#SOCIAL-PHOBIA IRC FAQ (v2.3) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Frequently asked questions for people who want to chat on the #social-phobia IRC channel Written, adapted and maintained by Rob Ryder (aka *ApeMan*) email: Rob@rlryder.demon.co.uk Comments, criticisms and suggestions welcome Updated June '98 and all links checked working at that time (thanks to Tony Nelson, Andre Kim, Jeff Kruys, JennyK, Cice) CONTENTS: ~~~~~~~~~ Introduction Part 1 - Getting Started Part 2 - Other Info and Advice Part 3 - Common Problems and Solutions Appendix (A) - Download Sites for mIRC Appendix (B) - For Mac Users Appendix (C) - Shell Account Users Appendix (D) - Using IRC Through AOL INTRODUCTION ~~~~~~~~~~~~ IRC (Internet Relay Chat) allows people from around the world to connect up and *chat* together in real time by typing your conversation onto the screen. It's not as worrying as it sounds and it's fun. The really good news is that there's a special SP channel called #social-phobia where you can 'chat' live (by typing) with other like-minded social phobics. They're usually folk from the SP mailing list and ASSP, and newbies are made especially welcome. It's an excellent *practice* platform for the socially anxious. Give it a try. PART 1 - GETTING STARTED ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Q: What is IRC? ============================================= A: IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat. It's a means by which Internet users can 'talk' (by typing) to each other in real time. On an IRC network you will find many "channels", also called "chat-rooms". There are three main IRC networks: Undernet, EFnet and Dalnet. The #social-phobia channel is only available on Undernet. Q: What do I need in order to chat with others on the Internet? ============================================= A: Basically just three things: 1) Your ISP connection 2) A selected server (there are many of these to choose from) through which you can link up to one of the IRC networks 3) An IRC client program This part of the FAQ is for users of Windows 3.x or Win95. These instructions may sound complicated now but will become self-explanitory when you come to use them. Q: What's an IRC client program? ============================================= A: This is the user friendly front-end software that controls your IRC connection and organizes your IRC chat time. Q: Which IRC client program should I use? ============================================= A: "mIRC" is a superb IRC client program, with lots of useful features. And best of all, it's free! Other IRC client programs include Netscape Chat and WS-IRC. You can use any one of these, but mIRC is recommended. The latest version is mIRC v5.31 Q: Where can I download a copy of mIRC? ============================================= A: There are lots of sites where you can obtain a copy of mIRC, in the form of MIRC531S.EXE (16 bit - Win3.x) or MIRC531T.EXE (32 bit - Win95). A list of download sites can be found in Appendix (A) at the end of this FAQ. Q: Okay, I've downloaded a copy of mIRC v5.31. What next? ============================================= A: If you"re an experienced Windows user, you can skip the following steps. Otherwise, these instructions should help: Create a new directory for mIRC. You can call this directory C:\MIRC (or whatever you like). Place the downloaded mIRC.EXE file in this new directory then run it. The setup program will install mIRC in seconds and create a set of icons. **(For Win95)** Using the Start Menu, go to Settings/Control Panel, then to Add/Remove Program, and install in the usual way from the directory where you put it. Q: Which IRC server should I use? ============================================= A: Toronto. This is the server that most #social-phobia folk use, so there's less chance of "net-lag" or "net-splits" if you use this one (see Common Problems below). Later versions of mIRC will have this server already listed as "Undernet: Canada, Toronto". Q: What next? How do I set up mIRC? ============================================= A: Start up the mIRC program. The first time you will be see a registration screen (with the photo) but if you uncheck the bottom-right box this will subsequently no longer appear. At start-up you will be greeted by the "mIRC SETUP" window, open at the "IRC SERVERS" tab, which has a list of servers you can use. Select "Undernet: Canada, Toronto". Fill in the FULL NAME and E-Mail fields. Put anything in the "FULL NAME" field (pseudonyms are often used by regular IRC users). Your E-mail address ident (the part before the @ symbol) will be used to log into the IRC server. Some servers require that this information be correct before they will allow you access, so it's best to use your real email address. NICK NAME is important as that"s what everyone will see as your name when you"re chatting. Put in your first and second choices (see later below for choosing). Next click the 'OPTIONS' tab, still in "mIRC SETUP". Check (put a cross in) ALL option boxes except for "Connect on Startup" and "Try next server", unless you want these options. In the box next to RETRY put 4, and 15 in the DELAY field. Now click on the "IDENTD" tab. Check the "ENABLE IDENTD SERVER" box. In the "User ID" box enter your ident (the text before the @ in your email address). Leave the rest the way it is. Q: Phew! I've done all that. How do I connect? ============================================= A: Log on to your ISP in the normal way. With the right server selected simply click the Connect button and watch the "Status" window as it tries to connect (it may take a few attempts before a connection is achieved). Q: I"m connected to the server. How do I join the channel? ============================================= A: Just type: /join #social-phobia ...in order to join the channel and start talking with others. All of the IRC commands start with "/" (forward slash). A new window will open