Help:IRC

From Wikia Help

What is IRC?

IRC, or Internet relay chat is a low-bandwidth text based chat client that provides group discussions, private messaging, and file transfer capabilities from anywhere in the world. Wikia has made it's home for it's projects on the Freenode IRC network. Wikia has a primary support channel, subchannels, and topic channels at the communities disposal for support, discussion, and the development of Wikia.

How do I get on and use IRC?

Connecting

There are many different ways to get on IRC by means of various local or web based clients.

Client (downloadable): - This is the most preferred and stable method, though it may not be the right choice to connect from work or school firewalls. You can see a comparison chart of IRC clients on Wikipedia. Commonly used clients include ChatZilla, irssi, mIRC or XChat.
CGI Gateway: This web based method is usually not blocked by work firewalls and does not require any downloading of software. The main portal is located at here. Wikia's gateway only allows connections to channels approved by wikia and channels beginning with #wikia-
Java: Freenode offers a java client for users that prefer or that none of the above means work for. You can create and join any channel via this method. The java client can be found at Freenode's website.
Qwebirc: Freenode also offers an implemented gateway that is mainly created and used by QuakeNet. The Gateway client can be found at http://webchat.freenode.net/

Choice of client is dependent on your needs and applicable work/firewall restrictions. Choose whatever feels right for you.

Registering

Registering for IRC can be very simple. Step-by-step instructions recommended by Freenode are as follows:

Choose a primary nick and type /msg nickserv register yourpassword youremail
If you wish to keep your email private from others, type /msg nickserv set hidemail on
Check your email for a confirmation message from Freenode to verify your nick by following the attached instructions.
Group an alternate nick (usually your nick with an underscore) to assist in staying logged-in in case your current session freezes or times out. (e.g. Wikian_ ) Nick to an alternate nick and type /msg nickserv group

Ok, you're registered now. You may identify (or login) via /msg nickserv identify yourpassword. You may want to setup your client (if applicable) to automatically identify you. See your clients help files or documentation for instructions on how to do this.

Available Wikia channels

Main channel

For detailed info, see Help:Wikia IRC channels.

Wikia's main channel is #wikia. This channel is designed to be a support channel to assist the community with their wikis. Regulars can also direct newcomers who might be looking for a Wikia wiki specific topical channel used by their community.

Please be courteous of the channel's topic and try not to socialize, it can be distracting or confusing to users seeking assistance. #wikia-social is available for general discussion and socializing. See below for information on channels for individual wikis.

Channels for individual wikis

In the #wikia- IRC channel namespace, access to any channel starting with this prefix is guaranteed by the gateway, while other non-approved channels are restricted to prevent abuse.

A selection of available or allowed channels can be found at the Wikia Community Chat and Support portal, found at http://irc.wikia.com

There is also a Gaming-specific gateway at http://irc.wikia.com/gaming/

Countervandalism channels

Please see Help:CVN.

Channel operators and blocking

In case of problems with the channel, please contact an op. You can find one by typing:

/msg chanserv access #channelname list

If you cause disruption to the channel, you may be blocked. To appeal the block, please contact an admin of the relevant channel.

Channel operators should be careful when banning users of the CGI:IRC gateway. Make sure you ban the user's IP address and not the Wikia gateway. For example banning *!aabbcc*@* is the same as banning *!*@aa.bb.cc.* normally. (Each part of the IP is represented by two letters).

Alternatively, block the username only, for example test123*!*@box1.tpa.wikia-inc.com rather than *!*@box1.tpa.wikia-inc.com.

To convert the hex to an IP for someone using the CGI gateway, use can be used to convert hex to an IP at this site. For example, for i=a5e4830c@gateway/web/..., a5e4830c converts to 165.228.131.12.