freenode: frequently-asked questions

Frequently-Asked Questions

This page has been set up to answer a few of the most common questions we get. If you can't find the answer to your question here, feel free to ask us in #freenode, where all staff are voiced or drop us a line to support at freenode dot net! Thank you.

Contents.
General Questions.
User Registration.
Using the Network.
Getting Help.
Groups and Group Contacts.
freenode Project organisation.
Contributions.

General Questions.

What is freenode about? Why is it here? freenode is a special-purpose, not a general-purpose, discussion network, currently implemented on Internet Relay Chat (IRC). It exists to support specific communities. It provides an interactive environment for coordination and support of peer-directed projects, including those relating to free software and open source. Our aim is to help our participants to improve their communicative and collaborative skills and to maintain a friendly, efficient environment for project coordination and technical support. For more information about the network philosophy, please take a look here.
Should I create a channel on freenode? That depends. Certain channel categories are considered to be on-topic and are listed on the network policy page. If you want to create a general-purpose chat channel, freenode is probably not for you. Similarly, if you want to create a channel to support some sort of unlawful activity, freenode is not the network you should be using.
Why is it called freenode? Prior to the creation of freenode's not-for profit parent entity, Peer-Directed Projects Center, we called the network Open Projects. We picked a new name, freenode, to mark its new status as a service of PDPC. The new name brings to mind the best qualities of free software and open source. It suggests the non-hierarchical nature of the network, in which the individual channels are run by the groups which own them, and network staff works to maintain a relaxed and congenial environment.
Is the source code used for your servers publicly available? Yes. We currently use ircd-seven, which can be found in its GIT source repository, and Atheme, our IRC services daemon, in Atheme IRC services and freenode modules. Both are offered under terms of the ISC License.
Are there minimum standards of conduct for using freenode? The basic policies for the network are outlined here. Beyond that, we strongly urge you to adopt the freenode channel guidelines and philosophy to help us keep the network a friendly and useful place.
What is fST or freenode Standard Time? It's our official time zone. Well, sort of. We're not entirely serious. :) freenode Standard Time is UTC.

User Registration.

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 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:
1. 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.
2. Register your IRC nick:
  /msg nickserv register <password> <email>
  Do NOT include the < or > around your password or email.
3. 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.
4. 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
5. 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
6. 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.
7. 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 and not the literal < and >.) 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 irc.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 the command
/msg nickserv identify <account> <password>
to achieve the same effect.

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 (and verify) your nickname. If you have already registered, you probably need to identify.
How can I tell when someone might be spoofing a user's identity? If your client supports CAP identify-msg, you can configure it to let you know when someone speaking on channel or via /msg is not identified to services. A script to take advantage of CAP identify-msg is currently available for irssi. It was originally written for the CAPAB command in dancer (hyperion), but has been modified to support the more versatile CAP command in charybdis (ircd-seven). If you want other people using this feature to know that you're you, have your client identify to nickserv when you connect to the network. You should also follow the canonical setup steps for your IRC nickname.
When do IRC nicknames expire? We consider IRC nicks expired after they have not been used for 10 weeks plus one additional week per full year of registration. Accounts which are at least two weeks old and which were last used less than two hours after their creation are also considered to be expired. These time limits do not apply to staff-reserved nicks, which are allocated and dropped as needed. If the nick you want to register is someone's alternate nickname and it's the only alternate nickname they have, we may be reluctant to drop it, even if it's expired.

Nicknames that are not confirmed by a valid email address will be automatically dropped after 24 hours.

We occasionally prune the Services databases for deadwood, removing nicknames and channels that have not been in use for some time. Please ensure you IDENTIFY to avoid disappointment as your identifying is the only way we have of telling if your nickname is still in use.
How do you know the last time an IRC nickname was used? We know this only as a result of your identifying to nickserv when you connect to the network. If you don't identify, we'll have no way to know that your nick is in use, and it will eventually be dropped. You should also follow the canonical setup steps for your IRC nickname. You can see the last time someone identified to nickserv for a nick with:
/msg nickserv info <nick>
Do not include the < and > around the nick. The 'Last seen' field tells you the last time someone used the nick while identified.
How can I take over a registered nick that hasn't been used in a long time? Nicks which are considered expired are not dropped automatically on a regular basis. We do drop them when we notice them, and if you ask a staffer, we'll usually be happy to manually drop the one you want so that you can re-register it.
I registered my nick and now someone else has it. Did someone steal it? How do I get it back? To keep your registered nick, you must continue to use it. If you do not identify to your nick, it may eventually become expired. Once it becomes expired, someone can ask to have it dropped. When a nick has been dropped and picked up by another user, we are not able to take it back from them. That would be unfair to the user who picked it up. In other cases, someone could simply be using the nick while unidentified. You can force them to change their nick with:
/MSG NickServ RELEASE yournick yourpassword
You may need to run the above command a second time if you get a message saying the nick is temporarily unavailable. You can also set enforce on your nick to have NickServ force users to identify to the account within 30 seconds in order to continue to use it:
/MSG NickServ SET ENFORCE ON

Using the Network.

Can I access the network via webchat? There is an official freenode webchat running at webchat.freenode.net, you are welcome to use this. We run Qwebirc, an open source web IRC client originally designed by and for the QuakeNet IRC network.

There are many other such facilities available. Just consult Yahoo or Google for a list and try one of the pages on the list. Obviously freenode can not recommend a particular webchat facility bar our own, and we might have to limit access if they're abused, but we're happy to have you connect in this way.
What is this '~' in some hostnames? The '~', or lack thereof, is in fact in the username field. Usernames will typically display a tilde ('~') at the beginning of the username if it is provided by the IRC client, instead of the identd or authd service. Usually ident or auth daemons are run by shell services, gateways, or other situations where multiple users may share the same host.

Try to avoid unnecessarily-broad bans. As the catalysts page implies, we don't support unnecessary use of bans. When banning, target the ban as narrowly as possible. With the tilde construction, banning someone with the user name foo without regard to whether they match ident is frequently done in this way:
/mode #channel +b nickmask!*foo@hostmask
which bans both foo and ~foo. Unfortunately, it also bans usernames such as:
foofoo
moofoo
goofoo
anythingfoo
Instead, ban just 'foo' by using the following:
/mode #channel +b nickmask!~foo@hostmask
If identd or authd is in use, use:
/mode #channel +b nickmask!foo@hostmask
How do I connect to freenode? How do I use the network? Information on using the network can be found here and guides to ircd-seven, the code tree under development, can be found here. A list of servers can be found here.
How can I get a list of freenode public channels? Check the Gelhausen site for a current list. To find channels about a specific topic you can also use our "alis" service:
/msg alis help list
How do I access freenode via IPv6? The simplest way is to connect to irc.ipv6.freenode.net.
What is the purpose of channel #defocus? It's a social channel. It's the home channel of the freenode project, a place for friendly, relaxed conversation with staff and users. Sometimes it will be forwarded to another channel, but underneath you may just find that the character of the channel hasn't changed much. It's not a forum for IRC politics or a place to flame the staff, on a personal or professional basis. It's not really a support channel, though we probably won't get too upset if you ask a question or two. Feel free to ask for help from network staff if you're having problems.
Why can't anyone see what I'm typing on channel? One of several server features might be keeping people from seeing your comments. The channel might be moderated using channel mode +m; if so, no one can talk who hasn't been explicitly voiced by a channel operator via +v. You might want to send a private message to a channel operator to find out what's wrong. Channel operators are identified on most clients with an @ in front of their nicks.

You might be silenced by a +q mask; this feature is used to prevent problem users from talking on channel, or to moderate the channel during a seminar. +v or +e can be used to counteract the effects of +q. Again, send a private message to a channel operator to find out what's wrong.

