Chris Pirillo » chat

Changes in Our IRC Network Channel

Chris — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:32:14 +0000

Changes in Our IRC Network Channel is a post from Chris Pirillo

As many of you know by now, my live chat room changed networks today. For many years, my various channels were located on the WyldRyde network. For the most part, things worked very well between myself, the network, and its staff.

There have been many changes recently, and I’m not going to make much comment on them. It’s frankly not my business, nor my place, to attempt to guess as to every “real” reason, and everything that happened behind the scenes. However, moving networks was not a decision I came to lightly. This also wasn’t done solely to please one or two people, as some are trying to claim.

I want my chat users to have the best possible experience when they visit my channel. There were some things that transpired at WyldRyde today that I knew would prevent that positive experience, changes which could potentially place much pressure and stress on my staff, my users and even myself.

The owners and administrators of the new network, GeekShed, are people I have come to know very well over the years. These people know what they’re doing, and they do it very well. I have complete confidence in them, and in their ability to properly maintain the new network.

GeekShed IRC was started by a majority of the former WyldRyde Network staff. They felt that the WyldRyde management was not handling issues and complaints (made by staff, users and channel owners) over a period of several months. These complaints were ignored, and not dealt with in any satisfactory manner. The recent (and undisclosed to the users and majority of the staff) acquisition of WyldRyde by BestTechie played only a small part in the actual decision and subsequent move.

I am very happy thus far with my new IRC home, and I certainly hope you will join us there. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, you can leave them here in a follow-up comment. For questions related to the network itself (not my channel, specifically), you can join the new network: irc.geekshed.net and join the #help channel there to speak with the staff.

Edited to add: You will not need to re-register, no. The nicknames, channels, passwords, etc were all moved to the new network. Your nickname is already registered on GeekShed if it was registered on WyldRyde, and you will use the same password to log in. Also, the voiced user list was moved for my channel, and will continue to operate the same as it has in the past.

As always, I will continue to be streaming live… 24 hours a day, 7 days a week… at live.pirillo.com.

What Do You Read?

Chris — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:05:55 +0000

What Do You Read? is a post from Chris Pirillo

Earlier today, I posted a video (and blog post) filled with tips on how to maximize your comprehension when it comes to whatever you are reading. That video made me reflect on the types of things I tend to read. I don’t often sit down with a book. When I do, though, my concentration is so absolute that I tend to tune out everything else. I let myself become absorbed by the text. This allows me to truly comprehend and digest whatever it is I’m reading.

I also spend a great deal of time reading things online. I’m constantly perusing blogs, forums, website postings, news sites – you name it, and I likely read it if it’s online. Even though it’s something I’m reading on a computer screen, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve my full attention. It doesn’t mean that it isn’t just as important as a book I can hold in my hands.

What do you read the most? Do you spend time curled up with a book, or are you like me… preferring to read what people in the world are up to, thinking, feeling and writing about? If you haven’t been keeping up with what people are doing on Lockergnome and Geeks, now is as good a time as any.

Be sure, as always, to keep your eyes on our downloads pages. We’re constantly updating it to bring you the very best and hottest software and apps at the lowest prices we can get for you!

How to Talk to Strangers Online

Chris — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 05:32:17 +0000

How to Talk to Strangers Online is a post from Chris Pirillo

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

Growing up, my parents warned me to never talk to strangers. It’s really never smart to talk to random strangers. However, I’m going to tell you about a service that will connect you with a stranger, and provide hours of entertainment. Be forewarned – some of the conversations you have may be “blue” in nature!

Omegle connects you with random people that you would otherwise never have met. You click one button, and tell it to start a chat. Off you go! Omegle is a brand-new service for meeting new friends. When you use Omegle, we pick another user at random and let you have a one-on-one chat with each other. Even though the chats are totally random, you should never divulge personal information!

Anything can and will happen. So, if you are bored and want some random, wacky fun – check out Omegle!

