GeekShed IRC Network
Setting Up Greeting Messages
Apr 21st
When I join #theshed the channel bot, Sheldon, posts this greeting:
[11:20] Sheldon: [Bunny] Go Hokies!
That’s a channel greeting, an individualized greeting that is announced to the entire channel. It’s different from the Channel Entry Message, the private message sent to everyone who joins a channel. You’ll only see greeting messages for users with operator or founder status and only in channels where the messages are turned on.
There are two parts to setting up greeting messages: (1) a channel founder has to turn the greetings on, and (2) the channel operators have to set up the specific greetings.
Part One: Turning greeting messages on (or off) for a channel
Who can change the greeting setting for a channel?
Only the channel founder can turn greetings on or off.
How do you can turn greeting messages ON for all channel operators?
To turn channel greetings on, the channel founder first has to assign a bot to the channel. Once a bot is assigned, the channel founder uses the following command:
/msg BotServ SET #channel GREET ON
For example: /msg BotServ SET #topgear GREET ON
Once the setting is turned on, the channel bot will display the personal greeting for any operator or founder who joins the channel. Operators and founders still have to set up their greeting message for it to appear in the channel (see Part Two).
How do you can turn greeting messages OFF for all channel operators?
To turn channel greetings back off, the channel founder simply changes the command setting from “on” to “off”:
/msg BotServ SET #channel GREET OFF
For example: /msg BotServ SET #topgear GREET OFF
Part Two: Setting up your personal greeting message
How do you add a greeting message for yourself?
To add a greeting, you use the following command:
/msg NickServ SET GREET [message]
For example: /msg NickServ SET GREET I come with Bacon!
After setting the message, the bot will announce the greeting when you join channels where you are an operator and the greeting option is turned on. For instance, when the user LordBaconCheeseburger joins #topgear, where he has ops, everyone in the channel sees this:
[23:49]<&Stig> [LordBaconCheeseburger] I come with Bacon!
How can you check what your greeting is set to?
If you want to check your greeting, use the INFO command on yourself:
/msg NickServ INFO [YourNick] ALL
For example: /msg NickServ INFO LordBaconCheeseburger ALL
The system will return information about your login, including the greeting you have set. Here’s the information for LordBaconCheeseburger, for instance. Note the bold line indicating the greeting message:
[23:54] -NickServ- LordBaconCheeseburger is TFlash NextGen
[23:54] -NickServ- Is online from: ~TFlash@somewhere.net
[23:54] -NickServ- Time registered: Apr 15 05:23:55 2011 UTC
[23:54] -NickServ- Last quit message: Quit: LordBaconCheeseburger
[23:54] -NickServ- E-mail address: LordBaconCheeseburger@somewhere.net
[23:54] -NickServ- Greet message: I come with Bacon!
[23:54] -NickServ- Options: Protection, Security, Private, Auto-op
How do you change your greeting message?
To edit your greeting message, just use the command again, with the revised version of the message. It may be useful to copy the original message into a text, revise it there, and then paste in the revision.
If I wanted to change the greeting message for LordBaconCheeseburger, for instance, I would use this command:
/msg NickServ SET GREET I come with Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato!
The new message will replace the old one.
How do you turn off your greeting message?
If you prefer not to have the bot greet you when you join channels, you can remove the message completely. To remove the greeting, use the command without any message information. The command would be:
/msg NickServ SET GREET
Note that you can only remove your own greeting message. To turn off all the greetings in a channel, the channel founder must use the BotServ command explained in Part One.
What makes a good greeting message?
Your greeting message can say whatever you’d like. Ideally, choose something appropriate for all the channels you join. If your greeting uses inappropriate language, the channel founder may ask you to change your greeting or remove you from the channel staff.
—Posted by tengrrl
Setting a Channel Entry Message
Apr 15th
A channel entry message appears to users, somewhat obviously, when they enter a channel. You may think of this as a channel greeting. It is one of three kind of greeting commands. I’ll explain the others, greetings that a bot announces to individuals as they join a channel, in my next post.
Where does a Channel Entry Message appear?
The channel entry message is a private message, sent as a /notice when someone joins a channel. It is the first message in the channel window. Here’s the current entry message from #help, for example:
-TheDramaLlama- [#help] Hello, welcome to #help. Please be patient, as the staff is often busy. Current wait is 2-15 minutes. Thank you for your cooperation and support. || Visit our website at http://www.geekshed.net and our forums at http://www.geekshed.net/forums/ || Feel free to ask for help however If something doesn’t concern you, keep quiet or be banned – yes, really
Who can change a Channel Entry Message?
