24

We've had a Stack Overflow IRC channel specifically for meta discussion since early August, but Jeff seems very intent on refusing to acknowledge its existence.

Here's the channel information:

irc.freenode.net
#stackoverflow
Improve this question
0

5 Answers 5

Reset to default
29

While we're on the topic of IRC:

#SOMafia on irc.slashnet.org is NOT associated with Stack Overflow!

I've gotten several email complaints:

Yesterday, just out of curiosity, I joined #SOMafia on irc.shashnet.org and there was a JeffAtwood op there. If it wasn't you, then I'm sorry, please ignore this email, but if it was - what the hell man?

I understand I stumbled upon a private chatroom, and it's all fun and games, but I didn't expect to be called a "flaming homosexual" from someone like you, a man I admire and read his blog for several years. It was probably an inside joke with you guys, but still - not cool. I'm not going to pretend to be offended - I really could care less, but it was just juvenile.

another:

Please delete my accounts on all Trilogy sites including Meta. I am no longer interested in SO after the verbal abuse today on #somafia by JeffAtwood

another:

I am an avid reader of your blogs and recently I stumbled across #SOMafia IRC channel which had somebody who called himself as "Jeff Atwood" and abusing those who are entering the channel. At first I was shocked, then after some googling, I found What about the IRC channel?
and realized that it was bogus. As one of the comments for your post pointed out, It would be nice to see some blog post from you pronouncing the channel as fake. Keep up the great work.

In general I never use IRC, so you can very safely assume if you see "me" on IRC it is not me.

Also: not cool.

Improve this answer
9
  • 12
    I think this may require a blog post :)
    – BinaryMisfit
    Jul 14, 2009 at 8:06
  • 8
    The Internet is full of impersonators and trolls, there's not much you can do about it. It sucks when they decide to target you though.
    – Ryan Fox
    Jul 14, 2009 at 16:15
  • 2
    #SOMafia: You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.
    – Brad Gilbert
    Sep 13, 2009 at 17:33
  • 2
    blog post would just encourage these types of people.
    – Jeff Atwood
    Jan 13, 2010 at 10:57
  • 1
    so does this answer :) they are obviously doing this to piss you off.
    – waffles
    Jan 13, 2010 at 11:12
  • 3
    this is why IRC should be cancelled.
    – Jeff Atwood
    Jan 13, 2010 at 11:18
  • 2
    This is what cease and desist letters are for.
    – user27414
    Jan 13, 2010 at 14:51
  • 4
    These people are finding #somafia from bios on some users' profiles. I'm not sure what the best way to approach the problem of those users luring others into this abuse would be, especially when one is a moderator (meta.stackoverflow.com/users/22164).
    – Gnome
    Jan 13, 2010 at 15:53
  • Roger Pate is correct.I actually found the channel run by these lunatics thanks to serverfault.com/users/590/belgariontheking profile. I found him there with 2 aliases("whocares" and another one obscene word). I traced the IP of the false "Jeff Atwood" via dnsstuff.com and it was something like MasterPlan Computing, Connecticut,IIRC. Funnily I found another correlation too. See the cute Pony here TheTXI(meta.stackoverflow.com/users/22164) and the word pony here in the venn diagram:(somafia.com/about).
    – user141781
    Jan 13, 2010 at 18:06
8

It's not that I refuse to acknowledge IRC, I know nothing about it. I've spent maybe 30 minutes on IRC in my entire life!

We do have some community members who are interested in IRC that help maintain it on our behalf, and I fully support this. Gamecat, for example, and I know Geoff occasionally delves into IRC and of course represents us wherever he goes as an official Stack Overflow Associatetm.

My only concern is that I don't want IRC to degenerate into a weird back channel where people are rude to each other, as has happened in the past. This (indirectly) reflects poorly on us.

Improve this answer
1
  • Update to reflect current reality (since Gamecat and Geoff have both been absent from IRC for so long that their accounts have expired): rchern is the official staff representative, and the channel ops include rcfox, Daeken, and me. (I fully vouch for their responsible handling of channel admin matters.)
    – C. K. Young
    Dec 29, 2012 at 18:03
2

It's very difficult to make an official irc channel for meta discussion.

This format makes it possible to record and analyze all suggestions. The irc is more focused on casual chatting and often strays away from serious discussion.

EDIT:

Also splitting up official meta discussion into two or more locations leads to split community. I know this from watching the discussion on many large open source projects.

EDIT 2:

Jeff also commented on irc channels on his twitter. Referencing to xkcd's problem on their irc channel.

Improve this answer
5
  • 1
    no logging, not searchable, mostly OT = totally useless.
    – Sarah Mei
    Jun 28, 2009 at 19:32
  • 1
    irc is loggable btw
    – redsquare
    Jun 28, 2009 at 19:34
  • so type of logging power > irc logging power :) But i get your point.
    – Ólafur Waage
    Jun 28, 2009 at 19:37
  • I disagree. I can search my IRC logs with regular expressions.
    – Ryan Fox
    Jun 28, 2009 at 19:38
  • @Ryan can you log what comments on irc are the most popular? Can you discuss things on irc in a non linear way?
    – Ólafur Waage
    Jun 28, 2009 at 19:40
2

I've gone in from time to time...and nobody is ever there/talking. I'm not the type to squat in an IRC just to have my name there.

Improve this answer
4
  • 3
    There has been a lot of dead air lately, but we do also have involved conversations. It's not something that can be planned though.
    – Ryan Fox
    Jul 14, 2009 at 16:18
  • I've mentioned this within there a number of times, only to be told that it's normal for an IRC channel to be practically dead until someone wants help. Channels like ##java are typically buzzing but a large number of them remain dead for hours, despite having 300+ users within the channel.
    – Mike B
    Dec 29, 2009 at 18:51
  • General language channels on popular networks attract a large number of random users with specific programming questions.
    – Gnome
    Jan 13, 2010 at 15:50
  • 4
    In "IRC culture" as I know it (or at least the brand of culture I know), it's common to stay logged on 24/7 and read the scrollback "to catch up on yesterday's activity". In that way, it's actually easier to do if the channel isn't full of conversation all day.
    – C. K. Young
    Jan 25, 2010 at 0:38
0

IRC is just a primitive, open, fast, version of Twitter. Atwood is looking to the future of self-absorbed cliquish chat, not the past...

Improve this answer
0

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .