IRC - which stands for Internet Relay Chat - is one of the most common ways of chatting with other people over the internet. Although it is possible to access IRC through a web browser, the best bet is to download a specific IRC program. One of the best programs for Windows PCs is Mirc, available from www.mirc.co.uk .
Once you have downloaded the program and installed it, make sure you connect to the IrcNet network. Commands begin with the / key. You can either use Mirc's handy dialogue boxes to connect, or key in one of the following server commands:
/server irc.demon.co.uk /server irc.netcom.net.uk /server chat.bt.com
(These are all ircnet servers in the UK. You should choose a server that is geographically close to your location. If you are not in the UK, use a more appropriate server.)
After that, if you you have not set your nickname already, set it using
/nick Whatever
your nickname has to be 11 characters or fewer. There are some other rules, but your server will let you know if the nick you have chosen is illegal, and will explain why.
Then, all you have to do is connect to a channel:
/join #gaymidlands /join #gaynotts
#gaymidlands is pretty large, and there is almost always someone in there. Beware, however, some of the names are robots (which are there to protect the channel from abuse and being taken over)
If you want to find out more information about someone, type
/whois TheirNick
There may be some delay, but eventually their information will come up in the status window.
If you see the line
Freeda is away: Gone
...then you can be fairly certain that nick is a bot.
Be careful with the personal details you key in, because other people can see them when they do a 'whois' on you.
Don't be too worried before coming onto IRC: the people there are a very friendly bunch, and most will be happy to help you with getting started on the network.
There is a wealth of information about IRC on the net - just key in 'irc help' into your favourite search engine (e.g. www.google.com) and see what you get.
In the mean time, here is a brief list: