I have found this old blog entry original document and I have decided to do a revision of it since the time has passed on and I have left chatting on the IRC servers altogether. Being on the IRC severs have many memories that I cannot remember all. Many of which are good and some are bad. So I am taking the time to revise this old blog and update it to fit the times. The last blog entry was written in 2008 and it is now 2012.
Christian-Chat Network has been one of the many Christian servers of the internet. It has been around since 1995 (or 96). This is a long few years before I came on the scene in January of 1999. It is a free faith and mission-based ministry for all chatters who are welcomed to learn of Yeshua and of Yah. This server has a collection of many rooms geared for different topics. This is the place where each one is here to learn from the Word of Elohim (God), have prayer services, and most of all fellowship.
The Christian-Chat Network has been my second home, in a way. I have never thought that I would be ministering to the people here in different chat rooms. It is amazing how YHVH would lead me to be involved in such a ministry.
This ministry of Christian-Chat Network has gone through many changes. It has grown and then pruned. It has grown again to new heights as the name has been transferred back and forth until it restored to its rightful owner. So it is like a second home to me.
I was still brought back to this Christian-Chat Network even if I went to different servers. Now, it is for real that I’m staying with this server. So from then on; I’ll be staying here till YHVH leads me to new ventures.
I have started in the Java-based software in the #SpiritLed_Woman chat room through the SpiritLed Woman’s website. It was a whole new world for me. That is when I met Bethel there. Then, I graduated to the mIRC software and soon after I found the #Lobby. I have met a lot of people there. It is amazing when I remembered a lot of those names when I was reminiscing with a friend. I’ve met Tazz4, Jackie, Shell, Wings, Bride, Kathe, Guardian, FlamingIdiot, Tink, Bride, Corky, and so many chatters along the way. I wish I could name them all… Oh, yeah, and KShadow…
Speaking of KShadow, I have seen him off and on the IRC (Inter-Relay-Chat) server was I’m in the #Lobby. Well, I vaguely remembered at one time or another this “KShadow” kept popping in and out of the #Lobby and the people in there wondered if he had internet trouble. It was unbeknownst to all of us it was another unknown chatter who was trying to clean out KShadow’s settings of his CCNET Script. So that was the last of the KShadow character. I did not know who that unknown chatter till 2007 when a friend revealed who he was then.
Anyway; the Christian-Chat Network has been my hang-out for a long time as I met a lot of friends. Well, most has come and gone, and a few has remain to this day. Some has taken a sabbatical for up to 2 years or more. Some has simply left the server and never came back. And, one of the special Ops in #Lobby has passed away in 2002 or 2003 (I can’t remember which year it was…).
There was so much to catch up on some of the chatters. Some of them that have come back have gone through a lot of changes. One of those chatters who have come back some time ago is now my close friend this year. It’s funny how some people would become friends till the end. I have met at least seven people in person so far. One lady, I remembered running into her in different restaurants on the Friday at different times while I chat with a few more people on the hone.
I used to operate or monitor several chat rooms on CCNET before the separation of the servers. We call ourselves Ops for short. I have been opping until the tragedy had struck in our families in July of 2002. So I had to remove myself from being an op in a lot of rooms. I did not go back to chat till months later. Well, I never opped in any more rooms till January of 2007 which is this year when the same close friend had asked me to Op in his room. It’s amazing how YHVH works in our favor. He knows what He is doing. So the rest is history there.
Now I’m monitoring or operating about over 7 different chat rooms on this Christian-Chat Network. I still have many friends there, and I have become close friends with some of them. YHVH has led me to this sever almost 13 years ago, and I have no idea that I would be ministering to a lot of chatters there. So I have made it my second home where I can be myself and be able to share my testimonies with many people. I have enjoyed every minute of this chat experience even though I have a few run-ins with only a very few people since I am usually a friendly person to get along with. I have ministered to a lot people especially the women. Some of them were either inspired or upset… but most of all they have come away with a nugget of Yah’s Word.
Many people have accepted Yeshua as their Messiah while other returned to Yeshua through this chat experience. Yes, there are those who have refused the invitation of salvation and remained lost in the world. I am thankful that YHVH has led BrianO to create such a ministry in 1995 or 96. I have met him in person when I went with Bethel, and a friend to the Strang Communications in Lake Mary Florida. He is still around and doing a lot of things while off the server.
I have been chatting on the same server and still ministering to a lot of people there till the year 2009 when it was time to close the server down.. I lift up YHVH’s Name because He does have the credit for allowing BrianO to lead this ministry. So I have prayed that this Christian-Chat Network will continue to grow and minister to people who are seeking the answers to the Word of Elohim and to be able to fellowship with other people in the different rooms. The server has since closed down due to medical and financial situations.
