So you'd like to participate in the NG Sweet Sixteen Comic Contest and--further--be able to chat live with other participants, get important notifications on your phone, and otherwise plugin to the coolest people on the Internet? You're in the right place! First, if you just want to jump in and out of the chat, we have a web chat option:

https://montrose.is/chatting/#sweetsixteencomic

If you want something a little more permanent and fully featured, this guide will walk you through setting up a free IRCCloud account and connecting to the contest server. For those who already know about IRC, here's the relevant details:

server: irc.montrose.is

ports: 6667 (standard), 6697 (TLS)

channel: #sweetsixteencomic

services supported: nickserv, chanserv, klyton (read on for more about klyton)

Okay! Now that all the poopsack wearing Linux nerds have left to fire up Emacs, here's how non-virgins can get connected:

1) Go to https://www.irccloud.com/ and sign up for a free account

2) Verify your email address (it's very important you do this before step 3

3) Fill out the "Join a new Network" form:

Hostname: irc.montrose.is

Port: 6667

Nickname: your handle or username (needs to be one word and short if possible)

Full name: Your name or the longer version of your handle

Channels to join: #sweetsixteencomic

4) Once again, remember to verify your email address (IRCCloud should have sent you a verification link by now).

5) Click "Join network"

6) Ignore a bunch of scary cyber-nonsense and concentrate on the right side of the screen.

7) Click "#sweetsixteencomic" on that right-hand sidebar.

8) You're good to go. IRCCloud will now act much like Discord, keeping track of chat history for you.

If you'd like to put an IRC client on your phone (with the bonus that up to two hours after you last spoke, IRCCloud will send you notifications of chat activity), you can download a client for:

iOS or Android

Bonus: How to Use klyton

klyton is montrose's humble freebot. He handles the posting of media and just as important can be used to pass messages to users that aren't online. All you have to do is type:

klyton: tell username: You stink!

Now the next time username signs on (or speaks if they're idle) klyton will relay your message. Remember that both the command and the response appear in the public chat.

Bonus: The IRC Rabbit Hole

If you'd like to learn more about using IRC properly, here are a few resources to get you started:

* About services

* Palaver IRC client

* ZNC IRC bouncer

* The Lounge web IRC client and bouncer