Keep in mind that the best (and safest) place of all to meet strangers is on Geeks! You can meet others who are just like you, share videos and pictures, create blogs and forum posts – and more!

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

Subservient Chris Raising Money for WyldRyde

Chris — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 10:31:32 +0000

Subservient Chris Raising Money for WyldRyde is a post from Chris Pirillo

If you were with us last New Years’ Eve, you know what we have in store for you this year! If you weren’t, you truly have no idea what you missed! What is a Subservient Chris, you might be asking right now… well, let me take a few moments to fill you in!

I’m sure you’ve heard of the Burger King Subservient Chicken. This idea was based off of that lovely little chicken! The WyldRyde IRC Network is where my live chat is hosted – for free! The people who maintain this network are hard working and dedicated, and each of them volunteer their time and expertise. I am indebted to them for everything they do for me, day in and day out. WyldRyde depends on money raised via donations and ad revenue in order to keep the servers running. WyldRyde is home to more than 700 chat rooms, all of which are absolutely free to set up and use!

Last year, I learned that the head of the network, usrbingeek had been paying a large portion of the network’s bills out of his own pocket. I decided that since he and his staff give so much to me, it was time I give back to them. Thus, the idea of Subservient Chris was born! For a minimum $10.00 donation to the network, people could make silly demands of me. I had to sing, dance, put my dog on my head, and even ended the night in a dress! Any request is granted once a donation is made, as long as it’s nothing illegal or degrading. Remember, I have final veto power on any and all requests!

Yes – you guessed it! We’re going to revive Subservient Chris again this year! Join us on New Years’ Eve from 11pm – 2am EST (8pm – 11pm PST) while we ring in the new year by raising money to help meet WyldRyde’s fundraising goals! I promise, this is going to be an event you won’t want to miss!

Once again, thank you so much to usrbingeek and his entire Staff for everything you do. You guys are amazing, and I am so thankful to call WyldRyde my home!

Changes in Our IRC Network Channel

IRC Chat Safety and Security

How Can You be a Good Member of our Live Community?

Why Can’t I Talk in the Chat Room?

How to Create a Chat Room for Free

How to Chat on the iPhone or iPod Touch

How Should You Act on IRC (Internet Relay Chat)?

Accessing IRC Chat via a Web Browser: Mibbit

Chat Room Rules and Guidelines

Flash IRC Script

What’s Your Usual Handle in a Chat Room?

Chris — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 01:53:42 +0000

What’s Your Usual Handle in a Chat Room? is a post from Chris Pirillo

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

Lockergnome is a nickname that I kind of gave myself, but I can’t take full credit. My college-prep writing teacher called me the Gnome. Then one day, I told my friend Dave that I am the Locker Gnome. That’s how I got it, and it stuck. TuxedoJericho sent in his top five list on how NOT to choose a handle.

Choose a name that suits you. You must also choose something that is somewhat honest. If you are joining a chat room in order to ask simple questions about computer, you shouldn’t choose a nickname with the word ‘techie’ in it.
Choose something that is easy to spell and/or say. When it’s hard to say, people will more than likely shorten the name when they type or spell it. My name, TuxedoJericho, has been shortened by people to things like TJ, Tux, and TJer.
When joining a chat, please be sure to check and see that your name doesn’t contain strong language or sexual references. This can get you the boot from the chat as soon as you enter the door.
You should probably not use your real name as your chat name. Some people do this, but it could potentially lead to danger. If you’re smart about hiding pertinent facts of your life, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Don’t pretend to be a famous person. This is especially true on tech chat’s like Chris’. For instance, Steve Jobs isn’t likely to enter Chris’ channel, and speak like a total n00b.
If you’re going to choose the name of a famous character, be prepared to answer questions constantly if you really ARE that person. I use the name DrHorrible at times. People constantly ask me if I am Neil Patrick Harris, and are disappointed to find out I am not.

