divid3d

Previous thread: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/foru...ad.php?t=380635

The History of UG Chat

The first UG chat ever was on a server called AfterNET. What happened was that the UG Operators could only control went on in that channel, not the rest of the server. So when idiots went and spammed other channels, the host 'Guitar_Gue' was banned, preventing new users from using the chat. Then, LordSephorith and his friend frostbite had a server and gave it to UG. What was different about this server is that UG controlled EVERYTHING in that server. After using LordSephiroth's server for quite some time, he and his friend decided that they could no longer fund it. SpacedOut quickly found another server in purevanity but sadly, it didn't last long. We then moved to irc.connorhd.net and were there for a few years before moving once again to alpha.ircster.com.

How can I talk on the Ultimate-Guitar server/channel?

The quickest and easiest way to get started is to use a java/web-based chat. One is provided by UG, a link to it can be found in the menu just above the forums, to the left of the search bar:

Click the 'Chat' link. Once the page has loaded and you are in the chat, select a nickname by typing your desired nick into the box at the bottom right where it says 'Change nick to', and then press enter.

Another option, provided by Connorhd, is accessible at: http://www.ircster.com/
Just click 'Chat Now', type in your desired nickname and click 'Connect'. Then type /join #ultimate-guitar to join the UG Chat.

If you just want to get in there and start chatting, don't want to install new software or just aren't very good with computers, then this is probably the best option for you. All you need to do is choose a nickname and you're ready to roll!

Otherwise, the chat can be accessed on an IRC client such as mIRC (alternate clients are listed below).

mIRC


To get the latest version of mIRC:

- Visit http://www.mirc.com/get.html

- Click 'Download mIRC', and when prompted, save the install file on your computer.

*Please note that mIRC will prompt you to register the software when the evaluation period is over. The program will still work when the evaluation period is over, you just have to wait a few seconds ater opening it before it lets you click 'continue'. If you don't want to bother with that at all, Version 6.03 is available here and won't prompt you on start-up. Thanks to Snyper for hosting the file.*




To install mIRC on your computer:

- When the install file has finished downloading, open it and follow the prompts. By default it will install in the following directory: C:/Program Files/mIRC




General install/setup information provided by mIRC can be found here: http://www.mirc.com/install.html

For specific instructions on how to reach the UG chat, see below.

- After installing mIRC, double click on the program shortcut and mIRC will run. The first time you use mIRC you will see a window with the options 'register now' and 'continue'. If you would like to trial the program, click 'continue'. If you would like to register and pay for it, click 'register now'.

- The 'mIRC Options' window (pictured below) is the next thing you will see, and while most of the settings here can be altered later once you're more familiar with the program, there are a few details which must be filled out before you can start chatting. Check the mIRC Help Files for information on the other settings.


- In the menu on the left, you will see that Connect is selected. Before you can connect to the UG server/channel and start chatting you will need to enter the following information into the connect dialog.

Full Name: You can enter your name here or a comment if you prefer (a period/full stop will do if you don't want to enter anything personal). Whatever you enter here can be seen by other people on IRC. Most people do not enter their real name.

Email Address: You can enter an email address or comment here (a period/full stop will do if you don't want to enter an email address). Most people do not enter their real email address.

Nickname: Your nickname is the name by which people will know you on IRC. It is possible that someone might already be using the nickname you choose. If that is the case, you should choose a different nickname.

- You can also enter an Alternative nickname which will be used if someone is already using your main nickname. If both nicknames are in use, mIRC inserts "/nick" into the status window edit box so that you can enter a new nickname and press the enter key.

- Next, select Servers in the menu on the left.

- Then click Add and the Add Server dialog will appear (pictured below).


- Enter the following information into the add server dialog.

Description: UG Chat Server
IRC Server: alpha.ircster.com
Ports: 6667
Group: *leave blank*
Password: *leave blank*

- Then click Add.

UG Chat Server should now be in the list of available servers (pictured below).


- Make sure UG Chat Server is highlighted, and then click Select.

- The connect dialog will now reappear. If you are happy with the nickname chosen, click the Connect button.

- If a Favourites dialog appears, just close it for now. You can decide later whether or not you would like to use this feature to store your favourite channels.

- You should now see a Status window. You will know when you are connected when it welcomes you and gives you information about the server.

- Type: /join #ultimate-guitar and press enter.

- The #ultimate-guitar channel window will now open and you are ready to chat. A list of users currently connected to the channel can be seen on the right hand side.

- If at any point you would like to change your nickname, type: /nick <newnickname> and press enter. For example, typing /nick Bob would change your nick to Bob.


