Click Here To Chat On Mahalo

Would you like to talk to someone live on Mahalo or are you in Mahalo Guide Training? This page will explain how to chat live with people on Mahalo.

IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat. This is the original form of instant message online chatting that existed well before chat applications such as MSN, iChat and Google Talk. IRC is much the same as these programs except rather then authorizing individual friends, you connect to a whole room full of people!

IRC rooms can be thought of like a party with different people who would like to chat with you. These parties are "hosted" on servers located throughout the world. To become part of the party and to connect with other people, you need to use software to connect to an IRC server, tell the server who you are, and which party that you would like to be a part of.

This page will explain how to connect to Mahalo's IRC server. If you're a part of the Go Team, the How To Team or would simply like a live answer to a question, our IRC server is a great place to find Mahalo staff member, Vertical Managers and other users.

Are you new a Mahalo Guide in training? Congratulations! You have probably been asked to connect to a Mahalo chat room.

To connect quickly and easily to the Orientation or Training IRC room, you can follow the instructions below to connect with IRC software that you already have OR you can simply click the link below for fast and easy access.

Note: When asked to choose a nickname, please enter a nickname that is identical to your Mahalo Username.

Connect To Mahalo Orientation Room Now

After you go through orientation, the main training room can be quickly connected to below. However, if you plan on participating on Mahalo regularly, it is highly recommended that you download a free IRC software program such as Trillian or Pidgin.

Connect To The Main Training Room

After you've been approved to do updates, you'll need to be in the Guides chat room while working.

Connect To Mahalo Guides Room Now

In order to connect to these servers and chat with people, you need to use either web based software or software that you download and install on your computer. This guide will help you with both methods. If this is your first time using IRC chat or if you simply want to connect quickly, use the web based software described below. If you would like to use full-featured, free software application, follow the instructions below to download and install the Chatzilla desktop application.

The basic settings that you will need to connect to Mahalo's IRC Server include:

Server Name:

irc.mahalo.com

Port:

6667 (this is the default setting)

Username (nickname):

The IRC chat username (AKA nickname) must be identical to your Mahalo username.

For example, Rob's mahalo username is RobBrown

Channel:

A channel is a specific "chat room" on an IRC server.

If you are on the Go Team Training, the room that you would like to enter is:

#Training

If you are on the GoTeam, the room that you would like to enter is:

#GoTeam

If you are part of the "GuruTeam", the room that you would like to enter is: #guruteam

If you would like to connect and chat live with other Mahalo members or ask a Vertical Manager or Staff Member a question, you should enter the main Mahalo IRC room:

#Mahalo

Note that it is possible to connect to more than one channel (room) at once. There are also a variety of specialized IRC channels in use on Mahalo. For a full list of each channel with a description of each, please see the list of IRC channels to the right.

If this is your first time using IRC, don't worry! It's easy after you figure it out. The easiest way to connect to the Mahalo Go Team IRC server is to use a web based application called Mibbit. It doesn't cost anything and as long as you leave the browser window open, it works very well.

The steps that Rob illustrated in the video above include:

1. Visit the Mibbit.com Website: http://www.mibbit.com

2. Press the "Launch Mibbit Web Chat" button

3. Press the small "Server" hyperlink

4. Type in: irc.mahalo.com to the Server Address input box

5. Enter your name in the Nick input box. Remember that your name can not contain more than 9 characters.

6. In the Channel input box enter: #training (or #goteam for the GoTeam, or #guruteam for the GuruTeam)

7. Press the Go button

You should now see several user names on the right hand side of the screen, a large chat history area and a thin text area where you can input your messages.

• • Important: Remember to leave your browser window open to stay connected to the chat room!

Most people who use IRC more than once or twice do not use the web based options above but rather choose to download and install a stand-alone chat application. While this is harder to set-up, it adds a number of functions and can even be more reliable.

There are a number of options. Many people like to use Trillian because it allows users to connect to a large number of Instant Message networks and IRC at the same time.

Other popular IRC programs include a FireFox Addon called ChatZilla. This is easy to install and integrates with the FireFox web browser. Adium for the Mac is favored by some while the long term Windows favorite is mIRC. Each of these applications is free.

While the easiest way to connect to either the Go Team chat or Mahalo's Public Internet Relay Chat is to use the appropriate web based interface listed above, for reliability and features, you may want to explore a software application that you install and download. Below, you will be shown how to download and install Chatzilla.

ChatZilla is a FireFox web browser Addon that works on Windows PC's, Mac's, and Linux based computers. It is highly regarded as one of the easiest stand-alone IRC chat programs available.

In the video above, Rob Brown shows you how to download ChatZilla, install it, start it and configure it for use with Mahalo's IRC server.

In the video above, Rob Brown shows you how to configure ChatZilla for use with Mahalo's IRC servers.

The steps that Rob describes in the video above include:

1. Make sure that you're using the FireFox web browser: http://www.firefox.com

2. Download the ChatZilla Firefox Addon: Download ChatZilla Here

3. Install ChatZilla and restart Firefox.

4. Configure ChatZilla to connect to Mahalo's IRC Server (irc.mahalo.com)

5. Under the General Tab, enter your Mahalo username in the Nickname text input area.

6. Under the Startup tab, tell ChatZilla to connect to the Mahalo IRC server by pressing the Add button under the Auto-Connect URL's option.

7. When prompted, enter: irc://irc.mahalo.com

8. Press the OK button and close the preferences panel.

9. Start ChatZilla by selecting it under the Tools Pull Down Menu at the top of your screen.

10. Input the room(s) that you would like to join. The most common room is the main Mahalo IRC room. You can join this channel by entering: /join #mahalo.com

11. You can tell ChatZilla to connect to this channel every time it starts by right clicking on the tab and selecting Open This Channel on Startup.

In this video, Rob gives you some tips and tricks to make chatting in IRC easy. It's a great way to communicate quickly once you become use to the interface.

After watching this video, you will understand the basic way to chat back and forth with a group of people connected to Mahalo's IRC server as well as talk directly to a specific individual.