This document is written by sid. Text-only version is also available.
IRC Annoyances!%*@ [Newbie IRC Netiquette Guide]
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Written by MrDigital <md@gxt.net>
==================================================================
WARNING: Do not give in to "Reading-Laziness" which many MSN/ICQ
or Yahoo chatters adapt to when coming to IRC and giving up
because its not "simple" to use. It is easy if you use basic
common sense - and eventually, you'll be confident enough with it
to start enjoying it.
==================================================================
Introduction
============
Welcome to the #IRCHelp Newbie IRC Netiquette Guide. You will
probably have been referred to this by a member of staff in
#IRCHelp because you are new at IRC and you want to know all the
ins-and-outs of this "cool" piece of software.
You can start on your quest by firstly knowing exactly [HOW] to
behave on IRC so you can stick around to find out more. For
instance, you might want to know how to download some files
because your friend from work told you he/she gets interesting
information from IRC.
Well, you started off on the right foot if you're here, because
you went to a help channel and asked about IRC. This is one of
the few places you will have been told about, including other
docs like typing /ircintro and checking websites for newbies
such as http://help.dal.net/docs/
To cut to the chase, here's some etiquette which is a good idea
to follow if you want to continue using the Internet Relay Chat
Protocol:
Patience
========
This is put first, for one very important reason - its the most
important thing to do whilst on IRC - "keep your cool" because
if you don't, you're probably going to end up breaking most of
the netiquette guidelines below.
You need to respect the fact that IRC isn't as easy as most
chat tools, and it takes time and patience to get used to the
interface and the way it works. But when you do, you will start
enjoying it. There's people who are still chatting on it today
who have been on it for over 10 years, and I personally know
two of them, and I can't see them ever coming off it, because
the friends you'll make on IRC are friends for life, not just
"asl" buddies.
Read on if you want to learn about IRC etiquette in order to
get and keep your friends...
Flooding
========
Flooding is a big problem in modern day IRC. It is one of the
worst ways to introduce oneself to an IRC community.
Example:
*** sardat_22 has joined #IRC
<sardat_22> HI
<sid> Hello.
<sardat_22> HI HI HI HI HI HI HI HI HI HI HI HI
<sardat_22> HI HI HI HI HI HI HI HI HI HI HI HI
*** sardat_22 was kicked from #IRC by sid (Stop flooding)
From the above, you can clearly see that flooding is IRC
slang for repeatedly typing something only for the purpose of
annoying other IRCers.
Language
========
What is the point of joining a channel and then chatting away in
German while in an English speaking channel. This is offputting
for just about every user in the channel, who, might we add, has
no clue what you're ranting on about. If you want to chat in a
specific language to people who speak that language, please make
sure you go to a channel where thats one of the main spoken
languages. It's common sense really.
For example:
/join #french-help instead of /join #help
Colours and Bold
================
There are a lot of channels which despise the use of colours so
you will find them set +c (which prevents colour being used in
the channels.) However, +c does not block out the use of bold
so it would be a good idea not to use it at all to get yourself
heard, because you'll most likely be met with a kick if you use
it.
Remember, there are certain channels (like #txtworld on DALnet)
which are designed for showing off your scripts, colours etc
so if you want to do "your fancy stuph" and "shake ur bootie"
go in there and do it. Other than that be strongly discouraged
from the use of colours and bold.
Nick Changes
============
Changing your nick constantly: this is another form of flooding,
if at its worst (ie somebody writes a script to automatically
change a nickname over and over again in a short space of time.)
It is advised that you generally keep to using one nickname, and
do not change it. In some rather more 'old skool' (generally
technically related) IRC channels, it is considered as
inappropriate to change your nick when you go away.
For example:
PB is now known as PB[away]
OR even worse (for obvious reasons):
PB is now known as PB[away-toilet]
In order to fully understand the problem with this 'minor' case
of nick changing, you have to consider the fact that certain
users don't want to know where you are constantly - for if they
would, they'd message you.
Therefore, to avoid these problems, type /away Reason and type
/away (when you come back) again to turn it off, so if someone
wants to find you, they'll know then where you are by your away
reason.
NOTE:
You can read an extensively informative document about this
case of 'bad' /away messages at the following URL (address)
http://sackheads.org/~bnaylor/spew/away_msgs.html
Auto-Rejoining
==============
Auto-rejoins, this is a problem with many of the IRC users'
clients, where they are pre-set to auto-rejoin a channel (in
other words, go back in) after being kicked out for whatever
reason.
For example:
<21:16:33> UserA was kicked by OperatorA (Flooding)
<21:16:34> UserA joins channel #blah
Please take special attention to the time in the example. You
will notice that this UserA rejoined the channel immediately
(one second) after being kicked out by OperatorA. This must
mean that he probably didn't even look at the kick reason
(which is desplayed on the user's screen every time he/she is
kicked out of a channel) which annoys the Op, and probably
instigates a ban, where the user is banned from the channel
[cannot rejoin it] for a substantial length of time, decided
by the Operator.
It would be a good idea to check whether you have auto-rejoin
turned on or off. Below are methods of how to turn it off.
[Using mIRC]
EITHER:
Press Alt+o --> Click 'IRC' tab --> uncheck 'Rejoin after being
kicked.'
OR:
Click Options button [next to golden connect button] --> Click
'IRC' tab --> uncheck 'Rejoin after being kicked.'
Articulation
============
IRC is completely different from Yahoo Chat or whatever you have
been used to beforehand. It is not 'new' either. IRC has been
around before the Web was invented. It thus has very intelligent
old-timers in it, who have been around for a very long time. That
usually means you're less likely to encounter young people
without much of an intelligence (even though the balance is
gradually tilting with more and more kids surfing IRC.) With all
this in mind, it is important that you can communicate in an
appropriate fashion. In other words, 'asl' shouldn't be the only
question on your mind when you join a channel, because some
channels despise people with nothing to say for themselves except
their age, sex and location.
Also, it is advised that you do not go surfing IRC insulting
people "for fun" because that usually results in being kicked
out from every channel you go to, and gives your ISP a bad
reputation. Thus, even if you ban evade (changing your IP/host
in order to get back on the same channel you are banned from,)
eventually you won't be able to get on at all. This has happened
to AOL countless of times :-)
Channel Jumping
===============
Joining and parting the same channels constantly is considered
another form of flooding. For example:
*** Newb (~newb@IPT-blah.aol.com) has left #chat
*** Newb (~newb@IPT-blah.aol.com) has joined #chat
<sixsix> hey newb
*** Newb (~newb@IPT-blah.aol.com) has left #chat
*** Newb (c~newb@IPT-blah.aol.com) has joined #chat
Caps
====
Do not type in capital letters. This method of typing is
considered as 'yelling' and it's therefore considered bad manners
to type everything in caps. A small amount of newcomers to IRC do
this because they think they'll get noticed more if they use
caps. They're right, but that extra attention usually comes with
a kick.
Safety
======
This is really common sense, but for the kids, it is important to
state the following for your own safety (even though it is
generally suggested that children under the age of 13 are not to
go on IRC.)
It sounds like we've given up hope trying to get rid of these
parasites, but there *are* paedophiles on IRC, who prey on
children, so do not giving out important details whilst
chatting, and *always* make sure you have a parent or an adult
supervise while you are on IRC just incase.
We therefore suggest, that if you are under 13, in the email
and realname fields, you type a parent's name and email in
instead of your own real name and email address, your mother's
if you're a girl and your father's if you're a boy.