  |
Fans Online Live on IRC! The Newsgroup Mailing Lists Fanzines WENN We Meet |
|
Fans Online Live on IRC! The Newsgroup Mailing Lists Fanzines WENN We Meet |
"Friends of WENN"
Other folks with Remember WENN websites.
What did these folks and other fans have to say about the series? Check out our Christmas greetings to the cast and crew:
Like to Chat With Other WENN Fans?
Remember WENN is gone for now, but certainly not forgotten. Fans still continue to meet, and you can meet them as well, discussing the series, characters, and situations via IRC (Internet Relay Chat). The chat commences Saturdays at approximately 11:00 p.m. Eastern. (Stick around in the chat room if you're alone; someone will show up.) This is a continuation of one of the two original chats; the other was on Friday nights; there used to be a fanfiction chat on Mondays and a third chat on Wednesdays, but they were discontinued after the series' demise.
If You've Never Chatted Before...
If your internet provider did not supply chat software, you can go to the Web to find some: you have a couple of choices if you are a PC owner and only one if you own a Mac. Mac users have a chat software called "ircle" which is available at http://www.ircle.com. It must be paid for.
PC users have at least two alternatives. There's a free chat software, "pIRCh," which many people have had success with. It is available at http://www.pirch.com.
The Mozilla/Firefox web browser also has a chat program called "Chatzilla" which can get you connected. This can be downloaded directly from Mozilla's web page.
Probably the most popular chat softwares is mIRC, available at http://www.mirc.com. Aside from being a good solid chat program, it is constantly being upgraded and uses some neat features, including being able to program actions and phrases to your function keys and the use of colored text. mIRC is shareware, which means you must pay a one-time fee for it.
mIRC software is in a "zipped" or condensed form. Once you choose a site to download it from and then completely download it to your hard drive, you "unzip" it by clicking on the .exe file in Windows Explorer. It will ask you what directory you'd like to put mIRC in. You can choose whatever is easiest for you, but you may want to install it into the same directory as your other internet software, to make it less difficult to locate.
The files should install in a few minutes. Please recall which directory you installed the files into! One of those files will be the main mIRC executable (.exe) file.
Now use your ISP to get online. Once you are online, double-click on the mIRC .exe file that you have just installed. (Not the zipped file that you just used, remember—in fact, once you get the chat program working to your satisfaction, you can delete this zipped file). This will open mIRC. (You might want to make an icon for it on your Windows desktop (or in your ISP's control panel, if you have one and if it allows additions).
The first thing you need to do is fill out information about yourself. That can be done under File, Setup (or the little icon that looks like a file folder). Under IRC Servers, it asks you to put in your name, your e-mail address, and two nicknames you would like to be known on chat as. If you are afraid of being harassed, there really is no need to put your real name, but remember that many people hide their real name so they can harass other chatters. Channel operators and other chatters might suspect the same of you.
The only other tab you should have to fill out is the Options tab. You should ask mIRC to reconnect you on disconnection and move your server to the top of the server list upon connection (which makes it easier for you to know which servers you have used). You can tell mIRC how many times you want to retry upon disconnect. Also, set the default port to "7000."
Next you need to know what server the chat is on. There are several chat servers including "Undernet" and "EFnet" (the latter is the original chat server).
The chat originally started on Dal.net, stopped due to spamming problems, went to another chat channel called Goodchatting, then returned to Dal.net when Goodchatting crashed. The chat is still, as of this writing, on Dal.net. mIRC should have several Dal.net servers available; try one until you are connected.
If you've logged on correctly, you should see many, many lines of text scroll up before your eyes. This is the server's welcoming message. It sometimes contains the server's administrators' names, instructions, even a little ASCII art. It will also contain several messages that indicate you are logging on.
IMPORTANT NOTE: In Setup you were asked for a nickname you'd like to be known by on chat. You might think your name is okay, but if you have a common name, prepare to have the server tell you your name is already in use. It will then use the second nickname you have entered, and if that is already in use, it will ask you to pick another. If you DO have a common name, you might want to "head it off at the pass" and choose a more unusual nickname from the beginning. Some of the WENN chatters have nicknames related to the show, like "MissRoberts," "MissSherwood," or "VComstock." You might try a name similar to those of your own creation, use a name that reflects something else you like, or do an odd spelling of your own name with initials added. (Example: Your name is Jane M. Smith. You pick the nickname "JayneMS.")
Once you are totally logged on—the big message scroll will have stopped and you won't have any nasty messages telling you your nickname is in use or you were kicked off because the server was full—just type the following to enter the WENN chat room:
/join #wennYour name should pop up as one of a list on the right side of your screen when you enter the room. If no one is there, yours of course will be the only name. You may wait for a while, or stay on and go check e-mail, a newsgroup, or the web for a few minutes, checking back every so often, or just log off and log back on again. If we're there, we'll say hi!
And don't be afraid to play with the software or the settings for a while before going into a room. You won't hurt the software and won't hurt the computer.
"I'm on AOL—I Hear There's a Problem Using IRC in AOL."
According to AOL, no. These are the instructions received by a chatter who asked AOL:
How To Use IRC Software with AOL:
Once you sign off of AOL, your Internet connection is lost, and you won't be able to use IRC or any other Internet applications until you've signed on again.