Then I have moved to yet another IRC server, one of the few that are still available and I was able to op (or monitor) their chat rooms for a short time. This Christian IRC server GodsIRC that is joined with United-Christian-Chat-Network; is very similar to CCNET except that it was smaller and starting to grow. I have decided to leave this server in 2011 was I felt led by the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit) to move on to something larger and learn more about the Torah through Yeshua the Messiah.
Both servers and a few others are not without problems. They all have their share of hackers, trolls, religious debates and political debates that weren’t supposed to be in a certain chat room. They have had flooders, and lurkers. I have seen it all. They have had people who are co-dependent on others. Oh, yes, they have attention-getters as well as the stalkers.
I have begin my journey as I have oped (monitored) the chat rooms in 1999. I started in the ladies-only rooms first since it was pretty much a piece of cake. One room used to be co-ed till the rule was changed to ladies-only. I have kicked (removed the chatter from the room) or ban (Prevent the chatter from entering the room). Most of those I’ve kicked or banned are man who did not obey the “ladies-only” rule or feigned obedience but doesn’t leave the room.
I had once kicked a wrong chatter from one of those two chat rooms. Of course, I’ve apologized to her.
Even as a chatter, I’ve had my embarrassment. It was when we were discussing the names of dog breeds and I misspelled a name of the dog breed, “Shih tzu”. You get the idea. Hehe.
Most of the times while I was in the chat rooms, I was usually a greeter because I love to make people feel welcomed.
I have even received unwanted private chats from various people especially men asking for “ASL”, not to be confused to with American Sign Language, and it means age, sex, or location in chat lingo. I used to go by the nickname “Snapette” and so I changed my nickname to “Snapstur” to really cut down on the unwanted PC (Private Chat). Yes, there were men who have harassed the female chatters on the IRC servers. So that is usually the job left to the IRC-Ops (IRC-operators who have more control over the servers). Sometimes, the IRC-Ops were not available and we simply banned the trouble-makers from the rooms and report to them when they became available. I have one chatter who has doctored a log ( text data recording) falsely accusing me of stalking him. He was since server-banned, which means total loss of access to server.
We have had rules developed in order to make the IRC servers as safe an environment as possible. Yes, the server rules are always posted in their status windows of the chat program or Java-based software. And we had rules added to fit in different rooms in conjunction with the server rules.
The chatters enter the server through the log-ins and they are automatically joined to the main meeting room like the “#Lobby”. This is the worst chat room that I’ve ever monitored because you have many people in all walks-of-life. The Ops and myself have to deal with the whiners, rule-breakers and ignorant people. We often received PCs (Private Chats) from the complainers asking why they’re kicked or banned from the room. Many of those complainers are mostly ignorant of the server and/or room rules, nit-picking over silly little thing and get argumentative of any technicality. Being an Op in #Lobby requires so much energy and diligence on the Ops’ part. Oh, yes, there was even one fellow who has constantly berated a lot of chatters over their misspelling, grammatical errors and typos. Many people were as if saying, “For Pete’s sake, this is a chat room, not an English class.” Funny thing is, he thinks he can get away with it just because he was an Op in #Lobby! He has since moved on and has a server of his own, Jesusfreaks-IRC.
Since you cannot see anyone’s face and some people have chosen to be anonymous due to privacy reasons. It is difficult to “see” their facial expression through their typing. This is where a lot of Ops pray for wisdom and discernment.
When a chatter is asked to be an Op, if he or she accepts it after prayer. He or she is given the training course to learn how to control the room. After they are trained, an Ops who has more experiences would mentor the “junior” Op till h or she is ready to control the room without any assistance. I have had several Ops training through different IRC servers such as CCNET, ChristianWorld, Christian-IRC, Sentinel, RGC-Chat and IOM servers. The IOM server has a more extensively comprehensive training regimen.
My Ops training and skills are transferred when I joined a a few Facebook groups that needed a few tips from the IRC chat perspective. Yes, I believe my skill in monitoring the chat room has transferred to different format and using it in a different direction and helping out those that needed a few tips from me.
I have also monitored a few forums that were affiliated with the chat servers. Both the chat room and the forums have different formats and I learn how to spot a false teaching or anything that didn’t seem right. Again it all boils down to wisdom and discernment.
So this is the article about me in those IRC servers and how I’ve monitored the many chat rooms over the years. We have had our ups and downs. We learn and grow as we chatted just about anything under the sun. I do miss a lot of people who have been friends with me. I have certainly enjoyed meeting new people and that they feel welcomed into the chat rooms. Even though with good training, we all make mistakes.
So may YHVH bless and take care, Shalom.
A screen-shot of a typical IRC program.
Sources for these images;
For image 1; http://www.flossie.org/?tribe_events=flossie-organisers-irc-meeting
For image 2; http://www.infovis-wiki.net/index.php?title=Internet_Relay_Chat
Article originally posted in <https://www.facebook.com/notes/tracy-taylor/the-inter-relay-chat/10151148615594561>