IRCNEWBIES
"HISTORY REPEATS"
When I first joined IRCNEWBIES in January of 1996 it was a very active Help channel. The channel was nearly always packed with people. Channel Ops were professional and well organized (for the most part) and were able to provide real help, as did the large array of non-Op channel regulars. This help and assistance was given in a friendly, fun and safe atmosphere. People, newbies could come into the channel and have their questions answered without being made fun of, being kicked or banned. People also didn't have to deal with streams of offensive language, strong flirting or other inappropriate conversation. The channel was well respected and regarded by many people. I believe it was one of the best IRC Help channels on Efnet.
Soon after joining the channel, I found out that the channel was founded some years earlier to teach new people (newbies) about IRC and mIRC. It encouraged people to ask questions and have fun while they were learning. This was the main purpose and function of the channel. There was also general chat and fun as well. My background in real life and my desire to help people meant that I felt I could really contribute to this channel and I became an Op within a couple of months of joining.
My career in real life has been to provide computer support on Help Desks of large government departments. I have been providing technical support since 1992. I have always had a desire to help people. Since June of last I have been the manager of the Help Desk for my current employer at Ultimo TAFE (large University with 45,000 students). In my time providing technical support I have answered many thousands of questions from computer users at various skill levels and knowledge.
I have studied Help Desk theory including communication skills, problem solving techniques, customer service principles and effective operation of a Help Desk. Due to my real life career I see many similarities between a Computer Support Help Desk and the Help and Support services that IRCNEWBIES was founded on to provide to new IRC/mIRC users.
I'm genuinely saddened to say that IRCNEWBIES of today isn't the same channel it once was. It has some of the same faces of the past but it has changed and not for the better. Many long time channel Ops and channel regulars from past and present have expressed concerns about the direction the channel is heading in, the changes that have been made and the way that it is currently being run. Some believe the channel has lost its appeal to some extent. It hasn't retained the standards or reputation it once had and has gone into a decline.
IRCNEWBIES in September 1998 was going through some Op and Bot related problems. These types of problems weren't new for the channel as it had a series of Op and Bot problems on an ongoing regular basis over many years. History repeated itself many times without many people learning from the past. During this time four people, the bot owners decided they needed to take action to correct the current crisis. They took bot access away from all Ops, approximately 20 people meaning they could no longer Op.
The bot owners in my mind did make serious errors in judgement, abused peoples rights, trust, abused power they had over their fellow Ops and showed poor conflict resolution skills. They acted with force (using bots) instead of using more constructive means of resolution such as words. There were better ways of resolving the disputes that were going on at the time then to take the actions they did. Some of them now freely admit the actions they took were wrong or that they have had second thoughts about their actions. I don't hold their actions against them they are human and humans make mistakes. The important thing is that people learn from mistakes and not repeat them.
Over the next few days and weeks after the bot owners actions the axed Ops and majority of channel regulars at the time left IRCNEWBIES, some people for good it would seem, although some have since returned on a permanent basis others just visiting. Some left IRC altogether, some went to different IRC networks or became involved with other channels. The majority in a new at the time temp channel called IRCNEWBIE.
Not everyone that hangs out in IRCNEWBIE now was there at the beginning. There were a lot of actions discussed that could be taken in response to what had just happened in ircnewbies. One option was to try and take over ircnewbies but just about everyone (including Chquita) decided that was not the correct option to take. It was believed that the bot owners would take action against any such attempt and would take the channel back one way or the other. Many thought if people attempted to take it back by force they would be no better then the bot owners.
There was an attempt to take back the channel but it didn't last. People decided to stay in IRCNEWBIE and try and make it more then a temp channel. While others decided to go back to IRCNEWBIES and try and work from within the channel to improve the situation there. In my mind this wasn't a takeover attempt as some have suggested but an attempt to try and restore the channel.
People that went back to IRCNEWBIES were considered traitors or betraying others by people who believed the channel should be allowed to dwindle and die then be retaken/reborn. Much unneeded tension, personal conflict, anger and feelings of revenge have built up among people in both channels since, all a waste of time and energy if you ask me.