I have to agree with all of those tips. Be smart when choosing a nickname before you enter a chat room. You never know if you will end up sticking around to become a part of the community. You wouldn’t want the other members to remember and judge you by a poorly-chosen name, would you?

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

How Can You be a Good Member of our Live Community?

Chris — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 07:16:36 +0000

How Can You be a Good Member of our Live Community? is a post from Chris Pirillo

One of our community members took it upon himself to put together a top five list of tips for being a part of our live community. You’ll see new people come into the chat room all the time, demanding a “show”, or telling me to hurry up and “DO SOMETHING ALREADY”. What you have to realize is my live stream isn’t about always putting on a show. I am simply streaming my life. If I am busy working, I am probably not paying attention to the camera or the chat. I do interact with everyone as much as I possibly can, though. Keep in mind that I’m human! I have a life outside my stream, just like you do. Here are Zeph’s tips to all of you:

You don’t need to sit there and watch the stream the entire time. Sometimes Chris’ stream works as a nice “radio station” of sorts, and just listening throughout your day can be quite entertaining or informative. As long as you have a generally good internet connection, you should be able to do regular browsing of the internet at the same time.
Use an IRC client for the chat. Although the Flash IRC under the stream window is good, it does not have the functionality of a regular IRC client. There are plenty of different clients for each operating system, some free, some not. I personally use mIRC in Windows, and Konversation in Linux. There are also Colloquy and Linkinus for Macs. There are plenty more out there, try them all and see what you feel comfortable with. The IRC server is WyldRyde.
Be respectful in the chat. The channel Mods greatly prefer users to keep a level of etiquette while using the chat room. This does not mean you cannot have fun, but be friendly about it. Keep the caps lock off, as it is considered rude, and viewed as yelling. Do not spam the chat room, and do not keep repeating the same question over and over again. This will only make people think less of you. Above all, do not ask for voice for the chat. This will only set you further away from being a trusted user.
Don’t just direct your questions to Chris. There are plenty of technologically inclined people in the #Chris chat room. First you should try “Googling” about your question. If you do not get any good results, or do not think you understand what the results are telling you, ask us in the chat room. There is likely some one that can help you, and there are plenty that are willing to.
Finally, please understand that Chris is a busy man. People need to make a living, and Chris is no exception. When he is not helping the tech community, he often has many things to deal with that pertain to his work. Just remember that Chris has his own life, and cannot be looking at the chat twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. If Chris does not respond to you in chat, do not complain. If Chris is away from his desk, don’t worry, he’ll be back.

Those are all excellent tips, Zeph. A few other things to make note of here:

Be sure you are familiar with the WyldRyde Network Rules. My channel is one of hundreds on the network. You not only have to follow my channel rules, but those of the network as well.
WyldRyde also has a nice FAQ page to help you understand how things work on IRC, and WyldRyde in particular.
Feel free to sign up for a free account on the WyldRyde forums. Once you do, you’ll have access to the area set aside just for us.

Most importantly, make yourself familiar with our channel rules and guidelines. Being a part of the live community is a lot of fun, and can be very rewarding. However, being a member isn’t a given right… it’s a privilege.

Google Lively VR Chat Reviews

Chris — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 06:47:39 +0000

Google Lively VR Chat Reviews is a post from Chris Pirillo

Google recently released Lively chat. Create your own Lively avatar, and choose how it should to be dressed. If you create your own room, you can decorate it to suit your personality. Visit other people’s rooms, or even embed your Lively chat onto your website. What do all of my friends think about Lively?

