Archiveteam:IRC
IRC (Internet Relay Chat) is an internet protocol that allows multiple users to connect to a server and chat. Each IRC "server" can be connected to by a person, then someone joins a "channel" with the particular subject they are interested in.
The ArchiveTeam uses IRC as its one-stop shop for coordinating official and unofficial AT projects.
How do I chat on IRC?
You will need a IRC client, or you can use a web interface.
EFNet, the network that Archive Team uses, provides a web interface called Webchat. Enter a nickname (such as your first name, your pet's name, or a cool pseudonym of your choice) and then the channel's name, ie #archiveteam
.
Please learn IRC netiquette.
Do not barge into an IRC channel demanding help or disparage installation instructions. Archive Team is not a professional support team. |
Do I have to use IRC?
We prefer IRC because there is no central point of failure, but see the question about social media on Frequently Asked Questions.
Why does IRC need chat logs?
Unlike a bulletin board or SMS, IRC is a transient medium of communication. As a result, if you aren't there to receive the message, you will never receive it at all.
If you check the chat logs, your question may already be answered. Unfortunately, some channels are not logged. Don't worry if you accidentally interrupt someone's conversation or repeat a question.
I asked a question and waited but it scrolled off the window and was ignored.
Don't get discouraged and ask again. Topics get intermixed and timezones break up normal conversations. Be persistent but friendly.
How do I get someone's attention in a public channel?
Some chat clients will alert the user if you say their nickname.
Some clients support nickname auto-completion. Start typing the first few letters of their nickname and press tab.
Why won't anyone respond?
If no one answers, please be patient. We're volunteers so we can't always respond immediately. We eat, drink, sleep, and archive just like you!
Sometimes it may be the bystander effect. Try an icebreaker to get the conversation going.
I can't wait; I need immediate attention. Who's in charge?
See Who We Are.
ArchiveTeam on IRC
Below are a list of the IRC channels the ArchiveTeam uses to control all its projects, in no particular order. All these channels are on the EFNet network. This list is not complete but available to document long-term channels.
Channel name | Channel hashtag | Channel description | Status |
General Channels | |||
Archive Team | #archiveteam | The main ArchiveTeam channel, mainly used for news, announcement and early project planning. | N/A |
-bs | #archiveteam-bs | Off-topic discussion for things not directly related to ArchiveTeam and its projects. | N/A |
#archiveteam-twitter | N/A | ||
Warrior | #warrior | Channel for the discussion and development of the ArchiveTeam Warrior | N/A |
ArchiveBot | #archivebot | Channel for controlling ArchiveBot. Discussions about ArchiveBot development also take place here. | N/A |
Valhalla | #huntinggrounds | Project Valhalla: Discussing where and how to store archives that are too big for the Internet Archive at the moment. | N/A |
Active projects on a deadline | |||
Ownlog | #pwnlog | Polish blogging website Ownlog is losing popularity and support from its owners. | Active |
Brace.io | #braceyourself | Brace.io is killed by Squarespace on January 19, 2015. | Active |
Microsoft Clip Art | #clipfart | Microsoft is phasing out its clip art collection. | Active |
Madden GIFERATOR | #jiferator | Madden GIFERATOR: promotional site + EA + lots of user generated content + meme = a site that will probably shut down with little to no notice. Preemptively being archived (but not starting until there are less upcoming projects with looming deadlines). | Active |
Halo | #yolohalo | Bungie's disks are filling up, so they are deleting old Halo game statistics and user content. | Active |
Panoramio | #paranormio | Google is migrating Panoramio pictures into Maps without metadata. | Active |
Orkut | #throatkut | Orkut got kut on September 30, 2014. However, it still lives on as a read-only archive. | Active |
TwitPic | #quitpic | Acquired by Twitter, TwitPic may cease to exist in its current form. | Active |
Long term ongoing projects | |||
Audit Team 2014 | #auditteam | It's time to verify our shit. | Active |
AOL | #aohell | The channel for old-school AOL archiving. | Active |
BashUp | #bashup | The ArchiveTeam Quote Backup Project, dedicated to backing up quote databases (such as Bash.org) and similar websites (similar to FMyLife or MyLifeIsAverage). | Idle |
ISP Hosting | #webroasting | Finding ISP web hosting services before the Grim Reaper finds them. | Active |
URLTeam | #urlteam | The URL shortener backup project of the ArchiveTeam. To quote: "URL shortening = fucking bad idea" | Active |
WikiTeam | #wikiteam | The Wiki backup project. Any wiki can be backed up here. | Mostly idle (work, don't chat!) |
FTP | #effteepee | FTP archiving project. | Active |
Currently idle or complete projects | |||
Nokia Memories | #backtorubber | Nokia Memories gets forgotten on January 12, 2015. | Completed |