Alternate clients

IRC Clients for Windows:

mIRC - http://www.mirc.com
X-Chat - http://www.xchat.org/
HydraIRC - http://www.hydrairc.com/
Bersirc - http://bersirc.free2code.net/

IRC Clients for the MAC:

Colloquy - http://colloquy.info/
Ircle 3.1 Beta - http://www.ircle.com
Snak - www.snak.com/Snak.html
ShadowIRC - http://www.shadowirc.com

IRC Client for Linux:

X-Chat - http://www.xchat.org/

__________________

divid3d

~ Official Rules ~

Please read these VERY CAREFULLY as you will not be given a second chance...

- No flooding of any kind.
- No asking to be a IRC Operator.
- No DoS/ICMP/Nuking our users. Users doing so will be banned permanently from the server and ISP will be contacted.
- No harmful bots.
- There will be no impersonating of our users or IRC Operators.
- Respect all users and IRC Operators.
- No threats towards our users or the IRC Network.
- No piracy, child pornography or any serving of anything that may be illegal.
- No spamming of channels, websites, etc.
- No registering nicks used by other people to prevent them from using the nick. You should only have your own nick registered.


~ Helpful Hints & Info ~

- Fonts
If using mIRC, you can click the icon in the top left corner of the status window or a channel window to change the font in that window (pictured below).


- Registering nicks
The command to register your current nick on the server is:
/nickserv register <password> <e-mail>
Please select a password which is difficult for others to guess, and use your real email address.

- Identifying nicks
The command to identify for your nick is:
/nickserv identify <password>
The password is the one you chose when you registered your nick.

- Aliases
If there are commands that you are likely to type often, such as the command to identify for your nickname, then mIRC users can set up shortcuts called 'aliases' to make things quicker and easier each time you'd like to use that command. For example, instead of typing /nickserv identify <password> you could just type /i and mIRC will do the rest for you.

To set up an alias in mIRC, you need to open the Scripts Editor, either using the button at the top of the screen (pictured below), or via the Tools menu.


Select the Aliases tab. If there is already information in the list, do not delete it. Either enter your aliases above or below the pre-existing ones, with each alias on a new line.

To set up the alias mentioned above, where typing /i would replace /nickserv identify <password>, type the following information onto a new line:
/i /nickserv identify <password>
where <password> is replaced by the password you chose when you registered your nick.

You could also set up an alias to making joining the UG Chat easier, so that instead of typing /join #ultimate-guitar to enter the channel, you just need to type /ug. To do this, enter the information below on a new line:
/ug /join #ultimate-guitar

It should look like this:


Click OK to save your new aliases, and now you can close the Scripts Editor window. From now on, you just need to type /i to identify yourself and /ug to join the UG Chat - easy!

- Actions
The command to complete an action, for example *~manda jumps around in excitement! is:
/me <action goes here>
For the above example I would have typed /me jumps around in excitement!

- mp3 scripts
To display the music you are listening to on your computer in the chat for all to see, you can use an mp3 script such as AMIP.
AMIP can be downloaded here http://amip.tools-for.net/wiki/amip/download and instructions for how to install and use it are provided on the site.

- Useful Commands:
For help regarding nicks:
/msg nickserv help
For help regarding channels:
/msg chanserv help

- Chat Ops
An operator is the equivalent of a moderator in the chat. There are several types of op, and you can tell which users are operators by the symbol in front of their nick in the userlist:
~ denotes a channel owner
& denotes a super op
@ denotes an op

If a user has one of these symbols in front of their name you should always follow their instructions. They have the power to kick you from the channel, ban you from the channel so that you are unable to speak, or kickban you, which removes you from the channel and does not allow you to rejoin until you are unbanned. Follow the guidelines listed in the next post and you won't have any trouble with the ops

- Other Stuff To Be Aware Of:

- Coloured text is a nuisance to most users of the channel as many have different coloured backgrounds. We would appreciate if you didn't change your text colour as it may make it unreadable for some. If you use mIRC and the colours are just too bland for you, you can change them. Alt+k will bring up a new window in which you can change your colours.

- 1337 speak is generally frowned upon. Shorthand, such as "ur" is acceptable but t4lKin lyk d1s is just being obnoxious.

- Although this is a guitar orientated site, conversations in the chat don't always have to do with guitars, and the forums are usually a better place for guitar/gear questions. Please don't come in and point out that this is a guitar site and we should talk about guitars. If you do have a guitar/gear question, feel free to ask it but don't be surprised if you are directed to the forums for an answer!

- If you enter the chat and people are already discussing a topic, try to feel your way into the conversation. If no one is talking, say something for people to respond to. Don't be shy, we were all new at once so we know what it was like.

- There are many scripts out there for you to customise your chat client, try http://mircscripts.com or http://nnscript.esnation.com.