Details, please! :) – James Mowery via twhirl

I’ve got to try to find out how bad now. – Ben Parr

Google jumps shark? Literally? – Andrew Baron

I was wondering when reviews would start popping up here. Thanks for saving me the time. – David Worrell

Now I just *have* to try! – mokargas

Just wrote something similar. I’m really disappointed – not the greatest of ideas and really poor execution. – Vince DeGeorge

Okay, now I have to try it because I’m a sucker for bad. :) – Morton Fox

I’m holding back trying it because I hate opening windows in a virtual machine. No Mac version is just insane – Duncan Riley

I wrote about it, too. But I’m willing to try anything once. – Hao Chen

tried it out today and wasn’t too impressed. Although if they implement an API that would allow me to integrate my users in there might be some value to it. – Brad Williams

Why? I thought it was a good try, and represented enormous potential to be the next SecondLife, as it’s able to run 3D stuff in your browser without having to download very bulky programs like SecondLife? SecondLife didn’t work for me when I first tried it 1 year ago. It always crashed.. Never touched it since.. – Winston Teo

I tried it, it is a very, very, very unpolished 3d chat room, no more, no less.. it’s not a social medium… it’s a fancy chat room. – David Silvernail

Almost all of Google’s first efforts are crap. They are betting the farm on distributed though, and this seems to fit with that strategy perfectly. – Kevin

No Mac version is beyond insane, it is just flat-out stupid. Why on earth didn’t they wait until they could release it for every platform? I mean, unless the Windows folks are being used as open beta testers…. Just seems very odd. I agree with you Duncan. – James Mowery via twhirl

I hate to say it, but I agree. The quality of the graphics is great, but the UI is downright awkward to use. The pop-up bubble messages are annoying and I didn’t see any way of private chatting. Customizing your avatar is pretty minimal too. – Jim McCusker

When a polished product exists in the market – i.e. Second Life.. why… oh… why! would you release this product that is clearly only in a pre-alpha version state? – David Silvernail

Second Life did not interest me, so I passed on Lively today. – Russellreno

Mine kept closing itself down before I could choose a character. Will keep trying. – sergiooooooo

Thanks for the review. I’m waiting… – Czar Derek Peterman

yea im a pessimist as well in regards to those kinds of web apps. I have no faith in that kind of freeform avatar stuff. – Anthony

was lively rushed out the door because of vivaty? – Kevin

We geeks really need to be careful of seeing everything as an opportunity to critique, if not outright bash. Can’t anything just "BE" what it is for an hour, a day, a week. What possible harm would come from someone trying it out? – Douglas E. Welch via twhirl

No Linux version? Typical. Of course, it’s Google. That means I *must* try it. :D – possible248

i agree, at first glance… FAIL – tommy payne

Comon.. Lively’s just a first cut. We should wait and see how it evolves. As they always say: "Release Fast, Release Often". – Winston Teo

Oh wait? Developing virtual worlds is hard? Who’da thunk? Google: There’s a reason most VWs failed so far. – Robert Blum

I Still want to give this and vivaty a solid chance before forming an opinion. – sergiooooooo

is Google Lively supposed to be like the answer to Yahoo’s Avatartown – Outsanity

I tried it. I shouldn’t have but I did. I think I’m traumatized. It’s Second Life with more teenagers. – Candace Holly

Blogged Lively vs. Second Life http://is.gd/OJY – Hao Chen

Thanks for the tip. SL is bad enough so I’ll definitely avoid this. – Jonathon

Yeah, I’m not really digging this app. I grew out of this virtual life phase on the internet a long time ago. – Dennis Jackson

Google is many many generations away from turning this into something useful, but at least they got one thing right – they put it on the web, not the desktop. – Nicholas Molnar

I’m surprised they didn’t compare it to Twitter, because that would be comparable. /smirk – Eric Rice

I don’t like that answer, as SL was a big waste of time for me. thanks for saving me the time – Jason Kaneshiro

My son: Lively? No Linux – no fun – Igor Poltavskiy

BTW, Lively should be compared to IMVU, not SL. Lively + everything you use from Google, now that’s entirely different. Thanks for skimming! – Eric Rice

Have you gotten Lively in your life yet? What the heck is stopping you from trying? Let us know what you think.

Free Video Conferencing and Chat: No Downloads!

