Those of you who are new to the wonderful world of IRC might think that the basic idea is that you type into your IRC client (such as AmIRC, mIRC, pIRCh, etc.) whatever you want to say on a channel, and have it sent across the server to the others on the channel.
This is about as accurate as saying that painting is waving a paintbrush at a canvas.To describe exactly what IRC is like is impossible, it's not really like anything else you have tried in the real world. And if you think it is then you are sadly mistaken. The premise of IRC is the same. It's a bunch of like minded people meeting up to chat. About anything. It is roughly similar to an outing to the pub, where you go to relax and talk to your friends.
But there are differences, and the differences are what I am focusing on.
In a pub, you sit next to each other, and can add different meaning to what you say by
the inflections you put on your pronunciation, and the body language of the person you are
talking to.
Alas, the miraculous internet has not yet stretched itself so far as to be able to do this
yet. So the nearest you could get to IRC in the real world, is to get your friends
together, then put screens around everybody so you can't see anybody else, and then talk in
monotones. I'll bet you wouldn't be able to identify which friend is which in a hurry.
And so we come to the woeful consequences of such mental isolation in this environment.
When people talk to you, you will not know if they are happy or sad, angry or fearful,
envious or mirthful. It is exactly the same as reading what I have written here.
From reading this document so far, are you able to determine, my mood? My age? My gender?
Did I write this in a fit of pique, or have I merely been taking powerful narcotics to give
me such a vivid insight in to the world.
A modern day Huxley, writing his thoughts as he trips on mescaline.
Therefore, when someone is talking to you, you cannot tell if what they say is what they mean, or whether sarcasm reigns. Or perhaps more importantly, if you crack a joke, will people understand it as a joke or will they find you offensive?
Of course, before you even saw a modem, you will have heard about the infamous "smileys", the crude approximations of body language using intricate combinations of increasingly obscure ASCII characters.
Misinterpretation reigns on IRC, the gremlins of clouded judgement are everywhere, so when
you feel that you understand what is going on, you write clearly, do not make spelling
mistakes to confuse the recipient, and then READ WHAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN. This is absolutely
vital. So even when you have done that read it again. Be mindful of other people on the
channel. Some will be younger than you, and some will be older.
Different minds interpret things differently.
So be clear. Be polite. Be absolutely transparent in the way you express yourself.
And if you feel offended by what other people say to you then remember, those people might
not have read this guide like yourself. They might not mean to offend - so the angel of
REREADING comes into play yet again. And if, without doubt, they are offending you then do
not reach for the heavy artillery of IRC Kicking scripts, do not leave in a huff.
Say "I find that extremely offensive, please change the subject."
After a warning they continue to offend, then feel free to take action. But not before.
Never forget these words, this Code of Conduct. Print this out and stick it next to your computer if need be, but never transgress this now written set of rules. Not because you might be punished, not because some inexorable force will come down and melt your modem, but because if you do offend someone, you will only have yourself to blame, and you will carry the ramifications of such offence with you from then on.