and you will be *talking* in #social-phobia. You should see your nickname or "nick" listed on the right, along with the nicks of the other people using #social-phobia at the time. If your nick is the only one there then nobody else is using the channel. You could wait awhile and see if anyone else joins. If you type /list, you will get a list of all the active IRC channels on Undernet (there can be more than 10,000) but sometimes the server will decide the list is too long and will disconnect you completely. If that happens, just reconnect. You can join a channel other than #social-phobia, of course, depending upon your interests. PART 2 - OTHER INFO ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Q: How do I select a Nickname? ============================================= A: Your 'nick' can be anything you like. For example: ProZac, Flirty, MocBird, Shyguy, etc. Whatever you like the sound of. It"s a good idea to always use the same nick when visiting #social-phobia, so that people in that channel can recognize you instantly. Try to choose a nick that nobody else is likely to use, as IRC will not allow two users with the same nickname. Many people simply use their real names, or an adaptation of them - so if your name is (eg) David Bradley don't use 'dave' or 'david', but try dbrad, daveb, davebrad, etc. Once you are logged into IRC, you can still change your nickname using the /nick command. Q: Anything else I need to know? ============================================= A: Yes. Read the 'Help' and 'IRC Intro' files that come with mIRC. They contain a list of IRC commands plus lots of useful tips on how you can make talking on IRC easier. For instance, you can use aliases to reduce the number of characters you need type to carry out a command. Q: What if I can't log on to the Toronto server? ============================================= A: There are many IRC servers that you can use which are part of the Undernet, some of which are listed in the mIRC-'SERVERS' window. If you use a server that is part of Dalnet or EFnet, you won"t be able to join the channel #social-phobia. To find a list of Undernet IRC servers, try this URL: http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/1424/server.html This is one of the many lists out there, so look around. Q: Are some IRC servers easier to get on than others? ============================================= A: Yes. During hours of peak usage, you might find it virtually impossible to get onto a popular IRC server. In that case, try another one. If that doesn"t work, try still another, and so on. Also, you might consider using a different port to connect to the server. If the first few servers you try don't work you should try one of the random servers which picks up any server with free places: Random EU Undernet server = eu.undernet.org, port 6662 Random UK Undernet server = uk.undernet.org, port 1234 Random US Undernet server = us.undernet.org, port 6662 Q: How can I get more information about IRC-ing and mIRC? ============================================= A: Start with the links on the mIRC pages. There is a recently formed newsgroup, alt.irc.mirc, that answers many questions about mIRC. Also a web-search will usually find plenty of good informative sites. Q: When do people usually meet in #social-phobia? ============================================= A: This cannot be predicted but it's pretty much every evening (EST) these days, and at various times over the weekend. So you should just show up whenever you get the chance, and see if anyone else is already there. Q: What do I say to you guys? What do you talk about? ============================================= A: Anything. When anyone "enters" the channel they will usually see a load of hello's and hi's from whoever is there if it's busy. This may startle you at first but there's no need to answer everyone individually. Just say, "hi folks". Conversation wanders from social phobia-based discussion through topical subjects, news, personal chat, personal problems, funny stuff and jokes - anything and everything, but it's always relaxed and always good fun. You can say anything you like (within reason) and ask any questions you like. Q: Can I join #social-phobia and say nothing, just watch for a while until I feel more comfortable? ============================================= A: You can, but you should introduce yourself first so that whoever is there knows that you're genuine. Say something like: "Hi. I'm Microchip and I have social phobia. I'm gonna just sit at the back for a while if that's okay." However, you'll get more out of IRC the more you join in. Just chip in with a line or two whenever you feel like it. Q: What if I look stupid? I'm really nervous about this... ============================================= A: Don't be..!! You'll be among friends and like-minded people who understand, who only want to help and be friendly, so you don't have to try and look cool. Newbies are made especially welcome so there is absolutely nothing to worry about. Remember everyone and everyone there will be SP just like you and will understand if you are nervous. You'll find that it's really easy, especially after your first couple of visits.You'll be surprised just how simple it all is. Q: My typing speed isn't very fast... ============================================= A: Neither is mine! Typos and other mistakes are a regular feature of IRC so it really doesn't matter. Capitals aren't important so you can simply use lower case only. Type just as fast as you are comfortable with and don't let it bother you. Q: Arghh... I'm still really worried about it all ============================================= A: Email me. I can understand how you feel and I'm pretty sure I can set you straight on anything that's worrying you. PART 3 - COMMON PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Q: I joined #social-phobia and asked a few questions but everyone ignored me. Why did they