<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
Wow! Sunday we actually had 7 celiacs in the same channel of the chat room
at the same time! 8 celiacs visited the room over the course of several
hours; three of them were not members of (formerly unaware of) this List!
We are definitely going to do this again.
 
We swapped histories and strategies and a lot of laughs, many of them at
our own expense. One fellow told an entertaining tale of making a first
date with a gorgeous woman, who offered to cook him a meal. He sat her down
with a cup of coffee and explained the situation to her, and she thought
she could handle it. A few days later, at her house, she served him his
(former) favorite brand of spaghetti. Said he, "May I have more salad,
please?"
 
If you, too, would like to hang out with other celiacs and chat live (it's
especially good for those of us in remote areas, or who have no local
support group), our next official meeting comes Tuesday at 7pm Eastern.
 
One of the interesting things about Internet Relay Chat is that when the
last person leaves the room, the lights go out automatically... and the
room disappears! But one of the more computer savvy visitors to #celiac
suggested we put a "BOT" in the room that would hold the channel open and
would greet all visitors, letting them know the official meeting days and
times, but also letting folks know that others may show up at any time, and
maybe doing a short explanation of what celiac disease is. This could be a
really great way to bring in already Internet-capable members, and to
educate non-celiacs.
 
Meanwhile, here's my short course on how to get IRC-capable yourself:
  o  Ask your provider if they offer IRC channels. Some do, some don't.
  o  If your provider is set up for it, ask if they have the
     software in place or what you will need.
  o  If your provider doesn't do IRC, you'll need to find another
     provider. What you're looking for is full internet access. This
     gives you the ability to "surf the worldwide web" and do IRC.
     You should be able to obtain this for about $20/month for
     =unlimited= connect time day or night.
  o  For those using direct dial-in connections to SLIP/PPP providers,
     you'll need a separate "client" program. The best one for IBM-
     types is mIRC. Try using a web search engine and you'll find it's
     free for the downloading on the Net. Mac owners may want to email
     Debra/Andi_ ([log in to unmask]) for details, as she is a MAC-
     user and has offered to help.
  o  Get a list of IRC servers or use the ones provided with your
     software, and dial them up. Once you're connected, just type
     /JOIN #celiac and you'll be in the channel.
  o  Note that some servers get "split off" from the other servers.
     I once found people =in= the channel, left, and when I returned
     there was "no one home." I tried another server, and they were
     there all along. If you don't find anyone, try another server
     just in case. But if the channel was empty, you'll create it
     just by joining. Try hanging out there a while and see if anyone
     shows up!
 
I intend to hang out on the #celiac channel most days after about 7-8pm
Eastern, and other times as time permits.
 
Hope to see y'all there!
 
Linda Blanchard
[log in to unmask]      or, soon    [log in to unmask]
Midland TX USA