Frequently Answered Questions

What is...

...a nickname or nick?
...a channel or room?
...a room operator?
...voice?
...an SOp?
...a room mode?
...a user mode or umode?
...an IRCop, network operator, or netop?
...a client?
...a server?

How do I...

...create a successful chat room?
...change my nick?
...join a room?
...leave a room?
...register my nick?
...register my room?
...put a room on my website?
...give operator status to a user?
...remove a bad user?
...get help?

What is a nickname or nick?

A nickname, commonly called a 'nick', is a user's name. It's the name that everyone else sees talking when that person talks. On some clients, a user can also change his nick while chatting.

What is a channel or room?

A channel, commonly called a 'chan', is also referred to as a 'room'. The latter term will be used throughout this document. A room is where everyone goes to talk to one another. A room always has a founder, the person who registered the room. A room will almost always have room operators, as well.

What is a room operator?

A room operator, sometimes called a 'moderator' or 'op', is someone who has the power to kick/ban users, voice users, and set room modes. The term 'op' will be used throughout this document.

What is voice?

Voice is what a room op can give a user so that the user can always talk, even if the room is mode +m (strictly moderated). It usually shows up as a + next to the user's nick.

What is an SOp?

An SOp is a Super Op, a type of room op who has the power to permanently give or take room op or voice in a room.

What is a room mode?

A room mode is an option that room ops can set for the room. A room op can set room modes with this command:
        /mode #<room> <mode>

Here's a short list of common room modes:

+m - Strictly moderates the room. That means that no one who isn't a room op or voice can talk.
+c - Users cannot talk in color.
+d - Users cannot change their nicks in the room.
+i - Makes the room invite only. That means that a room op must invite non-ops in. An op can invite himself with this command:
        /cs invite #<room>
+l N - Limits the room. That means that only N people can be in the room at a time.
+L - Language filter. Strips many vulgar words that may be sent to the room. The word will be replaced with asterisks.

What is a user mode or umode?

A user mode is similar to a room mode, except that it is for a user, not a room. A user can set a user mode for himself with the following command:
        /umode <mode>

Here is a short list of common user modes:

+x - People cannot see the user's real IP address or host. This is set by default and cannot be removed.
+m - People can't send private messages to the user.

What is an IRCop, network operator, or netop?

An IRCop is someone who administrates the chat server. Other terms are 'network operator' or 'netop', for short. The latter will be used throughout this document. A netop can disconnect a user, ban a user, or reset a password if it is lost, among other more technical duties. If online, a netop can be found in #support.

What is a client?

A client is a program used to connect to the chat server. Popular clients include mIRC, pIRCh, and xIRC. Many people also use Java clients, which can be accessed from websites. liveHarmony only allows connections from Java clients. Users can chat using the Java client on our website here.

What is a server?

A server is the very center of any chat service like liveHarmony. It's what a user's client connects to in order to chat. A chat service may have many servers, which are all connected to make a chat network. To chat on that network, a user can connect to any of the network's servers with a client.

How do I change my nick?

To change his nick, a user can type this command:
        /nick <newnick>
where <newnick> is the desired nick.

In some cases, room mode +d might be on in the room, in which case the user must part the room to change his nick.

How do I join a room?

To join a room, use this command:
        /join #<room>
where #<room> is the room you want to join. For instance, if you wanted to join #funtimes, you would type:
        /join #funtimes

How do I leave a room?

To leave a room, use this command:
        /part #<room>
where #<room> is the room you want to leave. For instance, to leave #funtimes, you would type:
        /part #funtimes

How do I register my nick?

Sometimes it's a good idea for a user to register his nick. With a registered nick, a user can be a room op or voice in a room. It also protects that user's nick from being used by other users.

To register a nick, it is easiest to use our nickname registration page. But if a user prefers typed commands, the following can be used:
        /attach <password> <e-mail>
where <email> is a valid email address, and <password> is a secure password. A user should NEVER give his password to anyone. The administrators of liveHarmony will never ask for a user's password.

After a user has registered his nick, he will want to identify to it every time he connects to liveHarmony. This means that he will be recognized as the real owner of that nick, and if he is a room op or voice he will have access to those privileges. To identify, type this command:
        /identify <password>
A user must be sure that he is currently using the nick that he wants to identify to. If he is not, he will have to change his nick first.

How do I register my room?

To start a new room, it's a good idea to register it so that it can be controlled effectively and so that other people cannot take it from its rightful founder. First of all, a user will have to register it while using a registered nick. To register a room, it is easiest to use our Get Started page. If a user prefers typed commands, then it can be done this way:
        /attach #<room> <description>
where #<room> is the name of the room, and <description> is a brief description of what the room is for. The description does not have to be entirely accurate; it simply gives other users an idea of what it's all about. Also, a user should NEVER give his password to anyone. The administrators of liveHarmony will never ask for a user's password.

How do I put a room on my website?

There are a couple ways that a user can allow visitors to his website to join a room. To learn more, please see our Get Started page. It is important that only code generated by this site be used to direct users to your room.

How do I give operator status to a user?

Please see our adding and removing operators page.

How do I remove a bad user?

Sometimes a user will be in a room and the room ops don't want him to be there. In that case, that user can be removed by kicking and/or banning him. For these actions, it is easiest to use the op panel in the Java client. If the room op prefers typed commands, he can use the following:
To ban a user, type:
        /mode #<room> +b <addressMask>
where #<room> is the room and <addressMask> is the user's address. To kick a user, use this command:
        /kick #<room> <nick> <reason>
where #<room> is the room, <nick> is the person to be kicked, and <reason> is any message to send along with the kick (for instance: "We don't allow swearing here!" or "You're mean!"). Specifying a reason/message is not required.

How do I get help?

Never hesitate to find a netop and ask one of us a question. There are several ways to contact us. If a bad user is in a user's room, and the room ops can't keep him out, let us know. If you don't understand parts of this webpage, let us know. If you need help with anything at all let us know! We're here to help you.

We hope you enjoy your stay at liveHarmony!

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