Netiquette

So you're new to IRC and wondering why you keep getting kicked? Well, there's a good chance it's because you're not following the unspoken 'code' that exists between other IRC users - netiquette.

What is netiquette? Think of it as the IRC equivalent of saying 'please' when you want something - it's simply good manners. Unlike real life though, IRC users tend to take it a little more seriously and if you don't follow some simple rules - rules that may be very unclear to you when you begin using IRC - there's a good chance one or other of the ops will kick you! As it is, many of #hottub's rules are devised around basic netiquette.

While it would be impossible to write a definitive list of netiquette rules - they're unspoken, and often change from server-to-server - here are a few givens on Lagnet, and for most of the rest of the net, too:

1) SHOUTING! On IRC, if we want to yell, we type in all caps. You may have seen someone get kicked (or been kicked yourself!) for 'shouting', and that's all it means - the all capital letters are big and ugly and to most of us who have been around long enough, it actually 'sounds' like someone shouting! Now, just think: if someone asked you "HELLO, HOW ARE YOU?" in real life - how would you feel about it?

2) A/S/L (age/sex/location) questions. While it may seem a convenient way to find out about someone, most people HATE getting a/s/l-ed. Why? Well, different people have different reasons, but there are perhaps three main ones: 1) No-one likes being reduced to a statistic. 2) Most people who are only interested in someone's age, sex and location, are probably looking for someone they can potentially flirt with - and it's a bit on the transparent side! 3) Most people who ask a/s/l are probably 'newbies' - and whilst we don't endorse newbie-discrimination, it does happen! So your best option if you want to get to know someone is probably to do it the long way - have a conversation with them.

3) Flooding. What's a flood? Well, wheras in real life, a flood is a large torrent of water, a flood on IRC is a large torrent of text. Often, it's the same text repeated over and over for effect, for example:

<Flooder> Hey! Any girls out there wanna chat to a hunky male?
<Flooder> Hey! Any girls out there wanna chat to a hunky male?
<Flooder> Hey! Any girls out there wanna chat to a hunky male?
<Flooder> Hey! Any girls out there wanna chat to a hunky male?

The likelihood is, if no-one responded the first time around, they won't respond the next time, or the next, or the next - except, after a while, they may well respond angrily. In a channel like #hottub, in particular, flooding is very irritating to the other users, because there are already a lot of people trying to have legitimate conversations, and a flood interrupts their conversation and makes their screen a mess.

4) Lurking (also known as 'idling'). Different channels feel differently about lurking - sitting in a channel whilst not paying any attention to it - and in some it's okay, while in others it's strictly prohibited. In #hottub, we have no rule against it, but if the tub has reached its maximum limit of 175 people, we will sometimes kick the users who have been idle a long time.

5) Swearing. It's as disdained on IRC as it is in real life. Of course, different channels have different rules about swearing, just as different people have different views in real life on it, but to be on the safe side, don't. Especially not if it's your first time in the channel!

6) Slaps! There are two very common 'slaps' on IRC - the first is mIRC's old:

* Classic slaps Greebo around a bit with a large trout!

And the other is Pirch's:

<Greebo> Greebo slams a 60 lb unix manual on Classic 's head. That gotta hurt... but then again... where there's no sense... there's no feeling!

Whilst these may be utterly hilarious the first couple of times, they soon wear thin - and most people tend to find them very irritating! In #hottub, the 'trout' slap will get you kicked automatically (for 'trout abuse') and the ops tend to frown on the unix manual, too. When in doubt, keep your finger well away from the trigger!

7) ASCII art. You've probably seen this around - it's a bunch of text, line-after-line of it, that looks like a nice picture. Pretty though it is, it's also HIGHLY disruptive in a big channel like #hottub - and in most channels, the full effect of it will be ruined anyway, because people will speak in between the lines of the text and break up it's continuity. It could perhaps be viewed as avant garde art, but like real avant garde art, it's probably just going to annoy people.

8) Private messages out of the blue. If you've ever 'whispered' to someone (in Java) or /msg'd them in mIRC or Pirch, you know what a 'private message' is. In most chat programmes, though, it opens up a new window for the person you're trying to talk to. And if that person has never met you before, there's a good likelihood they'll simply close it without saying hello. Or tell you off in the channel about not talking to strangers!

9) Silly questions. They get silly answers: "Hey, anyone want to chat?" "No, we're here for the hang-gliding!" If you want people to chat to you, it's best to start making conversation in the main channel with people until others see you and think, "Ooh, that seems like an interesting person. Perhaps we can talk in private." In fact, if you ask if "anyone wants to chat" than most people are going to think quite the opposite!

And last but not least:

10) Manners. This works the same as in real life. It's always a good policy to say 'thank you' and 'please' and 'you're welcome' to people when they deserve it. Courtesy will always go down well, in real life or on IRC, so use it whenever applicable and you'll find people respond to you much better!

Well, that's all for now, but there are of course many more bits and pieces of IRC subtleties that you'll pick up along the way. However, if you follow the simple rules above- and your common sense - you'll find your IRC experience a much more pleasurable one - as will those around you.