Finally, the channel might have +q $~a set. This mode prevents you from talking on channel until you're registered and identified to nickserv. In this case, you'll see a message in your server notice window which explains the problem and points you to nickserv for more information.
Who are these people with "pdpc/supporter/" and "pdpc/sponsor/" on the beginnings of their hostnames? They're users who have donated to Peer-Directed Projects Center, the not-for-profit entity which runs freenode. The hostnames acknowledge their donations.
When do IRC channels expire? We consider non-primary IRC channels (those which start with "##") to be expired after they have not been used for 10 weeks plus one additional week per full year registered. Staff will determine this by verifying that the founder has not been present in the channel for that duration of time. We might also idle in the channel to confirm that it really is not being used. For active channels where the founder might have simply disappeared, staff may decide to have the regular users of the channel vote who the new channel founder should be.

Primary channels, namely those which start with a single "#", can only be dropped if a valid Group Registration is completed. Primary channels are not dropped due to founder nick drops or after a long period of time without use.
Who sets channel policy on freenode? Channel policy is set by channel owners. Network staff set the basic ground rules for the use of the servers and we try to influence channel policies in a positive direction by urging channel owners to adopt the freenode channel guidelines. They're formulated based on our experience encouraging the growth of relaxed, productive discussion environments. We strongly urge you to adopt these guidelines to help keep freenode a friendly and useful place for community discussion and project coordination.
Why do you freeze channels when groups leave the network? Frequently when groups leave the network, they put up a pointer to the location of their new channel, on another network. This helps ensure that active users who were unaware of the move can find the new channel. But leaving the message up permanently encourages people to use freenode channel topics as billboards for channels on other networks, or as forums for IRC politics. If you've moved, we'll leave your pointer up for a week. After that, please use your project or group website to point to the new channel.
How do I find out what's going on with the network? We put information on the network in a variety of places. Your best ongoing source is this website; it provides reference information on the network, its philosophy, the software it uses, etc. In addition, staff send WALLOPS messages with time-sensitive status information (as well as a variety of general comments and announcements). To receive these messages, on most clients, you can use
/umode +w
or
/mode yournick +w
For best results, place the command in your client's startup script.

In addition to WALLOPS we make announcements via our blog, a more critical announce website which can be found at http://announce.freenode.net, twitter and identi.ca.

Finally, we send information we judge to have global significance to our users via global notices. You don't generally have to do anything to see these, though they may appear on a different window of your client (along with the WALLOPS messages).
How can I get fewer notices from the staff? Most of those messages are sent via WALLOPS, an IRC facility for displaying messages from server operators. On freenode, WALLOPS messages may contain non-critical comments and announcements from staff, as well as detailed server administration information. If you don't like the number of messages or the messages seem too trivial or detailed, you can turn them off by turning off user mode "w". On most clients this can be accomplished via:
/umode -w
or
/mode yournick -w
For best results, place the command in your client's startup script.

We also send information with global significance to our users via global notices. These notices are a bit more difficult to turn off; you can usually tell your client to ignore notices from specific staff members, notices from all staffers or all notices. It's not recommended. But on most clients, it works something like this:
/ignore *!*@freenode/staff/* notice
My firewall logs show that someone from your network is trying to crack my box. What's going on? You're probably seeing our open proxy detector. After numerous problems with clonebots, we began checking for open proxies and similar software on the hosts of clients connecting to our network. We use BOPM for this. It's popular with a number of IRC networks, and it's very reliable. For more information, please see our policy page.
Why is my client trying to connect to 127.0.0.1 when I try to connect to your network? You've tried to connect to freenode during a massive clonebot (or some other denial-of-service) attack. IRC suffers from the lack of a reputation-based system for filtering out malicious clients. For this and other reasons, we must sometimes shut off new connects or shut down servers for (hopefully brief) periods of time. We apologize for the inconvenience and want you to know that we are slowly working on the problem. We hope you'll consider donating to PDPC, the not-for-profit entity which runs freenode, to help us acquire the resources to advance this and other projects.
Why does my client get "connection rejected" when I try to connect to your network? As in the case above, you've tried to connect to freenode during a large denial attack, and our listening ports are closed. Please try a different server or check back in a few minutes if you can't get in.
I joined this channel and now I can't access freenode anymore. The message says I'm a clonebot. What's going on? Apologies for the inconvenience. Due to problems with drones and automated clonebots, we've had to institute automated network bans when clients join certain channels. Please contact support at freenode dot net, providing your IP address to be unbanned.
Someone told me to join this channel and now I can't get to the network anymore. What's going on? Someone has played a practical joke on you. Please see above. Sorry for the inconvenience. Please feel free to let us gently tap the malefactor over the head with a rubber mallet. ;)
Do you mind if I refer annoying user foo to one of the auto-kline channels to get him out of my hair? Please don't do that. It causes staff headaches and extra work. We'll be extremely testy if you refer people to those channels, as a practical joke or to get rid of annoying users.
Why did someone CTCP VERSION me? CTCP VERSION causes your IRC client to return a client-name-and-version string to some requesting user. It's a service provided by your client which you can turn on and off. On many IRC clients, you can even set a false VERSION string. But the random person using the command on your client was probably just curious what IRC client you're running. And freenode requests that information when you connect to the network.

