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Hostname irc.freenode.net Channel ##wikia

This page is about the Wikia IRC channels. For general information about IRC, please see Help:IRC.

Wikia utilizes several Wikia IRC channels that are available to provide support for and discussion of all Wikia sites.

The main channel is located at ##wikia on the freenode network. This can also be accessed from Wikia itself (see accessing the channel with a web browser below). You can access the Freenode Channel Here.

Channel information

When you access the channel, it reveals your IP address, unless you have a cloak. You can hide your IP address by having your Wikia user name appear as your host. See Wikia IRC channel cloaks.

Channel logs for ##wikia must not be published without prior consent from all chatters involved.

If you want some (possibly entertaining) statistics, see the ##wikia statistics created by GreenReaper. There is also a page for Wikia IRC channel quotes.

Please note that these channels are hosted by freenode on their network, and not Wikia. While there are often ops in the channel, it is not always fully moderated. Wikia channels other than ##wikia are moderated by Wikia contributors, who again may not always be available. It is advised to add *!*@freenode/staff/* to your channel's access list so that help is possible from freenode should an op be unavailable in your channel.

See also Wikia IRC rules.

Accessing the channel with a web browser

On the web, you can access the channel with the CGI:IRC Gateway. You do not need any additional software to access the CGI version - just enter a nickname and click "login". This allows you to talk on various Wikia-related channels (##wikia is the default channel). If you register your nick (see below), you can also privately message any user currently on the freenode network.

When using the gateway, you will see a list of people in the channel on the right hand side. There is also a box with three options (Query, Whois, and Kick). These are actions which can be carried out on other users by selecting a user name and then selecting one of these options.

Query allows you to privately message another person. This is always possible unless the person has enabled a mode to block messages from unregistered users (this is off by default)

Whois will give you some basic information about a user, including either their IP name or cloak, the channels they are in (unless they choose to hide that information or the channels are marked as private), whether they are "identified to services" (logged in with a registered IRC nick), their real name if they provided one.

Kick will remove a user from the channel. This can only be used if you are are a channel op (admin). It only temporarily removes a user. See below for details on how to actually block them from returning.

See the CGI:IRC help page for more information.

Connecting from Wikia

Wikia chats are ways to get help with a Wikia-hosted wiki, such as starting a wiki, editing, or dealing with problem users.

If you need immediate support from a Wikia staff member, please contact Wikia Community Support or email community@wikia.com directly.

Wikia On-wiki chat

Chat is a new feature that is currently available for all wikis to use via Wikia Labs. You can access it on wiki that has it enabled (including Community Central) by clicking the "Join the Chat" link in the right sidebar of any article page.

We Hear Your Feedback!

Here are some of issues and requests that we have heard. Some are fixed or added already. You can leave additional feedback in Wikia Labs. We won't get around to including every request, but we'll try our best to choose the most important features.

Coming soon!

• More speed and stability fixes. Chat will be more reliable.
• A revamped kick and ban system.
• Some design refreshes.

Recent Released Fixes

• Sometimes identities get mixed up, and a user can send messages as another user.
• Distinguish messages I've sent via highlighting
• Banned users are blocked from chat
• Non-admins can be appointed to be a chat moderator
• Remove the second avatar if you type two comments in a row.
• Bug fix: A user appears in the userlist multiple times.
• Bug fix: Some messages are sent (or are posted) twice.
• Anons should be able to see the chat access point.
• Signify moderators in a better way
• Ability to make a moderator within the chat window
• Timestamps
• Right-rail entry point hover on avatars (for now, it is on click)
• General speed and disconnect/connect issues.
• Private Chat
• In-chat notifications
• Emoticons :)

Feature Requests

Please note that this is a list of requested features, not a list of features we guarantee will make it into the final product.

• Turn "Away" messages via a button, or stay "away" until you send a message rather than moving your mouse.
• Ability to have Bots operate
• "Quiet" or "Ignore" a certain user
• Admins can clear the chat window
• /me messages
• Ping a certain person in chat (highlight my username if someone says it)
• Notifications (sound, flashing, popup)
• Make my text sparkle! (bold, italics, colors, sizes, or HTML)
• Ability to connect with a chat client
• Pushing "up" should replay your last message
• Blacklisted words (swear filter)
• Set a chat topic
• Show number of users in chat
• Better help resources on help.wikia or via tooltips within chat
• Pushing "Tab" autocompletes a username
• Archive chats
• Ability to have multiple cross-wiki chats in one window
• Hide my chat messages from select people
• Allow customization via CSS or JS
• Join/Part messages take up too much space
• It doesn't work in Monobook.
  • Monobook is a skin option for users who want to minimize the user experience changes they experience from Wikia. Out of respect for that, we are not adding chat to that skin. You can manually access Wikia Chat from Monobook by visiting Special:Chat?useskin=wikia

Leave Feedback

• More feedback? Please leave it in Wikia Labs. Thanks!