do this? ============================================= A: Normally nobody is ignored on #social-phobia. This most likely was caused by "lag". It takes some time for a message to reach other users on the channel. The amount of time it takes is, appropriately, called the "lag time". If the lag time is excessive, other chatters will not see your message for several minutes. This is why we suggest that everyone uses the Toronto server. To see if you are lagged, pick out someone else's nick and type /ping nick (not "nick" but the person's actual nickname) Eventually you will get a response like ***Ping time to nick: 36 secs. If the ping time is more than a few seconds, you are lagged and should consider changing severs. Q: I connected to a server and joined #social-phobia at the right time but I was the only person in the room! Why was that? ============================================= A: Normally this simply means that nobody else is on the channel yet. Come back later, or alternatively hang around for a while until someone else joins. What you may have experienced was a "split". Undernet is a network of servers; a split occurs when one or more of these servers loses their connection to the network. Usually you just have to sit and wait for the split to heal, which it usually does after a few minutes. Q: I joined #social-phobia, and was merrily chatting. Then all of a sudden people started to disappear. What the hell was that? ============================================= A: This is another symptom of the dreaded "split". Either sit tight and wait for people to return, or try changing servers. Best to sit tight if you're using Toronto. Q: Somebody on #social-phobia was very rude to me, so I quit and I'm never going back. I thought you said it was friendly? ============================================= A: It IS friendly, and this is unlikely to occur; but if it should happen there are three possible reasons: 1) On rare occasions a non-SP undesirable may join #social-phobia purely to create a nuisance. The others there will "kick" him off the channel fairly quickly but possibly not before he has offended someone. 2) Misunderstandings do occur. As SP's we can easily misinterpret a well-intended comment or a friendly jibe. It's best to be aware of this, and be careful not to accidently take something personally. Also, we come from a number of countries, and sometimes what seems rude to you might mean something quite different in that person's country. He/she may have thought something *you* said previously was rude, even though you didn't intend it to be... We can all make mistakes. 3) Wise-asses and egotists can appear on IRC just as much as they can anywhere. Very occasionally even SP's can have strange ideas of what they consider 'fun'. Sad but true, fortunately not often. My email box is always open if anyone has difficulties. APPENDIX (A) - mIRC DOWNLOAD SITES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (The following list is by no means comprehensive, and mIRC is available from many other sites) The best place to find it is: http://www.mirc.com This will take you directly to your nearest mirror site as well as links to news, add-ons, FAQs and help pages. Other 'mirror' sites for direct download: USA: http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/park/600 UK: http://www.mirc.co.uk/mirc.html Australia: http://mirc.eon.net.au/ (new site) APPENDIX (B) - FOR MAC USERS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Q: I have a Mac with a TCP/PPP connection; how do I use IRC? ============================================= A: First you need to download an IRC client. By far the best one is Ircle (I believe this is now the ONLY Mac-client). The current version is 3.0b10 (Note: This is the last Beta version; if you are using a 68K Mac and/or a b/w screen I suggest that you use the earlier version 2.5). You can obtain it from the Ircle homepage at: http://www.xs4all.nl/~ircle/ This site is very comprehensive with mirror-sites, FAQ's, links and loads of set-up info. The program is shareware ($15 US - and well worth it) but can be used without registering. Q: O.K.! I have a Mac-IRC client up and running. Now what? ============================================= A: First you have to connect to an IRC server. If you"re using Ircle, look under "File" for "Preferences", highlight it and release on "Startup..." You will see a whole list of IRC servers. Select one of the Undernet servers (see earlier for Toronto). APPENDIX (C) - SHELL ACCOUNT USERS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Q: I only have shell access. Can I still use IRC? ============================================= A: Yes. At the prompt, simply try typing: foo irc If this works, you will be automatically connected to the default server. Now type /help for a list of commands (They will be the same ones discussed elsewhere in this document) If this doesn"t work, try typing: foo which irc This will determine if an IRC program is installed on your machine and which directory it resides in. If you get something like "csh: Not Found", contact your System Administrator. APPENDIX (D) - AOL SUBSCRIBERS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Q: Can I chat on IRC through AOL? A: Yes. The 3.0 version of AOL's software allows Mac users to simply double click on their favorite applications (Netscape, Ircle, Eudora, et al.) Windows users have a little work to do. First, you have to install a Winsock. This provides a "tunnel" or socket for you to access the internet directly through AOL. Complete and detailed instructions along with the necessary tools and software can be found at: http://members.aol.com/cmmoon12/winsock/mirc/index.html ================================================== ================================================== Hope this info helps. Anyone with further questions or probs please feel free to email me at Rob@rlryder.demon.co.uk, or post questions here. Happy IRCing!!