The IRC FAQ

Question: What is IRC?

Answer: IRC is an acronym for Internet Relay Chat. IRC has existed for years in the "tech" community to communicate between other IT people. The concept is straight forward: a central server is set up where users can connect to "relay" text messages to other users. This "Real Time Chat" environment is like a group of people in a room, in the real world; on IRC, the "room"' or "channel" is a virtual place. People exchange ideas and get to know each other in a fast paced, rolling conversation that -- like in the real world -- everyone in the room can "hear" (or rather, see) and respond.

Question: Do I have to install software to participate in the Chat?

Answer: Depending on how you decide to connect to the central server, you may be required to install some small software. You need a client to access the IRC chat. When connecting using the link through this, or other Democracy Cell Project webpages, you will need to have some form of Java installed on your computer for the java applets to appear. If you are more experienced with IRC, you may choose to use a client like mIRC or Trillian. There are other IRC connection clients available on the net -- either free or for a small charge.

Question: Is there a list of commonly used commands for use in IRC?

Answer: You can find a list of IRC user commands here.

Question: What does all this chatroom slang, like "lol" and "brb", mean?

Answer: You can find a list of commonly used slang terms here.

Question: What other things can I do on IRC besides chat in the #DCP?

Answer: You can do many other things on IRC. You can:

• Chat privately with another user with a "PM" or a private message. Right click on another users' nickname and select Query; a new window will pop up, allowing you to chat privately with that user.
• Create non registered channels, sometimes called Dynamic Channels. Dynamic Channels are created by typing: /join #any.channel.you.want. You can then invite others to your temporary channel for discussion; when the last person leaves, that channel ceases to exist. You may also register your channel so that when you leave, your channel will remain waiting for your return.
• transfer files from user to user on IRC using a protocol called DCC Send. You can transfer pictures, text, or any type file using this feature.

Question: Is a log record kept of the conversations in the main #DCP and any other Official Democracy Cell Project IRC channels?

Answer: Yes, the moderators of these channels keep a log file of the chat the entire time they are in the room. You may also log the chat if you have that functionality in your IRC client. (Sorry -- java client users do not have this capability.) Note that you may request segments of the chat log to be made public. With the DCP staff's approval, these segments will be made available to you. The Democracy Cell Project reserves the right to edit any content of the chat logs.