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FLEETCHAT Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQ)
Q. What is Fleetchat?
A. Fleetchat is an IRC network started by members of STARFLEET, The International Star Trek Fan Association
(www.sfi.org). Though staffed by
some members of STARFLEET and Maquis Forces International, it is a private venture organization and not a part of STARFLEET
or MFI.
Q. What is IRC?
A. IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat. It allows you to chat in real-time with hundreds of people
all around the world via the Internet. You can chat with people in a room or channel, you can have private chats, and you can even send and receive files. IRC is simply a place for like-minded people to share their interests, and their company.
Q. What do I need to use IRC?
A. You need two things, an Internet connection and an IRC Client. If you're reading this I'll assume you have an Internet connection. An IRC client is the software that enables you to chat. It's not unlike a mail client for e-mail or a newsgroup client to read newsgroups. Two very good clients can be downloaded from the Internet. For the PC user mIRC is one of the most popular. It can be found at
www.mirc.com. For the Mac user a good client is called Ircle. Ircle can be downloaded at
www.ircle.com.
Q. Whoa - are you speaking a different language?
A. Not really, but if you find a term you don't understand, ask
us or check out:
http://www.ircbeginner.com/ircinfo/ircglossary.html
Q. Ok I've got my client loaded. Now what?
A. Time to connect to a network and start chatting! There are lots of separate IRC networks. Each network has a series of servers linked together that make up the network. Select a server on a network and click on connect. You are then ready to find a room and chat. You can chat with anyone on the same network that you are on, regardless of what server they use. You can't chat across networks, however.
Q. How do I connect to Fleetchat?
A. Fleetchat maintains several servers for your chatting pleasure. The easiest way to connect to Fleetchat is to point your client to irc.fleetchat.org port 6667. You can also find out the current list of servers by linking to
http://www.fleetchat.org and following the "Servers" link.
Q. What's this about a nickname?
A. Your nickname or "nick" is the name other people will see when you chat. You may or may not want to use your real name. Some people prefer their own name; some prefer the anonymity of a nick.
Q. What is Nickserv?
A. Nickserv is the service that allows a user to register a nickname. When you register your nick, you own it. No one else can come along and use it.
Q. How do I register my nick?
A. When you log on to IRC type /msg Nickserv identify
YourPassWordHere -- Nickserv will now recognize you when you log onto IRC. It will be necessary to identify yourself every time you log on with the following command: /msg Nickserv identify
YourPassWordHere. Most IRC clients have an option to automatically run commands for you. In
mIRC, you can place the ident string in the "perform" section.
Q. Ok I've picked a nick, and connected to a
server. Where do I go now?
A. Find a channel and start to chat! If you're just
looking for a place to start, type /list. A new window will list all
the channels available, the name and topic and how many people are
in it. Find one you like and type /join #<channel name>. A new
window will appear and you'll be live in the channel! To talk, just
start typing. It's good netiquette to say hello when you enter. You
may also want to tell people if you're new and need some help.
You'll find most IRC users will be willing to help out the new
user.
Q. I like it here. How do I register my own channel?
A. Channel registry is available to any Fleetchat user. Please
read our channel owner's guide before
requesting a channel. Allyson can be reached at
channels@fleetchat.org or
nitehawk@ussjaguar.org. Channel founders must register their nicks with Nickserv prior to requesting the channel be registered.
Q. What is Chansev?
A. Chanserv is the service that allows a channel to be registered
and general channel maintenance. You use Chanserv to op and de-op people, to add people to the automatic op list and set other channel parameters.
Q. Is there a limit to how many channels I can own on Fleetchat?
A. We prefer that one person may own a maximum of two channels. More
can be requested and the request will be evaluated on a case-by-case
basis.
Q. What do benefit do I get from registering a channel?
A. When you register a channel, it stays open for you at all times. You can add people to auto-op and set other channel modes. Please
read our channel owner/users' guide for more
information.
Q. How can I find help using Nickserv and Chanserv commands?
A. Simply type /msg Nickserv help or /msg Chanserv help. A help listing will display. You can also ask the IRCops in #fleetchat.
Q. Who are the people with the @'s in front of their name?
A. These are the channel operators, the people that are in control of the channel. What they say goes. In general they act like the hosts of a big party. It's their job to make sure the channel runs smoothly. They can kick and ban people from the channel if they get unruly. So if a channel op tells you to so something,
please listen.
Q. What's a "bot"?
A. A bot is a piece of software that can perform a variety of functions. Most often it is used to hold the channel open. Anyone can create a channel at anytime, all you do is type /join
NameOfChannelHere. However if no one is in that channel it will disappear. A bot allows it to stay open all the time, so it's always available and always appears on the networks /list. The bot also can op the channel owner and whoever they choose to help moderate the channel. Some bots can perform special fun functions such as serving virtual drinks and other actions to make the channel more entertaining.
Q. How Do I Get Fleetbot to Introduce Me in a
Channel?
A. Firstly, the channel has to have fleetbot in
it. The instructions are located here, in the
Fleetchat Channels Guide, under
"Fleetbot."
Q. What's "Bot Abuse"?
A. Please refrain from abusing FleetBot, he is there as a service,
if you must, think of him as another person with feelings. So please
do not act out beating him up. He'll be happy to be your faithful
bartender. If an Op (a person with a @ in front of his/her nick)
asks you to stop, please do so. Ignoring an Op request can be
considered grounds for banning someone from using Fleetchat.
Q. What's the best way to keep up with Fleetchat Happenings?
A. Subscribe to IRCStatus-L, a moderated, low-volume mailing list.
You can subscribe via
email or link to the list's
webpage.
Q. Where can I get help while I'm on Fleetchat?
A. Stop in at #fleetchat. Fleetchat administrators and IRCops are there to help with problems and answer questions.
Q: Why was I kicked/Glined for changing my address so I can get
into a channel I was banned from?
A: Because it's against Network Operation rules. Generally,
FleetChat IRC Ops will not get into channel politics or channel
rules, but if a channel owner or other channel operator bans a user
for whatever reason, the user must abide by the ban. We IRC
Ops will be displeased if a user changes his/her network address to
get around the ban. None of the networks out there will tolerate it,
neither will we. If you have a question or a problem with a channel
owner, take it up with them. If you feel the Channel Owner has been
unfair, you may take it up with a FleetChat IRC Op, but don't expect
any immediate action to be taken. Should a user circumvent a ban,
they are /kill'd for the first offense. Second offense earns them a
one-week ban from FleetChat IRC Network. After that, it's a
permanent ban. We would rather not start banning people entirely
from the network, so please abide by channel rules.
Q. Anything else I need to know?
A. Most of the people you encounter will be perfectly nice and want nothing more than to chat. However you will find the occasional jerk that wants to bother you. You have several options. You can simply place the person on ignore. Then you will not see what they are typing. You can do this by typing /ignore <nick>. You can also tell one of the channel operators that you are being bothered. Finally if it persists, you can go to the channel where the network operators (called IRC
Ops) hang out and lodge a complaint. That usually takes care of it. Also be aware of files people want to send you. Never accept anything from someone you don't know or that you don't know what is. People can and do try to send virus-infected files via the IRC. Always practice safe computing. :)
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Last updated: 2005.06.21 |
