IRC Metrics

eMail: If the person you want to communicate with is not online, send them eMail. That is what it was created for.

jabber: If the person that you want to communicate privately with is online, and has a jabber account you will see them, and you will be able to communicate with them.

social networks: If you just want to post something, without regards to who or where it is going and the only answer you need is the odd affirmation, use one of the social networking system, i.e. Facebook or Twitter.

IRC: If you are open and willing to communicate with just about anyone with similar interests as you, go to IRC. If you are waiting for your friend to come online to have a private chat, see jabber. If you want to leave a message for your friend, see eMail.

Channel Operators (Hosts)

Bots were originally placed on IRC channels to HELP a Host (or Operator as they are improperly called) do their job, not to replace them. Many of the channels on IRC are ignorant of this, and are just opening channels and placing bots on them to keep them open.

One of the features that bots have built into them is to kick out people who are not actively participating in channel conversations - and that seems to be the only part of the bots that are not active. Instead hosts are using bots to do things that people should be doing - like expelling the profane or the ignorant. I was booted and banned from a channel for using the archaic term 'bbs' the other day. Much like being booted and banned for using another innocuous word 'saltwater'.

IRC should not be suffering. It is one of the few bastions of communications left where a person is not slammed with advertising from the moment they arrive until well past when they are gone. People of other services bring baggage that just does not bode well with the type of communications that IRC represents. Put the 'Chat' back into IRC, log on and join or even start a conversation.

If you are interested in IRC download one of the many clients available (search for IRC or Internet Relay Chat Client), pick a server and join. Popular servers include Eris Free Net (efnet), Undernet and DalNet. Once you are connected do a list and find a channel that interests you and start chatting.