The chatroom has had a lot of issues with spam attacks lately so it was set to being accessible by registered users only. This hopefully will help you, if you have any other issues, when you connect, all you need to do is /join #freenode and the staff there should be able to help you through the process.
[14:42] --NickServ-- ***** NickServ Help *****
[14:42] --NickServ-- Help for REGISTER:
[14:42] --NickServ--
[14:42] --NickServ-- This will register your current nickname with NickServ.
[14:42] --NickServ-- This will allow you to assert some form of identity on
[14:42] --NickServ-- the network and to be added to access lists. Furthermore,
[14:42] --NickServ-- NickServ will warn users using your nick without
[14:42] --NickServ-- identifying and allow you to kill ghosts.
[14:42] --NickServ-- The password is a case-sensitive password that you make
[14:42] --NickServ-- up. Please write down or memorize your password! You
[14:42] --NickServ-- will need it later to change settings.
[14:42] --NickServ--
[14:42] --NickServ-- You have to confirm the email address. To do this,
[14:42] --NickServ-- follow the instructions in the message sent to the email
[14:42] --NickServ-- address.
[14:42] --NickServ--
[14:42] --NickServ-- Syntax: REGISTER <password> <email-address>
[14:42] --NickServ--
[14:42] --NickServ-- Examples:
[14:42] --NickServ-- /msg NickServ REGISTER bar [email protected]
[14:42] --NickServ-- ***** End of Help *****
Why should I register my nick?
Your nick is how people on freenode know you. If you register it, you'll be able to use the same nick over and over. If you don't register, someone else may end up registering the nick you want. If you register and use the same nick, people will begin to know you by reputation. If they're running IRC software which supports the CAP identify-msg, they'll be able to tell when someone is spoofing your identity.
If a channel is set to mode +r, you won't be able to join it unless you are registered and identified to NickServ. If you try to join, you might be forwarded to a different channel. If a channel is set to mode +q $~a, you won't be able to speak while on that channel unless you are registered and identified. Both of these modes are used to reduce channel harassment and abuse.
For more information on how to set up a registered nick, take a look here.
What is the recommended way to set up my IRC nickname?
Please follow these steps to set up your nick and configure your client. Check off each step to make sure it's been done:
Select a permanent, master nickname. If the nickname you want is registered but has expired, just ask a staffer and in most cases, we will be happy to drop it for you.
Please avoid using the name of a community project or trademarked entity, to avoid conflicts. Write down your password and be sure to keep the sheet of paper in a safe place.
Register your IRC nick:
/msg NickServ REGISTER password [email protected]
Replace password with a secure, unguessable password that you keep secret.
The email address that you select will not be given out by staff, and is mainly used to allow us to help you recover the account in the event that you forget your password. For this reason, you are required to use a real, non-disposable, email address. Upon registering, you will receive an email with a verification command that you will need to run to complete the registration process. Failure to verify the account will cause it to be automatically dropped after about 24 hours.
To keep your email address private, rather than displaying it publicly, mark it as hidden (which is done by default for new accounts):
/msg NickServ SET HIDEMAIL ON
It's useful, but not required, to have an alternate nick grouped to your account. For example, if your primary nick is foo:
/nick foo_
then identify to your primary account:
/msg NickServ IDENTIFY foo password
and finally, group the new nick to your account
/msg NickServ GROUP
We prefer you to use just one account, and group nicks to it as described above, rather than registering for multiple accounts. Grouping nicks in this way gives you the benefit of having all your nicks covered by the same cloak, should you choose to wear a cloak.
The exception to this is where you might want to run a bot. You should register a separate account for your bot.
Configure your client to identify itself to NickServ automatically whenever it connects to freenode so that it's less likely you'll connect to the network without being identified to NickServ. The easiest approach is to specify your NickServ password as a server password.
If your client supports server password, please set this up as accountname:password. Make sure to include the colon. This will allow you to identify to your services account on connect, regardless of the nickname you are using when you connect. For example:
/connect chat.freenode.net 6667 mquin:uwhY8wgzWw22-zXs.M39p
What's the easiest way to identify to NickServ when I connect to freenode?
Just plug your NickServ password into your client as a server password, to make this work when connecting from a different nick than the one you've got registered use 'nick:password'. You'll be identified to NickServ automatically when you connect. In some cases, it's more convenient to configure your client to send this command to achieve the same effect:
/msg NickServ IDENTIFY account password
We recommend you read and follow the steps of the canonical nickname setup to make sure your client identifies reliably to NickServ.
Why am I seeing Cannot join channel (+r) - you need to be identified with services?
This means that you need to register your nickname and verify your email address. If you have already done this, you probably need to identify, on ensure that you are identified before joining channels. (This question can help with that.)
15 Feb 2013, 1:56 pm