Roon | #rooined | The blogging website Roon gets ruined on December 31, 2014. | Completed |
Viddy | #viddiot | A lot of viddios will be gone with Viddy on December 15, 2014. | Completed |
ZipList | #zipyourlips | ZipList gets zipped up on December 10, 2014. | Completed |
Jux | #juxsux | Jux is a creative blogging platform. But just until November 30, 2014. | Idle |
Qwiki | #quickie | No, it's not a wiki. Qwiki was acquired in 2013 by Yahoo!, shutting down on November 1, 2014. | Idle |
Ancestry Sites | #ancienthistory | Ancestry.com is pulling the plug on four of its sites. | Completed |
Quizilla | #fizzilla | Nickelodeon failed Quizilla and gets expelled on October 1st, 2014. | Completed |
Verizon user sites | #verizoff | Deja vu? Verizon decides it's a great idea to pull a Geocities with their user sites. | Completed |
Swipnet | #swiped | Swipnet.se gets swiped on August 31, 2014. | Completed (by self) |
Canvas | #canvas | Canv.as wants a permanent home at IA. | Completed |
Fotopedia | #fotofinished | Fotopedia is taking its last photo on August 10, 2014. | Completed |
Twitch | #burnthetwitch | Twitch announced they were going to be mass-deleting old broadcasts. | Idle |
puu.sh | #pushharder | puu.sh archival before they add an image expiry limit | Idle |
Yahoo! Voices | #shutup | Self-destruct sequence initiated of Yahoo! Voices. ETA July 31, 2014. | Completed |
MLKSHK | #totheyard | MLKSHK announced that they were going to shut down, but then didn't. | Cancelled |
Bebo | #cockandballs | Archival of Bebo. | Idle |
Mochi Media | #mochibaibai | Goodbye Flash games. Mochi Media was forced to shut down on March 31, 2014. | Completed |
My Opera | #fatlady | Archival of My Opera | Completed |
Dogster/Catster | #rawdogster | Archival of Dogster and Catster. | Completed (for now) |
Viddler | #fiddler | Saving Viddler before it goes paid-only on March 11, 2014. | Idle |
The Phoenix | #theashes | This news site is shutting down and we already grabbed blog.thephoenix.com. | Idle |
ispygames | #ispygames | Gamespy, 1up, UGO and IGN (most of the sites) are being closed. Planning and action here. | Idle |
AnyHub | #AnyHubTeam | The AnyHub team. | Idle |
Last.fm | #lastchance.fm | The channel for Last.fm archiving. | Idle |
isoPrey | #isoprey | isoHunt was forced to shutdown. | Idle |
Blip.tv | #blooper.tv | Blip.tv decides to "clean up" their library. | Idle |
Xanga | #jenga | Xanga archival before potentially going paid-only or transitioning to Wordpress. | Idle |
Formspring | #firespring | Formspring announced its closure on March 15, 2013. Plans for archiving and general closure chat were located here. | Completed (for now) |
Snapjoy | #snapshut | Snapjoy archival. Closed July 24th, 2013. | Idle |
Webshots | #webshots | Discussion of everything related to the webshots shutdown. | Idle |
Posterous | #preposterus | Posterous project discussion | Completed |
FanFiction.Net | #fanfriction | The channel for coordinating preemptive FanFiction.Net archiving. | Completed |
FlickrFckr | #flickrfckr | The Flickr backup project of the Archive Team. Not needed just yet, but it's a Yahoo owned service, so we're always prepped. | Idle |
ProdigalSon | #prodigalson | The backup project for pages.prodigy.net. | Idle |
GetMUD | #getmud | The multi-user-dungeon backup project of the Archive Team. Currently no progress as of yet. | Idle |
Space Invaders | #spaceinvaders | The Windows Live Spaces backup project. | Idle |
ArchiveTeam Philly | #archiveteam-philly | For team members in the Philadelphia area (there's a lot). Discussion and possible physical meetups? | Idle |
Forever Alone | #foreveralone | The Friendster backup project. | Idle |
Magically Delicious | #magicallydelicious | Delicious backup project | Idle |
Google Grape | #googlegrape | Main channel for coordinating the Google Video project. | Idle |
BOINC Google | #boincgoogle | Sub-channel for the Google Video project, for details about running the distributed-download software | Idle |
Upcoming | #outgong | Upcoming gave us 11 days' notice. It shut down on April 30. | Completed |
Lulu Poetry | #lulupoetry | Channel for the brief but intense Poetry.com archiving project. | Idle |
Archive Strikes Back | #archivestrikesback | Channel for Forums.starwars.com archive project. | Completed |
ArchiveMeme | #archivememe | An unofficial fan channel started by BlueMax. http://memegenerator.net/ArchiveTeam | N/A |
IRC Logs
You can log the channels where you are using your client, generally. But if you want a 24/7 bot logging your channel, you can use a script like this (change the server and channel variables).
Scumola/swebb is also hosting chatlogs of some channels at http://badcheese.com/~steve/atlogs/. Though only logs from the last ten days are listed, older chatlogs can still be accessed by changing the URL.
If the one above seems to be out of order, try chfoo's one: http://archive.fart.website/bin/irclogger_logs.
Unofficial ArchiveTeam QDB (Offline)
ArchiveTeamsters are encouraged to visit and contribute to the unofficial ArchiveTeam quote database.