Would you like to be able to talk with people from all over the world for free? Well, you can! All you need is a connection to the Internet and an I.R.C. program. I.R.C. stands for Internet Relay Chat, a real-time chat program where people from all over the world can discuss different topics. There are thousands of channels ranging from sports to school to the stock market - and everything in between.

To get started, you need an I.R.C. program. There are many good ones, but the best and most widely used is mIRC, which is free and can be downloaded from http://www.mirc.co.uk.

Once you have mIRC, just follow the instructions, and read the Help file to learn the basic commands. There are many servers you can connect to, but the two main ones are the Efnet and the Undernet. I'm usually on the Undernet because that's where all my friends are. Everyone should try I.R.C. It can be fun, and you can learn a great deal. If you're on the Undernet, look for me - my nickname is lakeman. I can help you out, or we can just chat. See you there! u