Hi All,

Some of you here know me as one of the mods from Niceguy's forum so I'll keep my intro short.

I've been an active community member for about 2 1/2 years. I have a fair set of computer skills (mid-level Linux user). I live in Australia, the Land Down Under. I have a lovely feminine girlfriend whom I refer to as Mito (yes she is Asian). She supports what I do with you guys online and happily converses with MRAs on a regular basis.

OK, now for the practical stuff. I'm here plugging the new Men's Chat Network. We are part of the MGTOW group of sites and I thought you all might like to to check out the new server. We have been trialing it for the last month or so, and it seems to have gone well.

Basically, it is an encrypted chat network based on the Jabber protocol. If enough anti-misandry people make it there I might consider setting up your own permanent room but I'm not sure yet. The server should be able to support up to 300 simultaneous connections (in bandwidth terms).

Here are instructions for connecting:

The first task for any Windows user wanting to connect to the network will be to download the Pandion Jabber client. Use the following link: http://www.pandion.be/download/

- Run the setup procedure by double-clicking on the downloaded file. This process should be fairly straighforward. First you will see the "Welcome to the Pandion Setup Wizard" screen. Pressing "Next" shows the license agreement. Click "I Agree". The next screen shows a series of options. It is suggested that you remove the tick that is next to "Quick Launch Shortcut" and also the tick next to "Launch Pandion on startup" so that you are only loading the program when you intend to use it. You can leave it as it is if your are unsure though. Next you will see "Choose Install Location". The default should be fine. Press "Install". Then press "Finish" when the screen that says "Completing the Pandion Setup Wizard" comes up.

- You will see a very simple window now. Press the "Sign Up" button to begin the process of getting an account. A new wizard window appears that says "Welcome to the Sign Up Wizard". Press "Next". Choose a name, preferably something familiar to you (for example, a recognisable handle you use on another forum or site). Press "Next". The next window has several text fields. In the one entitled "Server" type "mgtow.homelinux.org" (obviously without the inverted commas). Then in the two password boxes ("Password" and "Confirm Password") you can set your password (whatever this may be) making sure to type it exactly the same way twice. Put a tick in the "Remember Password" box. You can then press "Next". After a few moments it will say "Registration Completed". Press "Next" and then "Finish".

- You will now have an instant messaging interface very similar to most other IM programs (but fortunately without advertisements everywhere). If you know the address of another chat network member you can add them to your contact list and wait for them to authorise you. For example, "joeblogs@mgtow.homelinux.org". This works very similar to most IM clients so there should be no need to go into a lot of details. Essentially, each time you want to add a contact, all you need to do is go to the menu bar and click "Actions" and then "Add a Contact" and then type their username in the "Username" box provided when it comes up.

- Now that you have joined the network and (possibly) added some contacts, you can join one of the Men's Chat Network Conference Rooms. This concept will be familiar to anyone who has used IRC or Yahoo. If you click on "Actions" and then "Join A Conference Room" you will see a new window appear with a list of available rooms. The first place you will want to go to chat with other members is the room entitled "Men's Chat Network Lobby". Click ONCE on that room in the list and you will instantly be taken there and will be able to talk to other members. If you LIKE this room then you can bookmark it and have it opened automatically the next time you start Pandion. In the menu bar in the conference room window click "Bookmarks" and then "Add to Bookmarks" and put a tick next to "Join this conference room when logging in".

Thanks All,

Hope to see you online.