There are certain basic commands that are handy to know if you are new to GeekShed and helpful to pass along if you’ve just invited a friend to join you here on the network.

First, you need to know that all commands use the same basic format. They all begin with a / and then include the specific key term for what you want to do.

Second, in most cases, no one else will see you type a command. Most commands that begin with a / will not be visible to anyone else. I’ll note the exceptions.

Third, the client you use may have buttons or menus (at the top or on right-click) that will execute some of these commands for you. Check your documentation to learn more about what your client can do. For the purpose of this barebones guide, I’m going to assume you want to type your commands out.

For all these commands, my example username (or nick) is LordBacon and the example channel is #TopGear.

Command What It Does
/nick NewName
/nick LordBacon 		Change your nickname to something new. Note that your nick has to be unique. You can’t use a name that belongs to someone else.
/join #channel
/join #TopGear		 Join the specific channel.
/list Gives you a list of all the IRC channels, how many people are in the channels, and the channel topics. Your client may pop up the list in a new window.

You can also check out the list of channels on the website.
/me action you want to do
/me passes out bacon		 Everyone in the channel sees a statement about you. For the example, people would see this:
* LordBacon passes out bacon
/part Leave the channel.
/whois nick
/whois LordBacon 		Gives you some basic information about the person whose nick you use.
/msg nick text
/msg LordBacon hi!		 Sends a private message (the text) to the person you indicate. If someone asks you to PM, this is the command they want you to use. The message will usually pop up in a new window or a new tab. Exactly how it works depends upon your client.

In the example, the private message "hi!" is sent to the user LordBacon.
/notice nick text
/notice LordBacon hi!		 Sends a private message (the text) to the person you indicate, without opening a new window or a new tab.

In the example, the private message "hi!" is sent to the user LordBacon.
/ignore nick
/ignore LordBacon

Blocks messages from the person whose nick you indicate. You will not see anything else that the person types. This example ignores LordBacon.

For more information, see How to Use the Ignore Command.
/help Gives you some online help or documentation. The way the command works will depend upon your client.
/quit
/quit Off to buy more bacon! 		Disconnect from the network. In some clients, you can include a message that will display after the command. For the example, people would see something like this: LordBacon has quit IRC (Quit: Off to buy more bacon!)

For more information on commands, you can check out our documentation pages or search the pages on our site. If you want to stay on the network, you can register your nickname and even register your own channel.

 

—posted by Tengrrl/Bunny