__________________

divid3d

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR CHAT USERS

1. Be friendly and welcoming to new chatters - tricking them into quitting the chat or flaming them incessantly is NOT being friendly and welcoming.
2. Respect other users, ops and chat owners.
3. Take any verbal warnings or disciplinary action from the ops seriously. Be mature and make effort to amend your behaviour.
4. No racism.
5. Think before posting a link - whilst the chat is more relaxed than the forums, linking to anything hideous or illegal will put you at risk of punishment.
6. No excessive use of caps.
7. No flooding.
8. If there is a problem or you feel you have been banned unfairly, please post in the Chat Information thread or send a private message to divid3d.

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR CHAT OPS

1. Always remember that the chat has never been as strict or serious as the forums/columns. Of course, some order needs to be kept, but keep in mind that the chat is meant to be a fun and relaxed environment for all.
2. Always try to give verbal warnings before resorting to kicking, and kick before resorting to banning (where possible - if it is something really serious then it may be appropriate to skip the verbal warning or kicking). Most people will change their behaviour if given a chance to.
3. Remember that time moves fast in IRC - bans rarely need to be in place for more than a day or two in order to get the point across. Regularly check the banlist and clear any of your bans that have been active for a sufficient period of time.
4. Respect other users, ops and chat owners.
5. Try to avoid deleting topics made by someone else (add your message to the end where possible and do not delete the "Welcome to #ultimate-guitar/UG Chat" message) or overturning the bans of others (unless a ban has been active for a very long time, try and discuss it with the op who made the ban, or a chat owner, before unbanning).
6. Do not give ops to people who have not been put on the auto-op list, (even for a few seconds) unless completely necessary. If more ops are needed in the channel, discuss it with divid3d.
7. Have fun and participate in conversations! Only step in and take action as an op when you need to.
8. Try to visit the Chat Information thread on a regular basis to keep yourself up to date with what is happening with the chat.
9. If there is a problem or you need help/advice, please post in the Chat Information thread or PM divid3d.

Problems/Issues

- If there are server problems or any other technical issues, please check the recent posts in this thread to see if other people are having the same problem as you, or if they have a solution to the problem. If you still require help, make a post detailing what is wrong. Connorhd is the owner of the server and posts in this thread occasionally when something is wrong or changed.

- If there are things occurring within the UG channel that you are unhappy about, please either post in this thread or send a private message to divid3d.

__________________

divid3d

thread now active! please use it to discuss any chat problems that may arise, seek help with accessing the chat, give help to other users, etc

__________________

nightraven

awesome stuff

especially because i use "/ug" to get into chat as well

divid3d

*highfive*

__________________

nightraven

no problem d00d

ZeGuitarist

What is this I don't even

__________________

~ ZeG

The Ultimate Guide to Guitar.

Stereo Images.

~ Quote of the Year:

jimmy_neutron

Yo harrypits, imma let you finish, but the advertising in your sig is the best advertisng ever.

...

*reported*

nightraven

^ you two should both get on chat so we can play putt

Confusius

mandaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

__________________


Call me Kyrl, pronounced Curl


DOIN DAT FUNKY DANCE

divid3d

don't reply to spam posts

__________________

Colohue

Especially by quoting them.

__________________

I have the most profile views on UG.

jimmy_neutron

fixed.


oicwutyoudidthar

-_-

Also, tom, i only quoted it so people know what I'm reporting, and don't repeatedly report it. Thus making life easier for you and your lovely team. plus i thought my joke was kinda funneh

Colohue

Memes aren't jokes.

They're like rectal catheters.

__________________

I have the most profile views on UG.

Confusius

So this mum walks into her daughters bkedromm and talks and ish and the girl says:

is dad over his diahorrea?

to which her mother answers:

diahorrea?

to which the daughter says:

yeah, I heard you the otherd day say: HEY THAT shit hard yet or what?




how's that for funny?

__________________


Call me Kyrl, pronounced Curl


DOIN DAT FUNKY DANCE

Colohue

I seem unable to get onto chat. I shall try again tomorrow.

__________________

I have the most profile views on UG.

prncessdew

not only you, I can't either, the server must be down for now.

__________________
<Leon> nadda, you are such like a housewife.

Draken

I find myself concerned about the direction chat has been taking in recent weeks. Previously chat was a nice place to go, somewhere where you could let your hair down more so than in the pit, it was a place where the moderation team was able to hobnob with some of the more dedicated users in a calmer and more relaxed environment without as much intervention or pointless arbitration of a fixed set of behavioural parametres.

Chat had rules, uncodified rules which were obvious, warn people what you were posting in links so people could avoid potential offence, general respect, not bowing and curtsying and you could mock the ops a little more than you can now.

The chat is becoming more and more an arm of the forums with the moderation team crossing over, mods who treat the chat more like the pit and seem to quash everything applying the letter rather than the spirit of the rules. I'm not going to name any names about who i think is doing a poor job, but there are certain ops who i think need to have thier powers either scaled back or revoked due to misuse.


That's just my opinion.