Occasionally, a cracker will use CTCP VERSION to try to determine if your client is vulnerable to attack. Update your client regularly to avoid security problems, and don't be too worried unless they're doing more than just CTCP VERSION, or doing it over and over.
Why does user frigg send CTCP VERSION when I connect to the network? CTCP VERSION is a public IRC client interface which you can turn on or off or even spoof. We've started to request version information using that interface when users connect to freenode, so that we can help users with client-related problems, track down abusive bots and deny network access from old, insecure releases of client software, as well as analyze client-use statistics to help us better support our users' needs. It helps us as administrators for you to leave CTCP VERSION available and un-spoofed, but you should upgrade your client frequently to reduce your exposure to attacks.

For privacy purposes, staff will treat your client version information in the same way it treats personal information provided by group contacts, though we may also publish that version information in statistical form, aggregated with that of other users. We'll be careful to avoid using it in ways which unnecessarily disrupt your use of the network.
Why do I get these [freenode-info] messages sometimes when I join a channel, or during a netsplit? Messages labeled freenode-info contain important, non-time-critical information for freenode users. They're designed to appear with varying, random frequency and are sent using numeric 477. You're most likely to see them on your channel window around the time when you join a channel, or occasionally while rejoining from a netsplit. If you find them extremely annoying, we provide a set of scripts to allow you to turn them off, but we strongly urge that you leave them turned on. Otherwise, you may miss an essential notification, and your reliable, timely access to the freenode network may be impaired.
I'm getting a lot of spam/porn/blank messages. What can I do to block them? Sometimes freenode has to deal with infestations of spam bots. These bots often join large channels to get lists of people to spam via private message. We're working on long-term solutions to the problem. In the meantime, your best bet is to register your IRC nickname and do the standard setup, and then set your user mode to +R to filter out any private messages sent to you by unregistered users. Depending on which client you're running, one of these commands will set that user mode:
/umode +R
/mode YOURNICK +R
/quote mode YOURNICK +R
/raw mode YOURNICK +R

If you run a support channel, please consider using something like:
/mode #yourchannel +rf #yourchannel-unregistered
This will forward unregistered users to a separate channel on join. You can let those users know about registration options, but try to provide them support on the 'unregistered' channel, as well---it's a way to help keep spammers from taking away support options from our unregistered users! Note that you will have to be +o in #yourchannel-unregistered, or that channel must be +F to set the forward.
When I send private messages to my friend, it says that she's blocking messages from unidentified users. How do I fix it? Your friend has set user mode +R to block messages from unregistered users. Just register your IRC nickname and do the standard setup and your problem will be solved.
Why is my cloak not applied initially when I auto-join channels? Your account name and password must be sent to NickServ and verified, and then NickServ must tell the servers about your cloak. This process may take a little time, depending on how heavily services is loaded and the amount of lag between your server and services.

Some clients send your identification to NickServ and, without waiting, start to join channels. This may lead to showing your uncloaked host when you join the channel, followed shortly by a quit and re-join as your cloak is applied.

