Chat Rooms

Instructions

How To Use ReunioNet Chat

Instructions

Overview

Chat lets you participate in  real-time virtual communities. You can exchange information, questions, issues, and concerns with fellow users. Instead of carrying on conversations by voice, chat rooms allow you to type a sentence, hit return, and have the sentence immediately be seen by anyone else currently in the chat room. Some people like to join chat groups simply to carry on more immediate discussions with fellow users rather than waiting to read new postings in the message areas.

To use chat, simply log onto ReunioNet (you will need to set up a user name and password the first time you log on). Once logged on, choose the button marked 'Chat' from the row of black buttons in the top frame (menubar). You will be presented with a frame listing the chat room and the number of users in each room. Simply click on the link to the chat room of your choice.

Chat rooms are fully IRC compatible and can be accessed either through the web page, using the built in Java applet, or you can access them with any IRC client. Just point it to 216.255.29.70:7000 and join the Chat channel of your choice.

Disclaimers:
IMPORTANT: ReunioNet has absolutely no control over what users say in this chat area. The same disclaimers apply here as with public user forum messages. It is possible that some users of this chat area will employ abusive and foul language. If you are offended by this type of behavior you are advised not to enter this area.

Remember-the ReunioNet Chat Zone is a java applet. To use the chat feature you must be using a Java enabled browser such as Netscape Navigator 3.0 (or higher) or Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 (or higher)

Users already familiar with Internet chat can probably jump right in, but new users might want to check out the detailed instructions contained in the information below, or use the button marked 'help' from the User Forum/ReunioNet menubar.

How To Use ReunioNet Chat

Entering a Chat Room
To enter a chat room (rooms are also called channels in IRC chat) select Chat from the User Forum/ReunioNet menubar to display the list of available chat rooms. The list shows all available chat rooms, a link to each room via the conference name, and the number of active users appears. The information in this list updates every 60 seconds. To enter a room, click its channel name.

When you select a chat room, ReunioNet Chat loads a new web page that includes the Java chat client. This may take a few seconds so be patient. When the client is loaded, ReunioNet Chat automatically logs you into the chat room using the same name it uses to post your messages. That is, the name is either your real name (with spaces replaced by underscores) or your login name. In IRC chat, the name you are known by is called a nickname. You can change your nickname once you are in chat at any time, as described later in this help.

In general, the login screen passes quickly and you don't see it. However, if someone else is using your nickname, the login screen waits for you to provide a new nickname in the Nick field. After you supply a new nickname (you don't need to give an email address), click Connect and you should be in the chat room.

The Java applet has two columns, or frames. The left frame displays messages typed by members of the room as well as other activity, such as when users join or leave the room. As the conversation continues, it scrolls up. To see past conversation, simply move the scrollbar slider.

The right frame lists the users in the room. Your name is in bold, so you can easily identify yourself. If a channel operator (a person who has control over certain activity in the room) is present, that user's name appears in blue.

The field at the bottom of the applet window is for typing in messages and ReunioNet Chat commands. After you type an entry, press Return to send the message or execute the command. Note that ReunioNet Chat commands all begin with a /, such as /nick. The title bar of the applet shows the room's name and topic, if one is assigned.

This page also includes instructions for reaching this chat room by another IRC client.

Floating the Chat Client
You can have the Java chat client run in a separate window, which leaves your browser free for other use. To float the window, simply click the Float link on the page that contains the chat client. You can now participate in chat while using your browser for other tasks such as posting to ReunioNet, A User's Forum, or joining another chat room (just follow the steps for entering a room earlier in this help). The Java client will stay open until you close your browser or the chat window by clicking the Close button in the title bar.

Changing Your Nickname
When you enter a chat room, ReunioNet Chat automatically uses your real name or login name as your ReunioNet Chat nickname. You can change your nickname at any time during a chat session. For example, to let others know that you are on the phone and can't respond right away, change your nickname from Fred to Fred_phone. If you are going to be away for awhile but want to read the conversation when you return by scrolling back through it, change your name from Buffy to Buffy_errands. And, sometimes you may just want to change your nickname so others aren't completely sure who you are!

To change your nickname during a chat session, enter the following command in the input field at the bottom of the chat client and press Return:

/nick new_nickname

where new_nickname is what you want to be known by. Note that the nickname cannot have spaces. Use underscores instead of spaces if you like.

If someone else is using that nickname, a message appears in the left column telling you it is in use. Nicknames must be unique across all chat rooms, so even though the name doesn't show up in your current room's list, it means someone else chatting on this ReunioNet Chat is using that name.

If no one else is using the name, a message is sent to the room that your name has changed and your new nickname appears in the users list. Your new nickname is good until you change it or leave the chat room.

Chatting: Basics and Beyond
Engaging in a ReunioNet Chat is quite easy. Simply type your messages in the Java client's input field and press Return. Your message appears to everyone else in the chat room, in the scrolling message frame. The input field also scrolls so you can enter a longer message.

To enter a ReunioNet Chat command, you use the same input field. All commands begin with a /, such as /nick. Some commands have only one argument (such as a your new_nickname), while others require more arguments such as another user's nickname or a chat room name. This section describes various ReunioNet Chat commands and how to use them to make your chats more interesting and productive.

