BigBlueBall IRC Basics and Tutorials

BigBlueBall uses a chat system called “IRC”, or Internet Relay Chat. IRC is one of the oldest and most functional type of chatroom there is. It works a little differently from your standard chatroom you’d find on AIM or Yahoo Messenegr, though. Here are some guidelines to get you headed in the right direction.

IRC Fundamentals

Here are some very basic things you’ll need to know about an IRC server:

• There is a main server window which handles all of your server-related issues.
• An IRC server is made up of “channels”. Each channel, essentially, is its own private room within the server. Every channel name must start with a hash (#). That’s why the chatroom here at BBB is entitled #BigBlueBall.
• Anything that starts with a forward slash “/” is considered a command by the server, and it usually doesn’t matter where you type the command. It’s easiest to just type it into the same box that you type your messages in, but don’t worry, nobody else can see when you send a command to the server, just make sure it starts with a slash!
• If you’d like to register your nickname with our server, go to the server status window and type “/msg NickServ Register [password]”, without the quotes. Make sure to remember your password and don’t tell it to anyone! After you register, each time you visit our server, type “/msg NickServ Identify [password]”, no quotes, to log into the server. Feel free to ask someone in our channel about the benefits of registering your nickname.
• If you’d like to create your own channel, simply attempt to join one. For example, say you would like the channel “#internet”. Simply type “/join #internet” anywhere, and if the channel is not already there, it will be automatically created for you. But if it already exists, then you will see other people in the channel nickname list. Think of it like a Wiki, if the page isn’t there yet, you can make it, but if it exists already, there will be something there!
• If you’d like to see a list of channels that are on the server, just type “/list”. A list of channels should appear, including each channel’s topic. To join one, simply double-click on it (This may differ between IRC clients).

Talking in IRC

IRC isn’t like any old chatroom you’d find on the Internet. When you chat with other people, there are certain norms that have formed around the general idea of IRC, that if you don’t follow, well, you may get some odd looks or reactions from people. I recommend you follow these guidelines to make sure your chatting experience is the best it can be.

• IRC is different from AIM or Yahoo. In IRC, it’s best if you use good formatting and type out your words. Instead of “heyy y is my comp brokn can sum1 plz help me b/c i need 2 use my comp asap!!!@~“, say something like “My computer isn’t working properly, can someone help me? I need to use it right away.” And please turn off Caps Lock when typing, because TALKING IN ALL CAPS is the same thing as shouting something.
• The more specific in IRC you are, the faster we can help you solve your problem. Of course, if you just come in to chat with us, then this doesn’t apply to you, but if you do decide to seek help in #BigBlueBall, then please be specific. The more details and information you can give us is better, because it helps us help you.
• You might be wondering where you can change your font color or style in IRC. Well, disappointing as it may seem, IRC doesn’t use fonts. It’s purely text based, which makes it easy for anyone to use it. However, there is a little bit of formatting you can do. Press Ctrl+B to add a little block like this: . Type in the text you wish to bold, then press Ctrl+B again to add another . Each is like an on/off switch, as IRC reads the line of text it will turn bold on and off when it sees those blocks. Underline works the exact same way, except with Ctrl+U. But keep this in mind: Just as on the forums, only use formatting to provide emphasis. Do not use it in your entire message.

Modes & Channel Moderators

You may be wondering to yourself what those symbols before some people’s names are on the channel. Here’s a quick guide to the meanings of each symbol and what it means.

• Nothing This means that you’re just a regular user. Simple, no?
• + (Voice +v) A + denotes someone who has been voiced. Technically, a voice would allow that person to talk if a channel moderator set the mode +m, which prevents anyone except channel moderators from talking. But a +v would allow that person to talk without getting any real channel moderator power. That has no real meaning, however, because rarely is the channel set to +m. Nowadays, voice is used moreso as a merit of sorts. Channel moderators, if they like you or you did something that was funny or helpful, will voice you. Think of it as a pat on the back, or a compliment.
• % (Half-op +h) This is the first level of channel moderators. They can kick people, ban people, set the channel topic, and even voice people, just to name a few. Although these people are channel moderators, they are powerless against people who have modes described below. Think of it as a heirarchy, this is the third level on the system.
• @ (Op +o) These people are channel moderators. They can do everything that half-ops can do, but they can also enforce things that affect half-op people. For example, an Op can kick a half-op, but a half-op cannot kick an op.
• & (Protected +a) This is the first level of channel administration. These people can do everything that moderators can, but, again, anyone below this level is powerless against them. Additionally, because of the term “Protected”, people who are +a cannot kick others who are +a.
• ~ (Owner/Founder +q) These people are the supreme rulers of the channel. They are either the owners of the channel and can do whatever they like with it, or they are network administrators (people who administrer the IRC server and have admin access to any channel they wish). Don’t tick these people off, you’ll regret it!

Remember: If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in our IRC channel. We have many people who are knowledgeable about IRC and other IM programs. Additionally, you can make a new thread in our IRC forums or post in this general thread.

To connect to our IRC network here at BigBlueBall, see one of these tutorials:

Java IRC Tutorial (Built-in Chat)
mIRC Tutorial
Trillian Tutorial

Or…if you’re the type of person who likes to just jump right in, start chatting now!