Classes are held on the IRC server simegen.com in #classroom -- which you can reach just by going to the page http://www.simegen.com/techtools/chat/   -- and following the directions, or with your own IRC chatware.

Further instructions can be found on http://www.simegen.com/romance/chatfaq.html

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<Karen> Hi.  good to see you.
*** LaSylva is now known as AnitaRobi
<Karen> Anita will do....good to see you.
<AnitaRobi> Hello! What a difference this extra window makes! :)
*** AnitaRobi is now known as Anita
<Karen> what extra window, being on IRC instead of through the website?
<Anita> Sort of on the website - the Java was blowing up....
<Karen> I'll teach you how to add another window to this one if you like
<Anita> Do you have two windows for two chats?
<Anita> (Like meetingroom and simegen)
<Karen> You can have a lot of chats, I set up a spare window, and I also want
to teach you to do DCC chat
<Anita> DCC??
* Karen smiles
<Karen> yes
<Karen> first, let's get you into the other room.
<Anita> OK
<Karen> use the command list at the top of the screen and do another join
channel
<Karen> join #sgchat
<Anita> Hi!
<Karen> Hi
<Karen> now, try something else
<Anita> How did you make the "smiles" (in color)?
<Karen> at the top of your window is a bunch of little pictures, use the one
with two windows over each other to stack your windows.
<Karen> Oh you did that.
<Karen> Hi William
<william> hi
<Anita> Hi, william!
<william> hi
<Karen> Ok, Anita to make it "do something"  write on a fresh line    /me (and
your action)
* Karen laughs
* Anita smiles back
<Karen> Yes
<Karen> want to try a DCC?  I'll send you one, then tell you how to send one
<Karen> answer your little window
<Anita> I did - got an error (try again?)
<Anita> What does DCC mean?
<Karen> Ok, we will try again.  Direct Communication.  No one else can see
who you are talking to
<Anita> I got an "Unable to Connect!" and DCC session closed msg
<Karen> shall we try one more time?
<Anita> OK...
<Karen> try again, I'll send another
<Anita> Same error...can william see this?
<william> yes
<Karen> He can see this part of the discussion.
<Karen> OK -- could be my computer.  Want to try and send me one.  I can tell
you how
<Karen> William is on the website, and can't send DCC's I don't think
<Anita> Ok - tell me what to do. I'll try to connect from here.
<Karen> to send me a DCC --- click on my name first with your left mouse
button to highlight it.
<Karen> then use your right button to get the menu
<Karen> go down to DCC and go to chat.  Then send me a chat
<Anita> I've sent two...
<Anita> Got a Ping? on the last one
<Karen> hmmm.  wonder why it is not working.
<Karen> could be my new computer
<Karen> let me try something myself.
<Karen> I can make two of me appear here with another IRC
<Karen> wait a minute please
<william> oh ok
<KLitman> This is me also.
<KLitman> let me see if I can DCC myself
<Anita> The error in my server box is "Unable to resolve local host for DCC
chat"
<Karen> I also received an error.  Not sure why
<Anita> We need this to use a moderated room, right?
<Karen> I don't need to moderate it for the three of us, but I can.
<Anita> Not now - during class is what I meant
<Karen> only those of us with the @ in front of the name can do that.
<Karen> Yes, it would be moderated in class
<Karen> I'm puzzled why DCC will not work, and I will ask Jenn about that.
<william> don't feel bad
<Karen> William is a long time friend of mine.
<william> yes
<Anita> Is that the same as "Private Msg" button on website?
<Karen> Any other problems you had, Anita?
<Anita> DCC...
<Karen> It could be.  The website is different.
<Karen> I tried DCC, and mine didn't work either.
<Anita> My problem was not realizing the program wasn't working....
<william> Karen, would you like me to try?
<Karen> It could be the server, or something else, about the DCC
<Anita> ...because it is new to me.
* Karen nods
<Karen> You could try, william, go ahead
<Anita> I got a box (only get one in ICQ), so....
<Anita> I could see everyone else's comments & that the system saw me *trying*
<Anita> DCC work with Karen, William?
<Karen> William has tried the private message box.  That one works, but it is
not the same as a DCC.  To use that, you need the name of the person you are
contacting.
<Anita> Name as in "Karen" or the login name?
<Karen>  You need to type in the status window /msg (space) Charles (space)
then the message
<Karen> then you type their name such as "Charles", and then the message.   A
little box pops up.
<william> I tried that
<Karen> to message in IRC here, go to your status window and type /Karen and
something else, and I should get it
<Karen> let me try to message you.  I gave you the wrong information
* Karen has been sitting at this computer all day.
  Now look at the top of your screen above this window.
* Anita ??