Chris — Sat, 24 May 2008 01:32:50 +0000

Free Video Conferencing and Chat: No Downloads! is a post from Chris Pirillo

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

Matt says: “I just found out about this free service that allows you to video/voice chat with as many people as you like over the Internet using a flash plug-in within your browser. You just don’t have to install it on your computer or anything!” The flash software you already have installed will make this chat service work!

MeBeam is a free web-based chat service. It’s so simple, it’s almost scary. You simply choose a room name, invite people to join you, and start chatting. That’s seriously all there is to it.

I was surprised at how easy this is to use. It may not be “pretty”, but it works! I created a temporary room, and sent out a link. Within seconds, I was video chatting with about seven other people. You can imagine the fun you can have with it. More than anything, I know I will be using this site to conference with people from now on. It’s free, it’s easy, and it’s web-based. What more could I want?

MeBeam comes to us courtesy of the folks at Meebo. Meebo is a new communications and media company that’s re-writing the way people have conversations and communicate on the Web. You can keep in touch with friends you know on any instant messaging network. Instant messaging from absolutely anywhere, no downloads or installs required, and free!

If I had one request, it would be that I would get more emails from all of you at chris@pirillo.com. The emails I love to get the most are ones like these, letting us all know about free services and products that can help make our lives earlier. So send yours along!

Webcams on Amazon to help you video conference!

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

Accessing IRC Chat via a Web Browser: Mibbit

Chris — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 02:31:09 +0000

Accessing IRC Chat via a Web Browser: Mibbit is a post from Chris Pirillo

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

Just to prove that all sorts of people come into our chat room, I’m going to leave the chat unmoderated… which can be quite dangerous at times. You’d be surprised. Even at 11:30 at night, we have several hundred people awake and talking live with us. What if you can’t get into our chat? You could always try Mibbit.

Mibbit is very green, which makes sense since their logo is a little tree frog. You can go to this site and search for keywords across many different IRC servers. You can turn up chat rooms you never knew existed. Be careful when jumping into a new chat community. Always take time to get to know the regulars, and how they interact with each other.

Connecting to us is easy with Mibbit. In the “Server” drop down box, choose “Irc.WyldRyde.Org”. In the channel box, enter #Chris. Make sure you add the # sign when you try to join any channel. In the nickname box, choose a name you want to use in the channel. If you have registered your nickname on WyldRyde, you can enter your password in the box.

Now you can chat on IRC with us from anywhere in the world, on any machine out there… as long as you have a browser and an internet connection. You no longer have to worry about installing IRC software, nor do you need to worry about whether the machine will allow a connection to us!

Here are some key features of using Mibbit:

Connect to multiple servers, multiple channels and PMs.
Works on major browsers, iPhone, wii, etc
Full UTF-8 support
Recent chat – When you join a channel, you get some recent chat! Magic!
Typing notify – Now you know when someone is done explaining something
On the fly language translation – Now you’re multi-lingual!
Integrated pastebin – No more having to find a pastebin
Parsing of smilies, links, channels, nicks, mIRC color
Supports SSL IRC connections
Setup auto connects to join your favourite channels
Tab complete on nicknames

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

Chat Room Rules and Guidelines

Chris — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 21:40:38 +0000

Chat Room Rules and Guidelines is a post from Chris Pirillo

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

We have an awesome community at live.pirillo.com. We have a lot of fun, and help a lot of people. Here are some tips that Scott sent in to enhance your video viewing experience when visiting our channels. Kat also adds in the top five ways to get yourself kicked OUT of our chat room.

