IRC stands for “Internet Relay Chat”. The simplest way to describe it is the soundless, text-based version of visiting a club. You type a line, press enter, and the others watching the screen reciprocate and respond.
I have been a chatter since 1997, when I first started my IT diploma in Technicon. One of my fellow students introduced me to chat and I never looked back.
What attracted me was the fact that nobody could see my wheelchair. The chatters got to know my personality first before seeing what I looked like. That is, unless I decided to share a picture. In the beginning, I got lot of insults, asking if I was an old granny, which hurt a lot.
But I made a lot of friends too. And I learned a lot about myself and was able to become comfortable with who I was and the things that interested me. Some of my interests are a little different, but I was able to find like-minded people and learn from the experiences of interacting with them.
Some friendships have been brief and fleeting, while others have stood the test of time. I met my best friend in a chat room and am glad to say that twelve years later, I finally met her face to face.
I met my now ex-husband online too. It was a long friendship, from which I also learned a lot.
Moving into a new phase of my life, I am still learning a lot from being on IRC. What I am now discovering is that I can be promised the world. Yet, I don’t see an inch of it. Friends say they will visit and I don’t see them. Not being able to drive does have its limitations.
I have had this feeling before and it’s returning again. Where the circles I frequent are not quite the ones I should be in. Like I am a moon orbiting the planet. Drifting along on the outer edges.
For now, I am happy to leave it as it is, but I hope to meet some true friends soon.
It's my life ... 
Why do you think I have no friends Trudes. Peter died and you have never seen so many people run away so fast and so quickly. It’s bad enough losing a child. A million times worse when you have nobody to just sit with you. They didn’t have to talk, just be there. I went from a full house every weekend and the phone constantly ringing to absolute silence. Just me and my thoughts. A nervous breakdown and five years later and I think I might be getting there. But my dear, welcome to the real world. Hate to tell you this but you may just have to start looking for some new friends.
I know exactly how you feel, and believe me I dont give a damn about how someone look. But what i do care about is giving 200% and only receiving 30% in return its sad.
I found that alot on irc.
Easy for them to pretend to be your friend when sitting behind a pc. But yes there are those few that truly are friends.
I think your a wonderful and caring person, so stuff those that pretend to be what they are infact not 🙂 *hugs*
Ok I promised I wouldn’t make a long reply, lets hope i can keep it 🙂
You and I “met” on IRC so you know how much time I used to spend on there, and it got much worse, so to speak, in the years after that.
Since moving back, I can probably count on one hand the amount of times of have been back on IRC and truth be told, I dont miss it a bit. I met some awesome poeple online, some whom I still meet up with to this day.
Even though I dont use or miss IRC, or online interaction in general (there is that “something missing” with it), it was IRC that set me on my present course in life, or rather some of the people I met there, and you know what, I have never been happier as a result.
While I cant relate to you in some aspects, everyone is different, I am more than willing to share with you what I’ve learned and how I approach things these days. Maybe it will help, maybe not.
All I can say is live life for yourself 🙂
I used to be big on IRC. I left it for similar reasons, it started to feel pointless and life got busy with work, stage drama…. I did not know then, but the depression too.
My own experience is that being a shy person that I am, I depend on online for my social needs- but not chatrooms… Chatrooms can be rather lonely at the times I needed friends the most.
Just my two-cents. Hope you’re well.
I think you’ve just hit the nail on the head. Online is my source of friendship too but chatrooms are lonely. I am finding more pleasure from one on one conversations through chat programs like Skype, GTalk, etc …