Chat FAQ - NEW CHATTERS PLEASE READ
DreamViews Chat FAQ
Table of Contents
- What are the different channels, and what do they mean?
- What commands can I use in chat?
- What do the @/%/+ signs mean next to members' names?
- What is a query?
- How do I connect to the chat from multiple devices at the same time?
- I came to the chat, but it didn't seem like anyone was there.
- I was using the chat, but the window stopped automatically scrolling down to new messages.
- I was disconnected, but now I get an "Access Denied" error when trying to reconnect.
What are the different channels, and what do they mean?
- #DVLounge is for relaxed and respectful general off-topic discussion. Any topic can be discussed as long as it follows the general Chat Rules, as well as the #DVLounge chat rules. The channel is a calm, friendly environment, and new users are able to join here and feel welcomed into the IRC community.
- #DV is for general off-topic discussion. Any topic can be discussed as long as it follows the general Chat Rules, but with a huge margin of error. Unlike #DVLounge, #DV allows for more heated discussions without interruption from staff members, unless they break the general Chat Rules. Full-scale arguments and debates will be perfectly fine in here as long as they don't entirely devolve into lengthy bouts of insults/flaming.
- #LucidDreaming is for on-topic discussion, and only discussions relating to lucid dreaming and dreaming should take place in here. Usually, discussions about dreams in general or topics similar to dreams are allowed in here, but users are encouraged to stay on topic.
- #Fun is for trivia games. It's not an official channel, but it's a great place to have a trivial pursuit type game with friends.
- #Help is a channel for members that are in need of assistance from a Staff member. Only you and Staff members will be in the channel. If you have something you'd like help with just join #Help and ping some of us by typing our usernames. If one of us doesn't respond right away don't worry, feel free to post your problem and we'll see it once we get back to the computer. If you need help you can also query a Staff member on chat, PM a Staff member on the forum, or post a thread in Talk to Staff.
For more information, check out our Offical Chat Rules.
What commands can I use in chat?
There are various commands you can use in DV Chat. One of the most popular is the action command. If you want to show that you're performing an action, type /me action. For example, /me prances about will display as *username prances about.
If you're stepping away from the computer for a minute or going to bed, you can let members know by using any of these commands: !away, !brb, !afk, !asleep. This will change your username to add your status at the end. For example, using !away will change username to username|Away. You can set your status back to normal using either !back or !awake.
You can use the following commands to join or leave a channel or exit DV Chat completely. For example, /join #Help will connect you to the channel called #Help, /part #Help will disconnect you from that channel, or if you have the channel window open you can simply type /part. /quit will disconnect you from DV Chat. If you'd like to leave a parting message you can write one after the command like /part #Help thanks for the help! or /quit talk to you guys later
We also have a bot that's a lot of fun. A bot is basically a program that runs in the IRC and will respond to commands. DV Chat's bot is called BaconBot, and was created by the awesome anderj101. You can view all of BaconBot's commands by typing !commands in DV Chat.
What do the @/%/+ signs mean next to members' names?
These are a few of the different user modes for the chat. @ and % mean channel operator and channel half operator, respectively. That means they're a member of DreamViews Staff, if you ever need help with anything just ping one of them by writing their names or querying them. + means voice, it allows people to talk if the channel has been muted. That was it's original purpose but now it's more of a badge given to veteran members of DV. It's also sometimes temporarily given to members for various reasons, for example, if the member made a funny joke.
What is a query?
You'll probably hear people talk about a query or queries, querying is just private messaging between two members. If you'd like to query someone, just right-click their name in the user list to the right and click "query". You can also type /query membername.
How do I connect to the chat from multiple devices at the same time?
If you want to log in to DV Chat from another device (such as a phone or tablet), you can add carets (^) to the end of your username when you log in. It's usually a good idea to add a few caret-ed names to your alternate nicknames in case you get disconnected (check out our IRC Client Tutorials for more info).
I came to the chat, but it didn't seem like anyone was there.
All chatrooms will have fluctuating activity (DreamViews Chat included) based on the day of the week, time of day, whether it's a holiday, etc. You can't see what was said before you entered the chatroom, so a lot of the time there will have been a lot of chatting right before you joined, and people have just gone afk for a bit. There are always members logged into the chat that will respond to your messages once they see them. So please stay connected longer than a minute or as long as you can, sometimes people are in the middle of writing a greeting when the person disconnects.
Sometimes people are also waiting for the others to start a conversation, so don't be afraid to just start talking about something, like what you're doing, a good book you read, a dream you had, questions about lucid dreaming, etc. Most of the time people will see and start joining in on the conversation.
I was using the chat, but the window stopped automatically scrolling down to new messages.
This is a known bug with the webchat program on Google Chrome. You can either try another browser, such as Firefox or Internet Explorer, or try an IRC client (tutorials and recommendations can be found here)
I was disconnected, but now I get an "Access Denied" error when trying to reconnect.
When you get disconnected due to loss of internet connection, the server does not immediately know that you've disconnected. As a result, you may still show up as logged in for up to 90 seconds until the server finally removes you. When you try to reconnect, the server says your username is already in use and thus gives you the Access Denied error. To fix this, you can add a caret (^) to the end of your username when signing in (for example, username becomes username^). Or, of course, you can just wait for about 90 seconds until the server allows you to log in again.