<Karen> you should see little buttons.  One is red, that's the message one.  
Click on it.
<Karen> you figured that one out.
<Anita> What are the other two buttons with your name?
<Karen> They could be the DCC's,  check what they say when you open them
<Anita> Yes - that's them (complete with "session closed" error msg
<Karen> All right, now you can find where they are also...at the top of the
windows
<Karen> William is having problems
<Karen> Shall we try another DCC
<Anita> OK
* Karen smiles
<Karen> OK Anita, do you want to try and message me using the directions from
before
<Anita> status screen or this one?
<Karen> Use the DCC option
<Karen> either the one by Commands, or the one by clicking on my name with
the mouse
<Karen> status screen is to use with /msg
<Anita> Same error on the mouse click - I'll try status
<Karen> It could be a problem on my end.
<Anita> "insufficient parameters"? Different error this time...
<Anita> I typed: /msg Karen
<Karen> you gave it a command it didn't know.
<Karen> Let me try to DCC you again
<Karen> Look for that window
<Anita> Same error - unable to connect
<Karen> I don't know why.  Will ask Jenn.  Could be my computer or something.
<Anita> Or mine - haven't done this successfully before.
<Anita> I could have some switch wrong somewhere
<Karen> No, I have a different computer than I had last week.  We'll find out
somehow
* Anita grimaces
<Karen> Anything else I can help with
<Anita> Background - why IRC? Just curious.
<Karen> IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat.
<william1> good question
<Karen> You can "talk" to anyone in the world with it.
<Anita> What is better about it than some of the others?
<Karen> Jenn Vesperman was visiting here in New Jersey last year with me, and
she was able to talk to Dancer with it.
<Anita> I'm new - I don't have strong preference.
<Anita> The Romance chat also mentioned "PIRCH"
<Karen> I don't know what the preferences are for the type of program.  I
also use ICQ
* Anita confusion...
<Anita> I understand UNIX-IRCs vs Windows-IRC, but various Win-IRCs?
<Karen> Pirch is a different type of IRC --- I don't know anything about
PIRCH except that they are compatable.
<Anita> So - IRC is not "program" but "protocol"?
<Karen> I think so
<Anita> For the class - the only other thing I need to do is be able
<Anita> to Pvt Msg, but that's not working, right?
<Karen> Private message is working
<william1> yws
<Karen> that's the one you do in the status box  /msg
<Anita> oh, let me try that again....
<Karen> so msg works, but not the DCC
<Anita> William - I sent you one, did you get anything?
<william1> hold p on
<Karen> If William is using the website, I am not sure if he received it.
<Anita> I don't see a button for him
<Karen> on the website, I do not know
<william1> ok
<william1> thought I ask
<Anita> Karen - where is #simegen? is #sgchat always here?
<Anita> I didn't see either in the list of rooms when I got here.
<Karen> no, the rooms are made at any time that they are needed
<Anita> So - nobody there, no room... :)
<Karen> yes, something like that.
<Anita> Do you know if Patric will be able to continue as a student?
<Karen> yes, he will be
<Karen> I spoke to him today on the phone.
<Anita> Good!
<Anita> He's been very helpful with "technical difficulties"
<Anita> HTML, etc.
<Karen> he will be away for about a month.  I can help with some of that.  
I'm supposed to be wearing his "hats"
<Anita> I was worried the job would keep him from enjoying the rest of the
class (the learning part)
<Karen> no, he's saving his mail
<Anita> I'm ok with the posts and "basic" HTML now...
<Anita> Still don't like the formatted lists, though.
<Anita> Can't make them space like paragraphs. Looks awful.
* Anita sighs
<Karen> They won't indent easily in HTML
<Anita> But the numbers make it easier for JL & Jean to refer to things.
<Karen> I suggest you purchase an HTML program to help with it.  Or HTML for
Dummies
<Anita> Good idea...I'm using Frontpage Express (found it on my new
<Anita> box - I think "Express" means "teaser"
* Karen giggles
<Karen> the HTML editor will help you.
<Karen> I will be editing this, before I send it to Jacqueline.
<Karen> but I will not be coding it in HTML
<Anita> Yes - a more fleshed out HTML editor would be good.
<william1> the editing is a good idea
<Karen> I'm using Arachnaphilia
<Karen> not sure of the spelling....
<Anita> Spiderfriends!
<Karen> yes.
<Anita> Can't think of any more chat questions....
<Anita> Practice, practice, is what I'll need
<Anita> (And write myself some notes tonight....)
<Karen> well, we can chat in general.  How can I help you in anything else.  
Feel free to talk now.
<Karen> go to the help files, right now....at the top of the window
<Anita> Ok
<Anita> More exploring...
.