Top 5 Tips to Watching Chris’ Videos (as sent in by Scott Graham):

Be prepared to be introduced to new concepts about technology. Don’t get yourself caught in the “same old, same old”. Get ready to maybe think outside the box, and learn something new every day.
What you watch may not be your opinion. However, keep in mind that the video content comes from questions submitted by the community at large… from people just like you. Yes, you! You are a community member, simply because you are watching this video!
Be a part of the community! Nothing is more rewarding than knowing what you have to say or ask may help another person.
The show is here to help everyone in the spectrum, from Novices to Power Users. Don’t get discouraged if you feel a particular video is beyond your expertise, or even too “easy” for you. Watch another one, and learn!
Most importantly, have fun. Have a sense of humor, and realize you do not already know everything. Be respectful and polite.

Top 5 Ways to get Yourself Kicked OUT of the Chat Room (as submitted and read by Kat):

Be rude and abusive. Come on in, put people down, call them names, say everything and everyone is “stupid” or “lame”… you know what I mean! Being rude is never tolerated, and will get you booted out faster than you can sneeze.
Repeat yourself over and over! Asking your question six times in a row will actually get you an “auto kick” by our chatroom bot. Elle is picky, and doesn’t really like it when you tend to keep saying the same thing over and over. She’ll remove you pretty darn quick. Ask your question, and if someone can answer it or help you, they will.
Use all caps, or curse! The channel has people of all ages in it, from around 12 years old all the way up to ones in their retirement years. We have automatic bad-word censoring on. However, that doesn’t allow you to just curse anyway. You will be warned to stop, then made to leave if you continue. Also, typing in all capital letters all the time is considered “shouting” online, and is just plain rude and hard to read. It won’t get you noticed… other than to get you gone.
Post tons of off topic links. We have auto kicks set up for spamming your Ustream channel, facepunch thread, and others. Please only post links that may be relevant to the conversation of the moment, or links to things of Chris’ at his website or YouTube channel. We don’t mind if you post links to news stories, hardware, or things of that nature. We just don’t want people coming in only to spam their sites and themselves.
Tick off the Kitty. This one is “sort of” a joke rule, but yet it holds true. Don’t be rude to ANY of the ops, and don’t argue with them. All of them volunteer their time to help keep some semblance of order, so that everyone can enjoy their stay. They work hard, and do not go around having “power trips” or kicking people just for laughs. They deserve your respect and appreciation. Oh yeah… and a word of thanks now and then wouldn’t be turned down, either.

If you’re planning to visit, or to stay in our chat room, you might also want to check out the WyldRyde network rules. WyldRyde is free to use, and it is registered as a not-for-profit corporation. Keep in mind you do NOT have “freedom of speech” on this network. If you discuss illegal activities, share files, try to post links to adult images, or are just disruptive in any other awful way… one of us can and will ban you from the entire network. We strive to make our network safe for people of all ages and walks of life to visit and enjoy.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

IRC Chat Safety and Security

Chris — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 05:16:58 +0000

IRC Chat Safety and Security is a post from Chris Pirillo

Chris | Live Tech Support | Video Help | Add to iTunes

http://live.pirillo.com/ – Ted asks “How safe is the chat room? I mean can anyone in the room somehow access someone else’s computer? Is there a website that explains chat rooms and has all the commands listed to do the various things I’ve seen?”

My live chat is located on WyldRyde.org. WyldRyde is just one of many different IRC networks… but of course, we think it’s the best one. The people there are friendly and fun, and the staff are second to none. Many of them even hang out with us in our channel, talking the tech talk and having a good time.

When you’re on IRC, you’re as secure as you want to be. Don’t give out any personal information you don’t want others to know. In this video, I stated that your IP address could be found out by other chatters. Once I was finished recording and went back to listen, I realized I had spoken incorrectly. Yes, I made a mistake. It’s bound to happen at least once in every millenium. WyldRyde masks every chatter’s IP address, so it is not available to others.

Use a firewall, and a router if possible. Follow standard Internet safety practices. Keep in mind that most viruses that can be spread via IRC are done so with a link. Don’t click on links given to you in chat rooms or private messages, unless you are certain about the site you would be going to. If in doubt about someone who you think may be trying to send you to a bad site, you can always join the WyldRyde help channel. To do this, type /join #help into your window, and hit the enter key. You’ll still be connected to my channel, and also now to the #Help channel.

