#tolkien mini-guide to chatting
These are som useful commands and tips for you who are new to chatting.

change nickname without having to disconnect or leave the room:
Type:
/nick newnick
(don't forget the / )
/nick Bob changes your nick to Bob

Perform an action
type:
/me action

Your nickname will appear automatically
If your nick is Bob, /me is happy will show up as *Bob is happy


Frequently used abbreviations:

LOL = Laughing Out Loud
ROFL = Rolling On Floor Laughing
wb = welcome back
ty = thank you
bbl = (I'll) be back later
brb = (I'll) be right back
bbiab = (I'll) be back in a bit
asl = age, sex, location

Be very careful about who you give personal information to! People aren't always who they claim to be.
Don't open links you are not sure are safe.

If anyone is behaving in a way you are not comfortable with, tell one of the channel operators.
Channel operators/moderators are the ones with @ infront of their names (if you are using an irc client like mIRC) or the smiley faces with sunglasses (if you are using the PT applet). The colour of the smileys may vary, but the operators are always the first names on the list and they have a different colour from the rest.

Right. And you can't get some smileys. You can get the usual basic ones like and and :P but not much else.

Thank you!
I thought it would be nice to have these things in writing since I have discovered that explaining them in the chatroom takes time and is often confusing.

Thank you for all the help. I look forward to being a member here.