will speak with you to at least find out what you need.
4. There can be several conversations going on in the chat room at once. Some people may be participating some may not. In general expecting all conversation to cease just because you have a question is kind of rude. Think of it like walking into a coffee shop where you know all the people there. You walk into the room, say "Hi everyone", then look around to see what's what. Maybe Jim and Jane are deep in a conversation about D&D. Maybe Jordan is sitting by himself but he doesn't answer when you talk to him. He looks lost in thought. But there's Heather, when you said "Hello everyone" she waved and said hello back.
5. People will come and go. I try to let people know I'm "leaving" the computer but "staying" in the chatroom by using "afk", or 'away from the keyboard'. I stay logged in because I can come back later and read what happened while I was gone.
So really it's no different from real life.
This is a basic basic introduction to chat. Aimed at people who have never used chat before. You may or may not find it helpful.
Hop onto the unofficial Chat Room for more in depth communal sleuthing. Next to the pull down menu that says CONNECT, click "Server". In the space that pops up, type, "irc.chat-solutions.org". Enter the nickname by which you'd like to be known below that, and #mpc in the box for channel.