IRC

An alternative method, IRC, can also be used. See Community Central:IRC channels for more information.

How to connect with an IRC client

If you already have an IRC client, the link irc://irc.freenode.net/wikia should work from your browser.

If you do not yet have an IRC client, you need to obtain one:

• If your web browser is Firefox, try ChatZilla.
• If your web browser is Opera, simply click on any IRC link, such as ##wikia.
• Both mIRC and XChat are popular.
• Linux users may be interested in irssi and some Ubuntu Linux versions can use ChatZilla as an add on.
• The IRC article on Wikipedia for details on the software available.
• You can also connect to IRC by an online client such as mvIRC

Once you have downloaded a client, you can join freenode by typing /server irc.freenode.net and then join the channel by typing /join ##wikia

How to connect (full version)

1. Use the /server command to connect to the server, e.g. /server irc.freenode.net
2. Choose a nickname by typing /nick <nickname>, e.g. /nick JohnDoe. Nicknames can be up to 16 characters long. You can use letters and numbers (no spaces or symbols).
3. Join the channel by typing /join ##wikia. Channels are the equivalent of chat rooms on IRC.
4. For help type /help. Commands on most IRC clients have to be preceded by a '/', channel names by a '#'.
5. Optional: You can register your nick with the nickserv service. See below.
6. Read the help and readme files of the client you installed for more information.

How to obtain an IRC client

A list of clients respective to your operating system is given in the IRC article in Wikipedia.

All you need is an IRC client installed on your machine.

Once downloaded and installed perform the following steps (most IRC clients also provide graphical interfaces to common commands).

How to register your nickname and identify

You can register your nick with the nickserv service. Type /msg nickserv register <password> <e-mail>, e.g. /msg nickserv register foo foo@bar.com. After registering you must verify your registration using your provided e-mail otherwise it will be automatically dropped after 24 hours. When logging on later on type /msg nickserv identify <password> so that nickserv can identify you as the owner of a nick. For more help, type /msg nickserv help.

• "/msg nickserv help" or "/msg chanserv help" is how to get official freenode help on this matter.
• What you will see once you've registered:

-NickServ- This nickname is owned by someone else
-NickServ- If this is your nickname, type /msg NickServ IDENTIFY <password>

Channel operators and blocking

In case of problems with the channel, please contact an op. You can find one by typing:

/msg chanserv access #channelname list

If you cause disruption to the channel, you may be blocked. To appeal the block, please contact an admin of the relevant channel. Please note that freenode staff will not intervene in channel matters.

Channel operators should be careful when banning users of the CGI:IRC gateway. Make sure you ban the user's IP address and not the Wikia gateway. For example banning *!aabbcc*@* is the same as banning *!*@aa.bb.cc.* normally. (Each part of the IP is represented by two letters).

Alternatively, block the username only, for example test123*!*@box1.tpa.wikia-inc.com rather than *!*@box1.tpa.wikia-inc.com.

To convert the hex to an IP for someone using the CGI gateway, use can be used to convert hex to an IP at this site. For example, for i=a5e4830c@gateway/web/..., a5e4830c converts to 165.228.131.12.

See also

• IRC channel scripts
• IRC Help Archive
• Freenode home page
• Freenode FAQ
• Wikia IRC rules
• IRC channel quotes
• Volunteer Spam Taskforce
• Access by Java Freenode Client

Details on other wiki IRC channels, and instructions for channel ops, can be found on the IRC instructions page at Meta, from which part of this page was taken.

Related channels

Non-Wikia channels, but related to the wiki world

#wiki 

a discussion of wiki software and culture

#mediawiki 

the software Wikia runs on

#semantic-mediawiki 

live help for the SMW extension and still only lightly populated)

#wikipedia 

the IRC channel of the world's largest wiki