To recall a message or command you already entered, use your up arrow key. Each time you press the up arrow, a previous message or command appears in the input field. You can edit the input or repost it as is.

Whispering to other users in the room
Sometimes when you are in a group conversation, you want to say something just to one other person. You can do this in a chat room by whispering to a specific person. You send a message to that person and no one else in the room sees it. That person can also whisper back, if he wants to.

To whisper to someone, click the user's nickname in the User list. A red box around the user's name indicates that you are whispering. As long as that user is selected, all your messages are sent only to that user and not to the whole room. If that person wants to whisper back, he or she must select your nickname from the user list on his or her client.

To stop whispering, simply click on the user's name again to remove the red box. Now any messages you type are shown to the whole room.

Sending messages to other users or rooms (/msg and /notice)

ReunioNet Chat has two commands for sending messages to specific users or rooms. The users can be in the same chat room you are in or in another room at your ReunioNet Chat site (even across different boards). The room can be the current one or another one at this site. Being able to send messages to other users and rooms is handy.

For example, if a technical question arises and no one in the room can answer it, you can send a message to a user who you know can use it. If that user is logged into chat, he will receive it and can either answer the question directly or come join your chat room. On the other hand, if a discussion in your Cooking chat room turns to local restaurants, you can send a message to the EatingOut room. Users from that chat room can then switch to the Cooking room if they like.

The two commands produce slightly different results, which differs depending on the recipient's client software. The two commands have similar syntax, as follows:

/msg

This command is similar to whispering. The command requires a nickname and a message:

/msg nickname message
for example,

/msg Fred are you around?

If Fred is in any chat room, he receives the message. In the Java client, the message appears as a whisper. In a a PIRCH client, this command opens a separate, private chat window through which he can communicate with you.

/notice

This command is generally used for sending messages to a user in a different room or to an entire chat room. The command requires a nickname or a room (channel) name and a message:

/notice nickname|channel message
for example,

/notice #eatingout Come join our discussion of restaurants in #cooking!

Everyone in the other chat room sees the message. In the Java client, the message appears in a different color from the normal conversation text. In a PIRCH client, this command appears as a Note.

Including non-verbal comments (/action and /me)
In face-to-face discussion you can see people's gestures and get a better sense of their meaning. Even in a phone conversation you can hear the tone of voice as well as laughing and sighing. What about in an electronic chat? How can you tell if someone thinks your joke is funny? How can you tell others that you are shrugging your shoulders?

ReunioNet Chat supports two commands to let you insert non-verbal comments to the conversation. These are also called action comments since you normally use them to express an action rather than a verbal response. These commands both work the same and produce the same results, as follows:

/action action message
for example,

/action is falling off the chair laughing

which produces the following message (action is replaced by the user's nickname):

Skippy is falling off the chair laughing

The second command works the same way, but might be a bit easier to remember:

/me action message
for example,

/me shrugs her shoulders

which produces the following message (me is replaced by the user's nickname):

Michelle shrugs her shoulders

In the Java client, an action message is displayed in a different color and starts with an asterisk (*).

Changing the topic (/topic)
In many chat rooms, anyone can set or change the topic. The topic appears in the client's title bar right after the chat room's name and makes it easy for new comers to see the current topic of discussion. Not all rooms have topics and not all rooms are enabled to allow topic changing. The channel operator determines who can change the topic for any room.

To change the topic, use the following command, which requires a chat room and topic text:

/topic channel new topic
for example,

/topic #cooking Favorite Pot Pie Recipes

which produces the following text in the title bar:

Cooking: Favorite Pot Pie Recipes

In addition to the title bar changing, a message is displayed in the message frame noting that the topic has changed.

Finding information about other users (/who and/whois)
You can quickly get information about other users who are currently in chat. This information can be helpful for tracking down where someone comes from, what their real (or login) name is, and what ReunioNet Chat privileges they have. There are two commands for finding this information, as follows:

/who

This command shows you information a specific user or all current chat users:

/who [nickname]
for example,

/who

gives information about all users. including their real login names and their domain names.

/who Buffy

gives information about the user Buffy, including her real login name and domain name.

/whois

This command gives you more detailed information about a specific user and requires a nickname:

/whois nickname
for example,

/whois Buffy

gives the same information as the /who command as well as what channels she is in and how long it has been since she communicated with the server.

Leaving a chat room (/part)
You can leave a chat room at any time and keep your chat client open. To do so, enter this command:

/part

You will be removed from the chat room, but the client stays open so you can easily rejoin the same chat room or another one.

Joining another chat room (/join)

You can move from chat room to chat room if you know their names. You can do so directly or by first leaving a chat room using the /part command. To join a new room, enter this command:

/join channel
for example

/join #botany

takes you to the botany chat room. If you have been kicked out of a chat room or disconnected somehow, you can use this command to quickly reenter the same room. Remember that you must include the chat room's name, which always starts with a #.

Leaving Chat
To completely leave ReunioNet Chat chat, you can simply click the Close button on the chat client or enter the following command:

/quit

This ends your chat session and returns the Java client to it's login status. You can reenter the same chat room at any time by clicking Connect.

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