Note: This is a mirror of the original http://mandrake.net/irc.html page (from the wayback machine). -- Joey Kelly
A lot of people commonly ask me why I do some of the things that I do, or ignore them, or seem to "dislike" them, or whatever. I thought that I would whip this page together to answer a few of those questions. Don't take any of this stuff personally, it's just some generic reasons for why I seem like I do sometimes.

Why are you ignoring me on irc?

Well, I have had enough people ask questions on why I don't talk to them while they are on IRC. This question has a number of potential answers that may or may not apply to your situation.
  1. You are /msg'ing me and I do not know you
    I cannot tell you how annoying it is to have people you have answered a question to start barraging you with a million questions in /msg format. This happens to me ALL THE TIME and I am not trying to be personal about it, I probably don't have anything against you, but in general the rest of the people in the channel are capable of answering your questions.

  2. You are asking questions I do not care to answer
    If I don't answer a question of a personal nature, I don't answer because it's personal. You wouldn't want me asking you how your mother died, would you? Also, I don't care to answer the same questions that I have already answered a million times, I would rather someone else answer it for me. I get asked all sorts of stupid questions about stuff that is totally unrelated to any conversation that is going on.

  3. You continue to argue after I have answered your question
    You obviously have asked a question that I felt deemed a response from me. I gave you an appropriate answer (this usually only applies to subjects I consider myself an authority on), and you insist on proving that I am in fact incorrect and continue either asking the same question or whatnot over and over again.

  4. Your question makes no sense
    If you can't bother to ask a question that is feasible to answer, then don't expect me or anyone else to answer it. Learn English and ask again.

  5. Your question is answered in online documentation
    If you can't bother to read documentation, I can't bother to help you. At least look like you TRIED to read some documentation, then come back.

Why are you kicking / banning me on irc?

  1. Blatant annoyance of me and/or other channel ops
    If you annoy me, or anyone online to any significant degree, that is grounds for kick and/or ban.

  2. Blatant ignorance of channel rules
    If you have had ample opportunity to figure out the rules of any particular channel I frequent, and yet continually break the rules, that is grounds for kick and/or ban.

  3. Colored/bold/SHOUTING text!!!
    There is nothing more annoying on IRC than colored text. I have my client colorize/bold stuff for me, so that you don't have to. I also can't stand it when people talk in all caps because they think no one is going to hear them otherwise.

  4. (Note that on some channels I frequent, like #perl, many of the "Why are you ignoring me?" reasons are sufficient grounds for kicking)

Why are you ignoring my email?

This question is a difficult question to answer. I don't ever mean to seem like I'm ignoring your email. In fact, I actually read almost all of my email. But PLEASE do not be offended if I do not reply to it. You have to understand that I get hundreds of emails every day, it would be very tedious to respond to every single one of them. I always appreciate feedback, and would love to reply to all of them. I just don't have enough time.
Related pages:
Why Questions Go Unanswered by Mark-Jason Dominus
IRC EFNetiquette by UG

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