To prevent this, you may need to do one of the following (roughly in order of preference):
- Authenticate using SASL.
  SASL is a method of identifying during your connection, before anything else happens. This is the best way to ensure you are cloaked immediately. A collection of scripts for common clients and instructions for setting up SASL can be found here.
- Wait to join channels until after the server notifies you that it has set your hidden host.
  This notification is done with a 396 numeric that looks like this:
  396 YourNick unaffiliated/youraccount :is now your hidden host (set by services.)
  A script to do this for X-Chat was kindly contributed by one of our users. You won't receive this numeric if your account or connection (for gateways) is not cloaked.
- Add a fixed amount of wait time before joining channels.
  This can be done on X-Chat with /set irc_join_delay, or on irssi by adding wait <time> to the autosendcmd for the network.
- Don't auto-join channels; do it manually.
Does freenode provide SSL-based client access? freenode supports SSL, for client and server connections. Users connecting via SSL will get user mode +Z to denote this. More information about connecting via SSL is on the IRC servers page.
Why can't I join a certain channel? There are a few things that might be preventing you from joining a channel. The first thing you should check is whether you are identified to NickServ. You can identify to NickServ with
/MSG NickServ IDENTIFY YourNick YourPassword
Certain channels have channel mode +r set, which prevents unidentified users from joining. You can check what channel modes are enabled on a channel with
/mode #channel
The next thing you should check is whether or not you are banned from the channel. You can view the ban list with
/mode #channel +b
Remember, you may be unintentionally affected by a large ban that was set, so pay particular attention to bans that include wildcards (* and ?). Also, keep in mind that if you are cloaked, a ban set against your IP address will still prevent you from joining. Finally, do not forget about extbans. A ban against $~a will work just like channel mode +r, and might not be initially obvious. An explanation about bans (including extbans) is available here. If you do find a ban set against you and you feel it is a mistake, you should contact the channel operators to discuss having it removed. If neither of these methods work, you will want to check what other channel modes are enabled for the channel. modes such as +i, +k, and several others might be preventing you from joining. If you are still unable to figure out why you can't join a certain channel, feel free to ask in #freenode.
How do I get unbanned/unquieted in a channel? freenode tries to allow channels to run and manage themselves. As a result, channel operators are generally free to ban/quiet users for any reason they see fit. If you wish to discuss your ban/quiet, you will need to contact the channel operators. A list of operators can be found with
/msg chanserv access #channel list
Operators will have the +o flag. One of these operators will have to unban/unquiet you, freenode staff will not intervene in most cases.
Why can't I talk in a certain channel? There are two common reasons for being unable to talk in a channel. The first is that you might be quieted. You can view the quiet list for a channel with
/mode #channel +q
If you find a quiet set against you and you feel it is a mistake, you should contact the channel operators to discuss having it removed. The second common reason for being unable to talk in a channel is that it has channel mode +m enabled. This mode prevents anyone who is not voiced from talking (if channel mode +z is also enabled, you will be able to talk, but only operators will see your messages).
How do I change my password? If you are identified to your account, you can change your password yourself. To change the password, enter the following command:
/MSG NickServ SET PASSWORD mynewpassword
Make sure that you are using SET PASSWORD instead of SETPASS. If you have forgotten your old password and are unable to identify, see below for information on how to have staff send you a password reset email.
What do I do if I forget my password? If you forget your password, but still have access to the email account that is associated with the IRC account, staff can send a password reset email. Simply ask in #freenode or PM a staff member to have the email sent.
Is there a way to get notified when a user comes online? The server supports a special command called 'MONITOR', which is a server side notify list. This command is a more efficient version of most 'NOTIFY' commands or friend list that your client might support. Consult your client's documentation for help. A script for irssi is available from the irssi scripts repository.
How do I contact an offline user? freenode runs several services, one of which is MemoServ. You can send a message to a user via MemoServ with:
/MSG MemoServ SEND nhandler Please contact me when you get this message.
In this example, nhandler will be notified when he comes online about the message. If he has notifications enabled, he will also be notified via email. You can enable email notifications with:
/MSG NickServ SET EMAILMEMOS ON
You can prevent yourself from receiving messages via MemoServ with:
/MSG NickServ SET NOMEMO ON
What does it mean when I see "*** Notice -- TS for #channel changed from 1300123123 to 1255123123"? You may see a server notice like this when you join an empty, registered channel. The TS is the server adjusting the channel's timestamp, which is saved for every channel and used when recovering from netsplits. If a channel is created independently on two servers that are split, the older channel wins, and when the servers reunite, the newer channel's mode changes and timestamp will be undone and replaced by the older, triggering the notice you see.

