Alright, here it goes....
I went ahead and started to set this up. My instructions will likely require some edits because:
1) It's been years since I've used IRC
2) It's late
3) I've been pounding Strongbow and sniffing bath salts all night
Here's my first attempt:
The first thing you need is an IRC client. Lots of them exist. Some popular choices are:
Windows -
http://www.mirc.com/get.html
Mac -
http://colloquy.info/downloads.html
Linux -
http://xchat.org/download/
If none of those look good to you, feel free to research and download your client of choice. Install the software.
Next, you need to connect to an IRC server. Every client is different, but it will likely say something like "chat server" in the dialog box for connection purposes. If there isn't a dialog box, you can connect through the console terminal window using the command "/server the.servername.net" (no quotes). for our purposes we will be using a popular IRC server in Chicago called morgan.freenode.net. So just stick that into the server field, or type "/server morgan.freenode.net" into the terminal window.
Ok. Once you've done that you should see a message in the window resembling something like this....
001: Welcome to the freenode Internet Relay Chat Network nvanprooyen
002: Your host is morgan.freenode.net[64.32.24.176/6667], running version ircd-seven-1.1.3
....
With a bunch of stuff after that message.
The first step is to register your nickname. You will definitely want to do this, because if you don't people could easily pretend to be you and say stuff you wouldn't want them saying necessarily. So type this into the console window:
/nick yourusernamehere
For me it would be /nick nvanprooyen. At this point, your username has been switched to whatever followed the /nick command. Now, you need to register that. Type the following:
/msg nickserv register YOURPASSWORD
YOUR@EMAIL.COM
so for example
/msg nickserv register bearsrule
nate@home.com
Once you've done that, you will receive an email at the supplied address to verify the account. You will need to enter in something like this after you receive that:
/msg nickserv verify register nvanprooyen CODEGIVEN
You're all done, in terms of registering your username and password....now no one can pretend to be you and say all sorts of nasty stuff. Whenever you log in again, you will need to identify yourself by giving your password...letting the system know that you are your nickname. That command looks like this:
/msg nickserv identify PASSWORD
Ok, now all the nickname shit is out of the way....all you need to do is simply type:
/join #chicitysports
And you're in. Type away. You can also share files and do a bunch of other crap. If you'd like to read more, here you go:
http://www.ircbeginner.com/ircinfo/ircc-commands.html
It also should be noted that you don't have to do all this shit every time. Once you have it all setup, most clients have a way you can setup multiple commands when you open so it's all taken care of. That would looks something like:
/server morgan.freenode.net (connects to the proper server)
/nick YOURNICKNAME (sets your nickname)
/msg nickserv identify YOURPASSWORD (tells the server you are allowed to use that nickname)
/join #chicitysports (joins the channel on the server you want)
I realize some of that might seem a little complicated, but it's really not once you've done it a few times. Let me know if you have any questions. I likely left out a thing or two.