Each IRC network has its own commands. You can view a complete list of WyldRyde commands on their website. As a basic chatter in someone else’s channel, most of the commands you would need are called NickServ comands. These allow you to choose a nickname and register it for free, so that no one else can ever use that name. It allows you to group several nicks together, so that all of them are then registered to you. Other commands you may find useful are the User commands. These cover a wide variety of topics and situations, so take your time reading through them.

I know that some of the chatspeak you will see may be confusing to you. LOL is commonly typed to mean “laughing out loud”. No Dad… that doesn’t mean Lots of Love, though I suppose it could. There are several websites where you can learn chatspeak. Spikes and YourHTMLSource are both good starting points.

IRC can be a great way to make friends, meet like-minded people, and have a good time. Be careful, and you’ll be just fine. Come by and see us any time! You can join us using SC_Thor’s Flash chat applet right on live.pirillo.com, or you can check out WyldRyde’s list of IRC Clients. Be sure to read the WyldRyde Rules and check out the FAQs.

Want to embed this video in your blog? Use this code:

Formats Available: MPEG4 Video (.mp4) Flash Video (.flv) MP3 Audio (.mp3)

Flash IRC Script

Chris — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 02:09:47 +0000

Flash IRC Script is a post from Chris Pirillo

Ever since I can remember, we’ve been relying on a Java applet to provide visitors an interface to IRC – without requiring them to install a separate client, sign up for an account, or fire up a proprietary program. We didn’t choose Java because it’s an amazing technology, however. Java in the browser is slow as molasses, and I’d just as soon shove icepicks under my toenails than use it.

But, until today, we had no choice but to use Java for Web-accessible IRC.

TFlash has finally been designed and released by ThunderIT Consulting Inc. – and we’re already using it on our live site. The script can be embedded anywhere, which means that the community can start building desktop widgets which include not only our live feed, but the accompanying chat room as well.

Schedule Bot in IRC

Chris — Fri, 18 May 2007 01:07:58 +0000

Schedule Bot in IRC is a post from Chris Pirillo

Via Live…

[13:39] <@ChrisPirillo> bear?
[13:39] <@ChrisPirillo> I need wicket to IM me a reminder. :)
[13:39] <@bear> ChrisPirillo, yes?
[13:39] <@ChrisPirillo> I have a dinner appt at 7pm. :)
[13:39] <@bear> ok – shall I code a simple schedule/alarm command?
[13:39] <@ChrisPirillo> Can Wicket IM me to remind me that it’s happening a half hour beforehand?
[13:39] <@bear> sure
[13:39] <@ChrisPirillo> I’m PST right now.
[13:40] <@ChrisPirillo> !task 8:00pm Dinner at I Love Sushi
[13:40] <@bear> I will work on the change
[13:40] <@ChrisPirillo> And Wicket could send me reminders an hour before, then 15 minute increments?
[13:40] <@bear> !task
[13:40] <@ChrisPirillo> Whatcha think?
[13:40] <@bear> noted – I’ll make it happen

Creating Community Communication Silos

Chris — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 19:29:54 +0000

Creating Community Communication Silos is a post from Chris Pirillo

Every day, I seem to receive at least one email or invitation to a new “social network” of sorts – and just about every one of these networks are networks unto themselves. That is to say: they’re community silos, not community expanders.

This is frustrating – and I don’t see the trend changing anytime soon. As someone who has always had a community (or network) of friends, both real and virtual, the last thing I want or need to do is split them up. I don’t need another proprietary chat room – I don’t need another proprietary commenting system.

So, each of these “Web 2.0″ efforts wants to be the next success story – right? Why, then, do they not understand that the “Holy Grail” of social networking is in eliminating the walls between social networks? It’s not just about doing yet another mashup – it’s about bridging existing gaps.

