Frequently Asked Questions
This is a single FAQ from the MetaFilter FAQ.
How do I log in to Chat?
You log in using your MetaFilter username and password, but with some small changes. You can use Chat from a web browser or a chat client.
Using a web browser:
The easiest way to try it out is to click on the "Chat" link at the top of the page, or visit chat.metafilter.com in your browser. Use your MetaFilter username and password.
Using a chat client:
The chat server uses the Jabber/XMPP protocol. If you don't want to use a browser-based chat, you can also connect with various Jabber clients that support group chat. These include Adium, Pidgin, or Spark. On an iPhone, JabberB and OneTeam both work with the MeFi chat server. Android users can try Jabiru. And there's a longer list of clients for various systems here.
To log in with a chat client, format your MetaFilter username as a Jabber ID. Use all lowercase, even if your MetaFilter username contains uppercase letters:
username@chat.metafilter.com
(This whole string is your Jabber ID.) If your username contains spaces or punctuation, for chat clients you'll also need to escape those characters. To escape a space, use \20. (For other special characters, see this link.) So a name like Example User would login using:
example\20user@chat.metafilter.com
If you use an alternate client, you'll also need to know the name of the group chat room:
mefi@conference.chat.metafilter.com
You can join that room once you're connected to the chat server.
(tags: chat login troubleshooting social subsites jabber ) May 28, 2013 - back to questions
Using a web browser:
The easiest way to try it out is to click on the "Chat" link at the top of the page, or visit chat.metafilter.com in your browser. Use your MetaFilter username and password.
Using a chat client:
The chat server uses the Jabber/XMPP protocol. If you don't want to use a browser-based chat, you can also connect with various Jabber clients that support group chat. These include Adium, Pidgin, or Spark. On an iPhone, JabberB and OneTeam both work with the MeFi chat server. Android users can try Jabiru. And there's a longer list of clients for various systems here.
To log in with a chat client, format your MetaFilter username as a Jabber ID. Use all lowercase, even if your MetaFilter username contains uppercase letters:
username@chat.metafilter.com
(This whole string is your Jabber ID.) If your username contains spaces or punctuation, for chat clients you'll also need to escape those characters. To escape a space, use \20. (For other special characters, see this link.) So a name like Example User would login using:
example\20user@chat.metafilter.com
If you use an alternate client, you'll also need to know the name of the group chat room:
mefi@conference.chat.metafilter.com
You can join that room once you're connected to the chat server.
(tags: chat login troubleshooting social subsites jabber ) May 28, 2013 - back to questions