Chatroom
From Mindat
The chatroom is a real-time public chat arena where anyone interested in rocks, minerals, gems or lapidary can come to chat with like-minded people from around the world.
To sign-in to the chatroom, you must choose a username (maximum of 9 characters), and wait for the chatroom to load.
Once logged-in you type messages into the thin white box that runs along the bottom of the chat window and the logged-in users list.
| Table of contents |
Can't see Chat Window?
The chatroom uses a Java Applet, which may cause problems for some users. The most common problem is that Java is not installed on some Windows XP computers. To solve this problem you should download the free Java 1.4 Runtime from Sun Microsystems (The link is on the chat page). This resolves the problem for most people.
Slow Connections?
Because of the security methods used to authenticate visitors into the chat system, some computer systems take a while (45 seconds to 90 seconds) to connect into the chatroom. Once this is completed and you are connected the chat will continue at full speed, so please be patient if this happens to you, this is usually due to a limitation in the way your ISP has configured your internet connection and there is little we can do to resolve this problem.
Connection Dropped?
The Chatroom application we use is a little quirky - it is known to kick people out seemingly at random. One cause for this seems to be when pressing the backspace key when there is no message left to delete, so if this affects you (it depends on your computer/browser configuration), be careful with the backspace key.
Can't connect to server?
Another common problem preventing connections is due to firewall/router configurations. Your computer needs to be able to access port 6910 on the internet (outgoing connections), so if your firewall or router has port-level access control, make sure this port is enabled.
How to chat to someone in private
When you click on someone's name in the chat list, their name is highlighted in bold. From this point on, all messages you send are directed only to that individual. Messages directed to you in private are shown with *s around the name, for example:
*Jolyon* This is a private message from Jolyon just to you <Jolyon> This is a public message to everyone in the room
Always be careful to reply to private/public messages correctly or you'll confuse other people!
Is it logged?
All connections are logged, and any reported abusive behaviour or other unwanted activities can result in your connection being banned from the entire website, and/or complaints being sent to your ISP/Organization/School. Messages aren't logged automatically, and there is no logging or intercepting of private messages, so what you say privately really is private, we have no way of reading that.
Is it moderated?
The chatroom is not permanently moderated, but moderators will oversee it from time to time, and have the ability to kick out and ban people if necessary. We will not tolerate bad language or any other abuse on the chatroom, and will instantly kick & ban for this.
Is it safe for kids?
We frequently have younger-aged visitors coming to the chatroom for assistance with projects or with genuine interest in the subject, and we will continue to encourage this. However, as with any chatroom, nowhere on the internet can be classed truly safe, so we would encourage all parents to take note of their children's activities on the chatroom, and would advise no-one under 13 be allowed to use the chatroom without direct supervision.
It says '2 people online' but there are more/less!
The figure on the frontpage is an estimate - it only updates every five minutes, so sometimes the figure is out of date. Also, some users are using alternative IRC software to connect and they are not shown in that figure.
