New to this IRC lark reddit / irc ---------------------------------------------------------------------- apureken · 2015-01-05 08:42 Have about 6 channels open with plenty of users, yet nobody chats. Curious as to why they bother going into the room? Have tried asking but get the usual newbie condescension, or just plain dead air. Its an intimidating place for a noob but I want to persist, a heads up would be appreciated. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- flotwig · 2015-01-05 08:46 A lot of people stay connected to IRC 24/7. This means they're connected even when they have other applications open or even when they're AFK. Because of this, some channels can have hundreds of users but no real activity. Oftentimes the most active channels on IRC are those with the fewest users. Also keep in mind that IRC is global and some users might not be on at the same time as you. Keep at it! Eventually, you'll find a community which is active and where you fit in. We were all noobs once! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- apureken · 2015-01-05 08:55 I see, just trying to wrap my head around it. Went to various sites that were all FAQs but there is very little about the culture to be found. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- flotwig · 2015-01-05 08:57 IRCers don't really maintain a whole lot of literature on the subject. It's one of the oldest protocols out there, but to understand it, you really just have to use it. /r/irc is a safe place to ask things, you're not going to get hated on by greybeards here. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- BlackGyver · 2015-01-05 10:50 You're a brave one! I love IRC and couldn't do without, but it's mostly being abandoned bit by bit in favor of other chatting solutions, it seems. The activity and general interest (in my opinion) of IRC really boils down to the community. I've seen a lot of populated channels where nobody would speak a *single* word for a *whole week* (\*cough* big chunk of snoonet \*cough*). No point in staying in these, unless they're already acquaintances or you have a solid reason to. So how to find a nice IRC community? Well, I've found there are two ways; either you're already involved in one and they happen to have an IRC channel, or the shotgunning method; pick a dozen channels with topics that hold some interest to you (note: lots of exceptions to this, people make an IRC channel, not their original "topics") on a network, stay a while and see if you like what you see. Don't just stay a day, though, IRC channels can have slow days, but when the only sighting in a week/couple weeks have been tumbleweeds, time to move on. After that, what /u/flotwig said. Good luck! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- apureken · 2015-01-05 11:07 Gonna stick with it, casually lurking for now, wish I found it years ago so I would have half a clue what everybody is on about! Seems to be a very tech savvy user base, and I needs me more savvy. [Found this website](http://www.ircbeginner.com/ircinfo/ircc- tips.html) looks like a half decent bible for now. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- BlackGyver · 2015-01-05 11:19 The tech-savviness really varies from network to network and channel to channel. The potentially less savvy people would come from integrated IRC applets on websites (think mibbit), then there's the sorta-IRC-savvy userbase (cause you gotta learn this shit if you want to do interesting stuff, like having a proper IRC client, knowing how to connect to a server, change your nick, get the list of channels of a network, register and identify, etc.), then there's the old IRC guard and then guys hanging out on programming channels. So I don't know if I'd look at IRC in its general form to specifically find tech-savvy people, but I know I'd find some in tech-dedicated channels! Ninja edit: Also, in my previous post, by "moving on", I meant moving on from *the channel* (and possibly network), to another. IRC's worth it, in my opinion, just gotta find the right people/community to see how great it can be. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- apureken · 2015-01-05 11:33 No I'm avoiding the too tech savvy channels for now, hopelessly clueless, for now at least. Up and running on mIRC, been changing networks and opening multiple channels, lurking about. Do you guys use different clients to run different networks so you never miss a beat (as channels seem to close when you switch server)? Sorry for the asking what is probably inane to you. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- BlackGyver · 2015-01-05 11:38 I haven't used mIRC in ages (using Hexchat atm), but you should be able to have multiple servers in a single client instance. I definitely can on my current client, and I would be very surprised if you couldn't on mIRC. Try and see if you can't have it open a new server tab in the top left menu options. Definitely recommend Hexchat anyway, mIRC barebones isn't very appealing to many people. Also don't sweat it about the noobish questions, we all went through there (we're all actually still there, learning IRC is a process). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- apureken · 2015-01-05 12:10 Yeah, thanks for the advice, Hexchat has a far superior UI, much much easier. Think I've got the foot up I needed, I will crack on and maybe come back with a progress report, and perhaps any other wee question which I'm sure will arise. Thanks for your time good shepards u/BlackGyver and u/flotwig. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- MeowWhat · 2015-01-05 12:35 If you're just looking for a place to hang out feel free to come to #burlington on snoonet. It's the chat for our local sub and unlike a lot of the rest of the channels on there,(at least from what I've seen) we get good chunks of active time. We do get our lulls and times when there are only a couple people talking here and there but at least a couple times a day, often later on, things get rolling. We have a good time talking about either whats going on in our city,(burlington, vt) food, world news, sharing music and videos and on and on. All in all we have a good time so even if you aren't from here drop in and make yourself at home, we have a couple people from TN currently and previously a couple from Quebec. I'm generally in there 24/7 either on my phone or some other electronic device. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- TwiztedZero · 2015-01-05 14:39 Greybeard here, I say persist. Be yourself, and don't let mooks crush your enthusiasm. Oh and do watch out for nutters like myself that like to just poke around with offbeat weirdness 'coz ya gotta have humour or yer just another boneyard. [💬 IRC Snoonet #Reddit](irc://irc.snoonet.org/#reddit "Click To Join #Reddit") Come CHAT with us on Snoonet! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Chodrick · 2015-01-05 15:11 Keep at it. Here are some small tips for making IRC a more comfortable ^^and ^^addictive : * Many channels suggest reading [How to Ask Questions The Smart Way](http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html) by Eric S. Raymond before asking. You should definitely check it out--it's a good, down-to-earth read. Be sure to check out the wiki of the server you are connecting to (if it exists), too. * Use an actual [IRC client](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Re lay_Chat#Client_software)¹, as opposed to a web browser. Learn how to configure it so it auto-connects to servers, and auto-joins channels. Read up on its documentation. * Get familiar with how IRC works. Learn what services like NickServ and ChanServ are. Read up what [DCC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_Client-to-Client) and [XDCC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XDCC) are. Read how to send some of the basic [CTCP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Client-to- client_protocol) commands, like ``VERSION``, ``PING`` and ``TIME``. * Read up on the specific user and channel modes provided by the server you are on, and how to use them. * If the server offers SSL/TLS, enable it on the server connection when setting it up, and connect to the server's SSL port (usually 6697 or 7000) instead of the standard port (usually 6667). * If you want to stay in a channel 24/7 and record all messages that go by, look into setting up an [IRC bouncer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BNC_%28software%29#IRC) (such as ZNC), or using one from the server if they provide it. Freenode, EFNet, DALNet and Rizon seem to all be popular servers these days. Good luck, OP. ¹I recommend irssi or weechat for Linux, HexChat for Windows and Textual or Colloquy for OSX. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- rubinlinux · 2015-01-05 18:29 If there is a channel full of silent people, it may just be nobody has peaqued their intrest to talk. It depends on the community, but sometimes all it takes is to start a conversation yourself, and hang out a bit to see if someone checks in and is drawn in. Thats how it is on #afternet on irc.afternet.org anyway, where I hang out. tldr; talk to them first, maybe they will talk back. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- tavaryn · 2015-01-05 18:30 If you're still on mIRC, use the "/server -m irc.whateverserver.net" command (no quotes) to connect to a new server without disconnecting from your other one. But I recommend Hexchat too. :D ---------------------------------------------------------------------- liquoranwhores · 2015-01-05 19:52 I'm not sure I agree with your statement that IRC is being abandoned bit by bit. A quick sample of the top 5 IRC networks using netsplit.de shows growth over the last 2 years on 3 out of the 5 of them. While I don't doubt IRC has a had a huge population decline over the last 15 years, I think it's pretty much leveled out. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NochaQueese · 2015-01-05 21:12 If you want a channel with a lot of activity, #casualconversation on Snoonet is a good place to hang out. Can get confusing at times when you have multiple conversations going in a channel at once, but you get the hang of it pretty quickly... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- apureken · 2015-01-05 21:46 I never shy away from a poke. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- FiXato · 2015-02-07 11:40 Definitely agree there. Also, "it's dead/silent in here" is one of the worst conversation starters. Imagine using that in a pub/bar... don't think you'd get a much better response there with it either. Instead, start talking about an article you just read, or a project you are working on, or something that's mentioned in the /topic that's in the channel. Alternatively, you could also welcome people who recently joined; it could strike a conversation as well. Just don't go welcoming every single person, as people could think you're using an obnoxious greeter script. ;p