Over time two maybe more people took over the total running and operation of IRCNEWBIES. They were (are) in charge of making rules, choosing whom can/can't Op and operating the channel, abandoning what is sometimes called "group rule" where all Ops had an equal right/say in channel operations. Not all previous Ops have been asked to rejoin the channel as Ops/regulars since it's problems last year. Other Ops who went back to the channel have been forced out or left due to the continuing problems the channel has.
There has been very little if any effort to restore the channel to it's past glory, good reputation or improve the operation of the channel. It has just been coasting along with no direction, leadership or organization. That's the impression that others and I get from observing. I also get the impression that helping people doesn't seem to be a high priority anymore. Good will towards the channel from the people that do or did call the channel home has been lost or reduced. People don't always feel comfortable or welcomed in the channel, at times the atmosphere is tense and sad instead of being fun and light.
A new value system or way of thinking seems to have replaced that of the past. The practices, procedures and standards of the past whether they were good or bad have all been washed away, thrown out, discarded or ignored. I don't mind in principle getting rid of the negative or bad aspects of the channel, this is needed. However a very large group of people over many years contributed hundreds maybe thousands of hours (if you added up all the time), energy, skills, knowledge and resources to build a channel from nothing to a great channel with a great learning and fun atmosphere. The channel was well respected by channel regulars and newbies alike. To see all their hard work (including my own) vanish and see those people themselves vanish almost overnight makes me really sad, more than I can express in words. It would seem all that has been achieved is now relegated to history.
Depending on whom you talk or listen to the people who have declared themselves the leaders or managers of IRCNEWBIES range from being benevolent kind rulers to out and out dictators. I don't wish to label anyone with such titles. If the past has shown anything time and time again it is that the practices of people apportioning blame on each other, name calling, holding grudges, seeking revenge on others, acting unethically, trying to remove others from being an Op, trying to use the channel to gain power/control and using the channel as a battle ground is not constructive. Resorting to these kinds of activities only results in prolonging the problem causing it to go away but return in the future. They don't provide a meaningful, sensible resolution or solutions to whatever the problem was in the first place.
I believe very strongly in IRCNEWBIES as an institution, as a service provided to newbies (people) on IRC as I believe in the institution of the Help Desk. The channel is important and worth saving (with words not force), protecting and trying to restore it to it's past glory. I believe there are currently serious problems with the way the channel is being run and operated that need addressing. Not everyone shares my view there are problems.
Working on the assumption there are serious problems though It is not impossible to change the channel for the better but three things need to happen before any change can take place the people must want to change, people must be prepared to make the effort needed for change and the culture of the past must be left in the past.
One man or woman can't change the channel by them selves. It won't only take David, Vader, Chquita, Dove, Iggy or myself to change the way we communicate, behave, work with others or think. It will take everyone to make the required effort and have the desire for change. If the channel is to flourish once again it needs to be a full team effort, people will have to work together to bring about the needed changes.
People will have to put aside their differences with others, forgive past actions and will need to respect each other. Everyone will have to use positive and constructive ways to identify, discuss and resolve problems. If we rely on or fall back to the ways of the past to solve problems it won't work. People need to try and make positive not destructive contributions.
It sounds impossible or very hard to accomplish given the channel history but it isn't. It will involve a lot of hard work and willingness from everyone to try. Human nature has shown that change isn't always easy and it's not always welcomed or wanted. The nature of IRC itself can also contribute to making changes difficult. Breaking the culture of the past isn't easy either. If IRCNEWBIES is to improve itself a team effort with everyone working towards the same or similar goals and objectives will be required.
If change doesn't take place the channel will continue in the indefinite loop of Op and other problems the channel has faced time and time again at regular intervals. History repeats on IRCNEWBIES, most never seem to learn they just continue and repeat the same things over and over again. There is a way ahead though if we learn from the past the channel will be able to evolve into something better. What's the future of IRCNEWBIES in the end it will be the people involved in the channel that will determine it.
As I've said the road ahead won't be easy but whether it works or not is up to everyone, are you prepared to try?
