I just recently established a channel in mIRC. For those who know how to use mIRC, enter irc.riz0n.net at port 6663. The channel is #devilslair. (Please be reminded that the channel name has been changed from #devils-lair TO #devilslair !)

For those who don't know a thing and wish to try, please follow the instructions below.

(1) Download the program here. Any of them will work, but mIRC will ONLY work on a PC. It is NOT Macintosh compatible.

(2) Once downloaded (file should be small in size), open and install the program. It should only take a few seconds.

(3) Once installed, open the program. It should look like this:

Type in all the information for Full Name, Email Address, Nickname and Alternative (optional). It does NOT matter if you type in your real full name and email address. The only important one is your nickname.

(4) When done, click on 'Servers' in the left column, right under 'Connect'. The dialogue box should now look like this:

Our objective is to create a new IRC server, so click on 'Add'. A new dialogue box will appear and it looks like this:

(5) Enter the first 3 text boxes just as you see in the image above. Then click 'Add'. Then click 'OK' to exit the previous dialogue box altogether. Now the window should look like this:

(6) Right now, you should see your nickname appear on the top of the little window inside mIRC itself, along with the server name. If anything needs to be changed, you can click on the icon circled in blue to bring back the previous dialogue box (options box). Otherwise, click on the top left icon circled in red to connect. (Or, File > Connect)

(7) It may take a few seconds to connect. You can tell that you're connected when you see a bunch of crap/text fill the previously blank white window, as you see in the image above.

(8) Next, in the long text input box on the bottom, type in "/j #devilslair", like this:

Then press enter. You should now successfully join the channel #devilslair, and your window should look like this:

In the image above, notice which column your nickname goes under. In the image above, I took a screenshot of the channel with only me in it, so you only see one nickname in that column. If there're more people, their names will also go under that column. At this point, considering there are other people in the channel, you can start chatting by typing into the text input box.

(9) You can also join other existing channels. For example, let's join the channel #anime. Do that by typing in "/j #anime" into the text input area. Now, your window should look like this:

This happens to be a channel with a lot of people, hence the LONG column of names. Notice that everytime you enter a new channel a new clickable 'button' with the channel name is added to the right-most column. I call this the "IRC window column". Your IRC window column may not be on the right like mine, since a newly installed mIRC would probably have it right below the menu bar. You can move it around like I did, though, for easier navigation.

(10) mIRC isn't a chat program (also a download program) for only group chats. You can also have private messages with individual people. For example, to chat with 'enzo-' in the image above, double click on his/her name and a new IRC window should appear in the IRC window column, like this:

Whatever you type in this window will be private, between you and this person 'enzo-' (LOL). You can cancel IRC windows when you decide you don't need them. Cancelling channel windows will result in leaving the channel as well, but you can rejoin anytime by typing in "/j #channel-name" again. Easy, ya?

(11) To change your nickname, type "/nick your-nickname".

This sums up the mIRC tutorial. =) Hope it's been helpful. See you there.