The channel entry message can only be set, edited, or removed by the channel founder.
How do you set a Channel Entry Message?
To set a channel entry message, the channel founder uses the following command:
/msg ChanServ SET #channel ENTRYMSG [message]
For example:
/msg ChanServ set #topgear entrymsg All you have to do is follow some simple rules. Be nice, yield the right of way, and don’t run into anyone else. How hard can it be?
How do you edit a Channel Entry Message?
To edit the channel entry message, the channel founder uses the command again, with the revised version of the message. It may be useful to copy the original message into a text, revise it there, and then paste in the revision.
If I wanted to change the entry message for #topgear, for instance, I would use this command:
/msg ChanServ set #topgear entrymsg Some say our bot is the best on GeekShed and that he’s able to hack an IRC server with a toothpick and a bottle of brandy. All we know is, he’s called the Stig.
The new message will replace the old one.
How do you turn off Channel Entry Message?
To remove a channel entry message completely, the channel founder uses the same command without any message information:
/msg ChanServ SET #channel ENTRYMSG
For example, to remove the entry message from #topgear, I’d use this command:
/msg ChanServ set #topgear entrymsg
What kind of information should be included in a Channel Entry Message?
Your channel entry message can say whatever you’d like. You might share any of the following:
- State some channel rules.
- Link to additional information about the channel like rules, appeal information, etc.
- Note important news.
- Ask users to do something, like read a post in the forums.
- Share a greeting, such as wishing someone a happy birthday or congrats on getting a job.
- Post a joke or comment you want everyone to see.
Remember that the benefit of a channel entry message is that it allows you to share some additional information with people who join your channel. If you have more information than will fit in your channel topic, the entry message is a good way to say more.
—Posted by tengrrl
Private Messages with Unregistered Users
Apr 7th
On GeekShed, the default settings require a user to be registered in order to send private messages (PMs) or /notice. This default setting helps protect everyone against spammers.
There are times, however, when you want to be able to have a private conversation with someone who is not registered. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution.
To have a private conversation with someone who is unregistered (or if you are unregistered yourself), set the following mode:
/mode <nick> -R
For example
/mode Charles -R
This mode change is not permanent. You need to use this command each time you login.
—Posted by tengrrl
Need Beta Testers for 3D IRC Feature
Apr 1st
GeekShed has developed a special glasses-less 3-D chat experience, and we’re ready to begin testing this new feature in a wide range of clients. If you choose to participate in the beta group, you’ll soon find your smilies are literally leaping off the screen and that red text you type in your channel will pulse like burning flames.
This new Anope module captures color text and ASCII art and converts the information into vivid 3-D images. The service relies on information from your webcam or, where webcams are not available, our special reverse-tracking interface.
Ultimately, information from your machine will be combined with geo-location details and Google Earth images to create realistic 3-D backgrounds for your channel, keyed to your location or to a user-defined location. Think a chatroom set in your favorite location in Silicon Valley. The 3-D images will render in the frame of your chat client, with the session transcript appearing as an overlay.
We have tested the new module in a number of machine and client combinations, and we’re ready to widen the test by enabling a limited number of GeekShed users to use the 3-D capability in their channels. We need to limit this test, so we’ve set these requirements for beta participation:
- First and foremost, you MUST understand that this is an experimental system and that you are TESTING it. You must also accept that you may find bugs and exploits in it and that it really isn’t clever to cause havoc, using these. These bugs and exploits should be reported to #3D to get them fixed for the stable release.
- Your nickname must have been registered for at least 15 days.
- You must use either a Windows, Macintosh, Amiga, or Linux computer. Support for iOS and Android will not be available until v.2 is released (Spring 2012).
- You must have either a connected webcam or the ability to install the reverse-tracking virtual imaging application.
- If you abuse your beta access by attempting to reverse engineer the system or to broadcast explicit or inappropriate 3-D images, you will be removed from the test group, you will be banned from the network and, on your return, you shall not be permitted to access the 3-D capabilities again.
- If you choose to leave the beta test group, you will not be allowed to join the beta group again. If you need to shield yourself from the 3-D images, we suggest the De-3D Cinema Glasses from Think Geek. (Buying the glasses via our referral link gives you Hipster Geek Points and we earn a small referral bonus).
If you meet these requirements and would like to participate in the beta test, please join #3D so we can set your access up.
EDIT: For those of you who didn’t notice, this was an April Fool’s Joke. Have a nice day.