In short, it's a technical detail that you can safely ignore.

Getting Help

How do I get help from the network staff? All staff currently connected to the network will be voiced in #freenode. Keep in mind that all network staff are volunteers and you may sometimes have to wait for a staffer to become active. You can also issue the command
/stats p
from within your IRC client. Certain clients, such have BitchX, have bugs which make it harder to use the command; in those cases you may have to type something like /quote stats p. You'll be provided a current list of on-call freenode staffers. Feel free to message one or more staffers as necessary until you find someone who can help you. Not all freenode staffers are listed; please use this list as your indication of current availability.
Can I get a hostname cloak? Yes. You can get a generic "unaffiliated" user cloak to hide your hostname or you can get a project cloak to show your participation in a community project. Please be aware that cloaks do not provide an absolute guarantee that your hostname is hidden. An alternative approach is to use Tor-SASL to connect to freenode.

While we do offer generic (unaffiliated) cloaks and group cloaks without a donation to PDPC, we hope you'll consider making a donation to Peer-Directed Projects Center. PDPC is the not-for-profit entity which runs the network. If you donate, you'll get a nice cloak by way of acknowledgement and have the satisfaction of knowing that you've helped the network and PDPC continue to grow.

Regardless of which type of cloak you decide to get, the setup is the same. Just read this link, which explains the procedure. Be sure to check off all the steps and make sure they're done. Then:
- If you'd like a generic "unaffiliated" user cloak, just ask a network staffer to turn it on for you.
  
  The cloak will be unaffiliated/youraccount, where youraccount is your account name, lower-cased. If your account name contains characters other than 0-9, A-Z, a-z, or hyphen, your cloak will be appended with a /x-1234567, to make it unique. (The 1234567 numbers are pseudo-randomly chosen.) If your account name does not contain any alphanumeric characters, we will ask you to pick another account name before receiving a cloak.
- If you'd like a project cloak, contact your project leader to set it up.
  
  The format of project cloaks is determined by each project. More information is in the FAQ on group cloak formats.
- If you'd like to donate, just use one of the buttons on the navbar at the left hand side of the page. We'll mark your cloak to indicate your level of support!
Keep in mind, a cloak is applied to a NickServ account. This means that all grouped nicks will also be cloaked while you are identified. It also means that dropping your account will result in you losing your cloak. We generally only offer one cloaked account per user (excluding (a) legitimate bot account(s)).
How do we set up cloaking to identify participants in our FOSS project? First register your group to provide freenode staff with an official liaison to your project. We'll contact you to work out an appropriate cloaking suffix to identify your participants. Your group contact will be responsible for contacting us, as needed, to designate the IRC nicknames of participants who are eligible to have your project cloaks, as well as the specifics of the cloaks.

Until GMS complements services, this process will remain a mostly-manual one, so please don't hesitate to ping a staffer if you don't receive a response within a couple of weeks or so.

Groups and Group Contacts

What is the purpose of group registration? When you register your group or organisation, you indicate your official participation in the network. Registration allows you to reserve, acquire and control channels associated with your group name and allows you to provide your participants with hostname cloaks. Group registration is required to sponsor a new server.

At some point, registration will be required to create permanent channels on freenode.
What level of activity is expected from groups registered on freenode? No minimum level of activity is expected or required from registered groups. You need not sponsor a server, provide your members, participants or employees with hostname cloaks or actively moderate the channels reserved to you.

