SearchIRC FAQ

PingBad · Posted: Nov 08, 2010 7:04am Post subject: SearchIRC FAQ

Of late, there have been quite a fair few common questions answered with - unsurprisingly - common answers; This list of FAQs will gradually grow over time but hopefully it'll solve the problem of repeating ourselves to different users.

For convenience in linking to individual questions/answers, each will be posted as a seperate reply and I'll try to keep a running contents list in this post to save people wading through the entire topic.

Contents

FAQ Suggestions
Any suggestions as to what to include in this FAQ are more than welcome, private message me with your suggestions (please use subject: FAQ Suggestion (without the color, of course) to help distinguish it from other requests)

PingBad · Posted: Nov 08, 2010 7:09am Post subject:

I submitted my updated network information days/weeks/months ago and it still hasn't appeared on my network page

We are a volunteer service, run in our free time when and where possible. Pending updates are usually done at least once a week, but - due to the volunteer nature of SearchIRC, and our responsibilites offline - there is no guarantee that your updated information will be approved.

PingBad · Posted: Nov 08, 2010 7:14am Post subject:

Can you reactivate <network>?

Due to the volume of reactivation requests, Jason has now automated this via the Control Panel accessible from the main page of SearchIRC; Simply log in with your board username and password, click "Request network reactivation" in the "MyNetworks" section (illustrated below) then follow the prompts from there.

PingBad · Posted: Nov 08, 2010 7:17am Post subject:

I'm searching for a network to chat on that uses <software>, how do I do this?

For security reasons relating to the networks we do index, SearchIRC will never make available the option to find networks that run a certain software product (nor be able to search by specific versions). Specifically, if we granted such an ability to the average user, a troublemaker will use the same feature to actively seek out networks they can disrupt with known exploits/bugs in any given product - a situation we definately do not wish to be responsible for.

PingBad · Posted: Nov 08, 2010 7:29am Post subject:

I submitted my network to be indexed and I received an email saying that it had been rejected because my network was already in the index, but I don't see the indexers connecting

There are a few reasons for this:

You have submitted a network that is already in the indexes but may or may not be active
In this event, simply reactivate your network.
You may have resubmitted your network in the belief that the original submission attempt was not received
There is a myth/misconception that if you submit your network more than once it'll be processed for indexing faster - on the contrary, all this does is automatically reject any previous submission attempts therefore pushing your request further down the queue; Essentially, submitting your network more than once actually increases the delay between submission and approval.

PingBad · Posted: Nov 08, 2010 8:08am Post subject:

<network> has warez on it, why haven't you delisted them?

We like to think we give an uncut view of IRC as a whole, and - as such - do not censor our indexes based on perceptions of illegal/immoral activity; the responsibility for moderating the content of any given network's /list or channels lies directly for the staff of the network (and channel[s], where applicable) concerned. If you feel offended by the content of any network (including the channels hosted thereon), then contact the staff with your concerns. We simply do not delist any network simply because of the content it hosts (with the notable exception of lusers doctoring) - to do so will only invite troublemakers to connect to "rival" networks and start up channels with the sole intention of having the network[s] concerned delisted.

PingBad · Posted: Nov 08, 2010 8:14am Post subject:

I was unfairly/wrongly banned from a channel/network, can you unban me?

Our purpose is simply to index IRC networks, we do not have any control nor influence over the internal operations of any network we index.

Additionally, there is no concept of "unfairly" or "wrongfully" banned on IRC - every channel, server and network is owned by private individuals/organisations; as such, there is no universal right to the ability to connect to any network or channel - you may be banned for any reason at any time including no reason at all.
Most human-invoked bans, however, may supply a reason as to why you have been banned (along with most automatic bans, such as DNS Blacklisting) - contact the staff of the channel/network concerned if you feel the ban has been in error; Remember, be polite in your communications with them - they are under no obligation to allow you to use their services whatsoever.

PS: If the ban reason makes any indication towards being listed on a blacklist, there is a handy utility available online (DNSBL Information - Spam Database Lookup) that may help point out which blacklists have your IP listed; do note, however, that this site cannot directly remove you from any of the blacklists it does check, but it will point you towards those who do have the authority to do such things.

PingBad · Posted: Mar 06, 2011 10:31pm Post subject:

What happened to the SearchIRC Server?

We used to have one specific for SearchIRC, however it became surplus to requirements when Jason automated a lot of the processes that used to take place on the server. At the time of writing, there are currently no plans to bring one back online for any reason.

PingBad · Posted: Mar 06, 2011 10:33pm Post subject:

Can you setup a #searchirc channel on my server/network?

In short, no. To have SearchIRC setup an official channel on anyone else's server but our own (which currently does not exist) will only lead to accusations of favoritism from the networks which do not have the official channel on them.