hexchat is an irc (internet relay chat) program that you can leave on and hide in your status bar when you're not using it. it allows you to quickly go in and out of the chatroom as you please. it's free and lightweight.
get hexchat (windows/linux/osx)when you first start up hexchat, you'll get this pop-up. set up your preferences like this with a nickname and password of your choice:
be sure to add "#thebackalleys" in the "Autojoin channels" tab.
then click 'connect'
what you should see now is something like this.
the tab to the left is the server you're connected to, and the list of channels you are in. the middle is the chatroom, and the right is the user list. you can right-click on someone in the user list to interact with them.
beneath the chatroom is where you type your messages.
one last thing to do before we're done here - register your username with the server so that your password works.
#thebackalleys irc channel is hosted on rizon, a very large irc server with many registered names. you might want to consider protecting your name so others don't take it.
to do this, type
/ns register yourpassword your@email
into the chat and press enter. once you've done this, a confirmation email will be sent to you. in the email, there will be a command for you to copy and paste into the chat and enter. after doing this successfully, your name will be registered. let me know if you do this so that i can add you to the channel's voice list, which will give you a welcome message and automatic voice status when you join the chatroom!
if you used the same password that you entered into your hexchat settings, you will be automatically logged in to your name every time you join the irc.
if you do not log in at least once every 30 days, your nick will be unregistered and you'll have to do this again.
#thebackalleys is only one of many thousands of channels on rizon, so if you're ever curious about what other channels to join, ask what other channels people go to,
/whois someone to see what channels they are on, or type
/list to get a list of all the public channels on rizon.
some tips on irc and hexchat:
- when you first exit hexchat, it will ask you if you want to quit the program or minimize it to the tray. if you select minimize to tray, you'll stay connected to irc but it will be out of your way. if someone says your name, hexchat will blink to get your attention.
- if you want to get someone else's attention, say their name! chances are their irc program will let them know someone is trying to talk to them.
- double-click on someone's name to start a private chat session with them.
- a blue icon next to someone's name is +v or "voice" mode - which means if the channel is moderated that person can still speak. the channel is rarely in moderated mode, so this is more of an honorary promotion given to regular users or members of the community. light blue is half-op, green is op, yellow is admin and orange is owner.
