Terry's Talker Tips

Here are some 'basics' for getting around in the crazy world of talkers. Please note that I've geared the instructions to Nuts-based talkers (and they don't all work exactly the same way), but this should at least get you started. Have fun!

Logging In at a Talker

Once you get connected to one of the talkers, you'll be at a login screen, where you'll be prompted to enter a login name. Type a name (I'd suggest you DON'T use your real name -- go for something different: a nickname, whatever, anything BUT your real name).

You'll then be prompted to enter a password. Pick something that you'll remember and type it in. If an error message comes back saying 'wrong password' and prompts you to enter the password again, that means that somebody else already owns the name and you'll have to select a different login name.

If the name hasn't been taken by somebody else, most of the talkers will recognize that you're a new user and ask you to enter the password again. Type it in again now.

For some unknown reason, there are times when the talker doesn't recognize the keystrokes as you type them, and you keep seeing error messages that say 'Name too short' or something similar. If that happens to you, you can try changing the terminal emulation in your telnet application (which works sometimes) or it may be necessary to find another telnet application that the talker is able to recognize.

Some of the talkers will also ask at the login screen whether a word appears BOLD. If you are asked, and if the word does indeed appear 'bold' or 'highlighted', type 'Y'. With this option enabled, any private messages sent to you will be highlighted automatically. In other words, you don't have to select the option once you login to the talker.

Once you're logged in to a talker, there are a number of commands that will help you get around. A couple of things to keep in mind here:

All commands are not necessarily available to all users.

At some talkers you have to do a number of things (such as enter a description and profile, set gender, and read the rules established by the talker) before you're given "User" status. Once you've done those things and agreed to abide by the rules of the talker, you will normally be promoted to the next user level.

At some talkers you will not be given a permanent account unless you request 'residency' from a 'wizard' (wiz/admin) or 'superuser' (SU). This usually entails supplying a valid email address and agreeing to abide by the rules of the talker.

Okay, okay, so I've DONE all that! NOW what do I do?

Here are some of the commands to help you on your way to becoming a bonafide net.addict. (Yes, I already belong to the support group. We meet online every Tuesday night... hehehe... just kidding!)

All commands are preceded by a period (.) or, at some talkers, a backslash (/). Here are the more common commands:

Command Name	Shortcut Key	Description
.desc	.desc	Use this command to enter a description behind your name. The description shows up when you login, and also on the .who list. (For example, .desc is a loser would set your description to "Joeblow is a loser".)
.dmail or .cmail	.dm or .cm	Use this command to delete any mail you've received. Some talkers will allow you to specify which pieces of mail you want to delete, but others won't. You'll have to check the help commands to see which option applies at the talker you're at. Type .h dmail or .h cmail for details. (For example, .dmail 3-5 would delete lines 3 to 5 of your mail. Another example: .dmail all would delete ALL your mail.)
.emote	;	Use this command to emote an action, such as laughing, shaking someone's hand, etc. (For example, ; smiles would show a message to everyone in that room saying "Joeblow smiles".)
.entpro	.entpro	Use this command to enter a short profile. A profile is usually between 5 and 10 lines, in which you can enter a brief description about yourself, where you're from, what kind of stuff you're interested in, etc. Again, be careful not to divulge too much personal information. There really ARE some weirdos out there. Until you think you know somebody, be careful about giving out info like your real name, email address, etc. Once you get into the 'Enter Profile' area, type the info you want to store. Bear in mind that you shouldn't have more than 70 characters per line, so don't type off the screen! At the end of each line, put in a return and go to the next line. Once you've entered your profile, type a period (.) on a line by itself to exit the profile text editor.
.examine	.ex	Use this command to examine the profile of another user. (For example, if you wanted to see my profile, you would type .ex terry.)
.go	.g	Use this command to move to another room. Note: the room normally has to be adjoining the one you're in before you can go to it. (For example, to move from the Front Door to the Hallway, when the rooms adjoin, type .g hallway.)
.help	.h	Gives you a list of all the commands available to you.
.help <command name>	.h <command name>	Gives you details on how to use a specific command. (For example, .h who will explain how the .who command works.)
.look	.look	Use this command to see the description of the room you're presently in, any adjoining rooms, whether there are any messages on the board, and a list of all the people who are in the room with you.
.map	.map	Use this command to see what 'rooms' are available for you to go and explore or meet new friends in.
.pemote or .remote or .semote or .premote	/ or .pem or .rem or .sem or .prem	Use this command to emote an action privately to another user (only the user you're communicating with will see it). Note that this command is different on a lot of the talkers, so check the .help on all of them to see which one you should use. (For example, / terry smiles would send a message to Terry saying "Joeblow smiles". On some talkers, a private emote appears on your screen in bold, or highlighted, text.)
.quit	.q	Use this command to logout of the talker.
.read	.read	Use this command to read the bulletin board in the room you're in. Sometimes there is useful information here, so you should always read the board. (Sometimes it's nothing but pure babble either... which just goes to show you can't always believe everything you read!) :-)
.rmail	.rm	Use this command to read your mail. Note: this is mail on the talker only, not your regular email.
.set gender or .setgender or .gender	.set or .gen	Use this command to set your gender. Not all talkers use this feature. (For example, .setgender Male or .setgender M would set your gender on the talker to 'Male'.)
.shemote	! or # or .she	Use this command to emote an action to everyone on the talker. All users will see it, unless they have their 'earmuffs' on, or are ignoring shouts. (For example, ! hugs everyone hello! would show a message to everyone, in every room, saying "Joeblow hugs everyone hello!")
.shout	.sh	Use this command to shout a message to everyone on the talker. All users will see it, unless they have their 'earmuffs' on, or are ignoring shouts. (For example, .sh Hello World! would show a message to everyone, in every room, saying "Joeblow shouts: Hello World!")
.smail	.sm	Use this command to send mail to another user. (For example, .sm terry hello would send a piece of mail to me, prefaced by the date and time of your message, saying "from Joeblow: hello".)
.tell	.t	Use this command to talk privately to another user. Only the user you're communicating with will see the message. (For example, .t terry hello would send a message to Terry saying "Joeblow (if that was your user name) tells you hello." On some talkers, a private message appears on your screen in bold, or highlighted, text.)
.who	.w	Gives you a list of the other people that are online, where they are (which 'room'), and how long they've been logged in. On some talkers, rank and other information may also be listed.
.write	.wr	Use this command to write a message on the bulletin board in the room you're in. (For example, .write Hello world! would show a message on the bulletin board saying: "On April 28, 1996, Joe Blow wrote: Hello World!")

Okay, that's not ALL of the commands, but it should be enough to get you started. I'll add to this as I think of other ones that would be useful.

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