It sounds as if you do the same thing that you would do with any other ISP: log onto AOL, open the IRC software, and choose a server. You probably can use the servers listed within mIRC rather than using just the AOL servers.
WENN on Usenet
The WENN newsgroup, alt.tv.remember-wenn, created by Michael Waters (thank you, Mike!) continues to exist. Posts in the newsgroup have ranged from theories to humor to commentary—and of course the usual Scott/Betty/Victor debate!—and there are occasionally notes from people involved with the series itself. Recently the newsgroup has kept folks apprised of new projects done by the cast and Rupert Holmes. If your Internet service provider does not carry this newsgroup, you can read and post messages through Google Groups (formerly Deja.com and DejaNews.com).
Unfortunately Google Groups occasionally does not always pick up every legitimate post made to the newsgroup. If your only means of access to the newsgroup is through Google Groups, and you would like to make certain you read all the messages, Mike offers an e-mail digest version of the posts. These go out daily. If you are interested in subscribing, please write to wenndigest@aol.com.
You should continue to request that your ISP carry alt.tv.remember-wenn.
To read the posts in Google Groups, please go to the Google Groups website. In the search box at the top, type in alt.tv.remember-wenn. You will then be taken to all the messages in the newsgroup.
However, if you want to post to the newsgroup through Google Groups, you will have to register with Google. Press the "post" message link and you will be taken to the "post a message" page. If you are already registered with Google Groups, all you do is sign in. If not, click on the link in item 1, Register. This sets up an account for you at Google Groups—it's free, don't worry!.
If you type "remember wenn" in the search block on the main Google Groups page, you will find mention of the series in other usenet groups besides alt.tv.remember-wenn as well.
Mailing Lists
Some folks are wary of reading newsgroups, just don't like the Usenet environment and prefer e-mail, or, like most of us, can't quit talking about this series. For those of you this applies to, mailing lists may be the answer.
The Original Mailing List
The original mailing list moved in mid-August 2001 to Yahoo Groups from Topica. The pre-August 2001 archives are still being kept on topica.com; if you belong to the mailing list you can read fan fiction and early posts. However, no new messages are being posted to the list except for what is needed to keep it active in Topica's eye. Yahoo Groups has webspace for members to publish items of interest: photos of the cast members, perhaps, sound bytes from the series, links to WENN-oriented pages, etc. A calendar can be kept for get-togethers and polls can be taken as well.
To subscribe:
First you will need to sign up with Yahoo Groups. This is as simple as giving them whatever ID you would like to go under and then providing a name and a legitimate e-mail address. If you already belong to Yahoo Groups for any other type of discussion, you will not have to sign up again.
Once you are signed up with Yahoo Groups, you can do one of two things. The easiest is to go to the main WENNlist page in Yahoo Groups and click the "Join this roup" link at the right-hand side of the page. Or, directly from e-mail, send a message to wennlist-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. You will then be sent a confirmation query. Simply reply to that and you will be added to the list automatically.
To post to the list [once you're confirmed]:
Send your messages to wennlist@yahoogroups.com The list is not moderated and people on the list will receive your messages immediately.
Some basic list rules:
Remember WENN fanfiction is also accepted on the mailing list. Since a few of the mailing list members o not want to read fanfiction, it is asked that anyone submitting fanfiction to the list indicate in your subject line that you are submitting fiction by prefacing the title with FANFIC, FANFICTION, or STORY. If the story is speculative—in other words, proposing a solution to a cliffhanger ending," please also add SPEC or SPECULATIVE to the subject line, as some folks are reading other fanfiction but avoiding reading any solutions to the cliffhanger.
When you subscribe to the list, you will get a welcome message that explains a few things about Yahoo Groups and you will get a copy of the welcome note for WENNlist which includes a list of the rules.
If you're interested in checking out some fanfic: The WENN Fanfic Archive
This archive was formerly on Amorous Airwaves.com.
More stories are posted at:
The Remember WENN section at www.fanfiction.net
"Adorable"
"Adorable" is an adult-oriented Jeff and Hilary mailing list. You must be eighteen or older to join.
For details check the Adorable list site.
"Amorous Airwaves"
This is an adult-oriented Remember WENN list. You must be eighteen or older to join.
For details check the Amorous Airwaves list site.
Remember WENN in Print
"Look at the Time"
In 1998, Dana Sherman gathered some of the fanfiction published on WENNlist into a small fanzine called "Look at the Time." The fifth issue included a story never before published on the mailing list. Newer issues contained serial stories. Unfortunately due to Dana's schedule she ended "Look at the Time" after Issue 12. In the past I have suggested contacting Dana for any copies she had left. Unfortunately Dana left us on February 25, at the age of 37. We remember all the hard work she put into copies of "Look at the Time."
N E W ! "When Last We Met..." N E W !
This new fanzine, produced by Britt Graves, premiered in May 2003 at MediaWest*Con, "the" fan convention held annually each Memorial Day weekend in Lansing, Michigan. The stories in "When Last We Met..." are all new fiction, never having appeared in print or on the web before. A list of authors includes Sheyna Watkins, Julia E. Linthicum, Kevin Schultz, Michele Savage, "Annamouse," and Linda Young.
WENN We Meet
The Remember WENN Get-Together, Memorial Day Weekend, 2000
Read about our experiences at the 2000 Get-Together Report.
The Remember WENN Get-Together, June 22-24, 2001
Read about our experiences at the 2001 Get-Together Report