Chat (active interactive) and Comments (static interactive) seem to be communication devices that some people already have (but not everyone, admittedly). Still, for those of us who already have solutions in place – why make yet another silo for us? Why not break down that barrier and allow us to use the tools we already have in our stable?

Dunno. I’m not down on the whole idea of social networking – but I am down on the idea of creating yet another social network to get to the people who are already in my social network. Gawd, that phrase means absolutely nothing to me anymore (I’ve said and heard it enough times).

I understand the validity of creating rich, live chatting experiences – but not at the expense of abandoning (read: ignoring) my existing IRC channels at irc.wyldryde.org. IRC has been around forever – imperfect, but widely adopted. The only reason Twitter “works” for me is that it allows me to receive updates via my IM network of choice. Imperfect, but already running on my desktop.

If you decide to integrate some kind of live chat within your service, at least let people choose to use their own instead of yours. If security is an issue, then you shouldn’t be doing chat in the first place. Live chat, of any kind, is only as strong as the room’s active members and moderators.

Stop creating community (communication) silos, please? Please?

Monday Night Live

Chris — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 18:58:30 +0000

Monday Night Live is a post from Chris Pirillo

Last night, on our way home from dinner, I asked Ponzi if she’d come on cam to say hi to everybody who was tuned in. I told her there were probably 100 people in there and she said there probably wasn’t. We quickly discovered the chat room count sitting at 79, so she dismissed me and went about her nightly business. I told the chat room that Ponzi wouldn’t return unless we had at least 100 people in chat.

Minutes later, people were twittering away – asking their friends to join the fun. Then someone decided to post to Digg. In less than a half hour, our chat room swelled to over 400 people – actively asking questions. I was answering them in rapid-fire succession. Our server was taking quite a hit, but we kept going thanks to everybody (SubWolf, Sean, usrbingeek, LordKat, Bear, Kat, Freekie, IslandDave, SC_Thor, Ryan, Pierce (and I hope I’m not leaving anybody out).

We had a total blast – and someone suggested that Ponzi do a live cooking show, taking questions from the audience all the while. I think she’ll do it, but I don’t know when. The site is streaming 24/7 (and the community is buzzing, thanks to new friends from Facepunch. All in all, this is nothing more than an ongoing experiment – but it’s turning out to be quite successful (espeically for our existing sponsors, I can safely say).

How to Handle Remote Tech Support

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMT

Using GoToAssist is the easiest way to view and control another person's computer online. Use it to provide instant technical support to family, friends and customers. Start a session with just one click, and instantly connect with the other party.

Network Tools for Windows

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

You need these network tools, no matter which operating systems and networks you have to support. SolarWinds ipMonitor: Affordable Network Monitoring for SMBs. Get turnkey network, server and application availability monitoring with SolarWinds ipMonitor v9.0. This easy-to-use, reliable solution for SMBs delivers out-of-the-box availability monitoring so you always know exactly what's up with Active Directory, DNS, Exchange, FTP, Web, IMAP, MS SQL Server, and SMTP. Download your free trial today. Or, try their totally free tools! And, through 2/29, save 20% when you purchase ipMonitor 9.0.

Get Your Own Web Site

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

Starting at just $3.99/month, web hosting from GoDaddy includes 99.9% uptime, 24/7 support and free access to GoDaddy Hosting Connection, THE place to install over 30 FREE applications sure to help you get the most from your hosting plan and Web site. Enter code CP2 at checkout, and save an additional 10% on any order.

Plus, as a friend of Chris Pirillo, enter code CHRIS7, that's C-H-R-I-S and the number 7, when you check out, and save an additional 10% on any order. Get your piece of the internet at GoDaddy.com.

VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either Parallels or VMware (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with VMware and/or Parallels.

Coupons for Online Shopping

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMT

This feed is fueled by Lockergnome Online Shopping and Coupon Codes

Before you shop next time, see if we have a coupon first.