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Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is one of the most popular interactive services on the internet.
The web is nice if you are looking for information, and email is surely better than snailmail, but for true interactivity you need something like IRC, nothing beats live conversations, and if you prefer it, you can still hide behind a nickname without revealing your true identity. Look at IRC like internets equivalent of CB radio, with the exception that IRC allows people from all over the world to participate in the discussion.
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Using an IRC client you can exchange text messages interactively with other people all over the world. Any IRC client on
any operating system can be used. What program you use doesn't really matter; all of them connect to the same chat networks.
When logged into a chat session, you "converse" by typing messages that are instantly sent to other chat participants.
Meeting people. IRC is great fun and you'll sure meet lots of interesting people and find nice spots to hang out! Most channels contain helpful users who wants to help you with any problems you have got. As in life -and CB radio- not all those chatters have something interesting to say, but some do, and many people have developed lasting friendships through IRC. Even marriages have resulted from relationships first forged on IRC. In fact, some people have become so addicted to chatting on the Internet that there's a Usenet newsgroup entitled alt.irc.recovery. The value of IRC depends on how you use it. IRC can keep you company when you can't sleep, contribute to family togetherness and cut your phone bill. It also can expose you to unpleasant behavior. Chats can get wild and woolly, and anyone (male or female) who takes on a female persona is likely to be hit on. There is indeed a great deal of sextalk, sleaze and garbage on IRC, and one should exercise caution in allowing children to access the IRC without supervision. But, as an adult, you are free to visit only the channels you choose, and there is also a great deal of positive communication going on. IRC gained international fame during the Gulf War in 1991, where updates from around the world came accross the wire, and most irc users who were online at the time gathered on a single channel to hear these reports. IRC had similar uses during the coup against Boris Yeltsin in September 1993, where IRC users from Moscow were giving live reports about the unstable situation there. As you see, Internet Relay Chat is a great way to talk to people from all over the world about anything at all. On top of the latest world news there are many help related and tech support channels where you can get immediate assistance with perplexing computer related problems on the spot and in easy to read typewritten form! Beware of one thing though... it is easy to get hooked on IRC !!!
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