I was wondering if there are any good places to chat online. I mean places where you can have real conversations(text-wise) with people.
What are your favorites.
directly behind your keyboard,usually in front of your monitor.
heh,sorry I couldn’t help that one. I’m sure someone will come along to help ya…
I don’t like chatting, so I’ve never been there… but I hear rumors about this mysterious IRC channel called #straightdope…
Really?
I have a hotmail account and I like MSN chat. I don’t do it often and I often end up in a room with regulars. But it’s fun if I’m board.
yahoo and irc kick ass
Or to be PC, Deafchat.com
Yes, really. #straightdope is on undernet, on IRC. It’s pretty good. Sometimes great, sometimes slow and boring.
It is totally unaffiliated with the SDMB, Cecil Adams, etc., etc.
There’s also #sdmb, also on undernet. same disclaimers.
bwahahahahaha!
Tell me what’s so funny, or I’ll kick your ass.
I prefer the EFNet Internet Relay Chat network. It’s the oldest, largest, and most stable network, with over 100,000 users simultaneously connected. It’s also one of the least complex from the user’s point of view, as there’s no registration to mess with.
Download the mIRC IRC client from mirc.com, and follow the directions at efnet.org to get connected. You can also use the same program to connect to Undernet, which is where the (unofficial) #straightdope channel can be found. You can find more information on anything at irchelp.org.
Since when does one have to register to connect to an IRC network? I mean, you can register your nickname if you want, but that’s optional and actually quite nice, as it keeps others from impersonating you.
That was what I was referring to. Dalnet and other networks require you to register to keep nicknames or channels, which IMHO is a very bad thing. Hence why I’m on EFNet, primarily. I also like how IRCops don’t interfere with the user experience.
Since I don’t like being at the mercy of pimply faced teenage channel operators acting like hall monitors on speed, on the rare occasions I chat at all outside of my existing, close circle of ICQ and Yahoo Messenger chat friends (most of whom I’ve known for years), I’ll take the plunge and venture into web-based Yahoo chat.
Sure, Yahoo Chat is tedious and full of people called hard_one_4_U-kewl staying up past their bedtimes, but so is IRC. If you just go in there, ignore the idiots, use ackshual grammar and spelling, and act politely, you’ll probably find yourself in a Private Message conversation with a similarly minded individual before too long. Then you can ignore the dreck in the main room, and you’ve got a new internet friend to keep in touch with by other (non Yahoo chat room) means in future. It works for me.
I don’t understand. If you don’t register your nick, how else can you keep others from using it? Are you referring to the (somewhat recent) practice of requiring a valid email address to register?
Also, IME, IRCops tend to be fairly even handed - when you can find them at all. I remember once or twice on Dalnet trying to track down an IRCop and finding only three or four online, all of whom were idle.
I’m also having trouble understanding how an IRCop would ruin the experience of a well-behaved user. If you were spamming, trying to hack channels, or otherwise being an ass, I can see how they’d be the bane of your existence. If you’re just minding your own business, though, they tend to leave you alone.