Registration indicates your official participation in freenode and provides your group with facilities and capabilities which you can use as needed.
What functions can group contacts perform? Group contacts represent your group to freenode staff. Group contacts can request cloaks for group members or project participants. They can request password resets for channels reserved to your group. They can request changes in the channel contact or access list for any channel reserved to your group. Group contacts serve as technical contacts if your group sponsors a server. Group contacts are also invited to sit on the Group Advisory Board, or GAB as we refer to it, which has been introduced to allow the projects who use our services to have a voice in shaping the future of freenode and the PDPC and which direction we take in future and how we can best help create environments that promote cross project collaboration, sharing of resources and bringing people together, on and offline.
How do we set up group contacts? The following checklist will help you set up your registration and group contacts.
1. Read the documentation. The page on group registration provides basic reference information.
2. Discuss registration with your board, manager or core group. Group registration indicates official participation by your group or organisation in freenode. If this is something your group wants to do, it should make an official decision to do so before proceeding.
3. Fill out a primary group contact form(s). Have a board representative, a manager or a member of your core group, as appropriate, fill out the group contact form, selecting "I am: primary a contact person" and providing his or her own contact information. More than one primary contact form can be submitted, as appropriate.
4. Fill out one or more alternate group contact form(s). Have one or more active group contacts fill out the group contact form, selecting "I am: a contact person being alternate."
How do you verify group contacts? A representative of Peer-Directed Projects Center, the not-for-profit entity which runs the network, will contact your group contact to verify the information provided on the form.
What is the difference between a primary and an alternate group contact? A primary contact has the authority to represent your group, project or organisation and to verify that your group has approved its registration with freenode. For a legal entity, a primary contact can be an upper-level manager or a member of your board. For an informal group, a primary contact should be your project lead or a member of the core committee that makes decisions for your group.

An alternate contact, where specified, is an individual who does not have clear authority to represent your group and must be alternate by at least one primary contact.
How are group cloaks formatted? Group cloak components appear in left-major order and are separated by slashes ('/'). They are:
1. Group or project name. We'll provide you with a group name and with optional project names. For each cloak you request, you should select a name from the set we've reserved for you.
2. Cloak hierarchy. You can select "inside" tokens to indicate the user's role in your project or group. These might include words like developer, staffer, support, member or even donor. You can create a hierarchy of roles if you wish. "Inside" tokens and any cloak hierarchy are entirely your choice, and some projects omit them.
  
  Please use the token bot to indicate automated utility clients.
3. Unique identifier. The last token of a group cloak is a unique identifier for the user to whom the cloak belongs. Examples: the user's name, their forum name, their committer id or account id on your server, or their master IRC nick. Whatever you choose must be unique within the context of your project or group.
  
  With your user's permission, we'll prefix a period-separated label to this token to indicate if your user is a donor to PDPC.
  
  Dual cloaks, where a period-separated label to the token bearing the name of some other project is inserted into the cloak, are strongly discouraged and are only applied, as for all cloaks, at staff discretion and with the consent of group contacts involved and the user.
To whom may we offer a group cloak? Group cloaks indicate a relationship with your group or project. You may offer a cloak to any individual with whom you want to assert such a relationship. For example, you might want to cloak group members or organisational employees, developers, administrative or staff personnel or even donors. It's your choice. You request the cloak and we'll offer it to the person you specify. They'll decide whether to accept it.
How do we request group or project cloaks? To request a cloak, just provide us with your user's master IRC nickname and the proposed cloak. You can request a list of cloaks or cloaking changes at one time. If it's a short list, check with first level support and we'll be happy to help. If it's a longer list, please email it to support at freenode dot net and mark your email as containing cloak updates for your project. You can still check with first-level support to speed things along.

We'll process your cloak updates as soon as we can. Global changes, such as those involved in a group name change, will probably take longer.
What plans do you have to automate the group contact function? We are working on GMS (Group Management System) which will be a "dashboard" allowing group contacts to easier manage their groups namespace (channels, cloaks, access lists etc) via IRC (Services) and a web-frontend. If you would like to help out with GMS, head over to dev.freenode.net/GMS and see if you have any skills we could use!
When will group contact processing be automated? Due to very light availability of coding help, we can't predict when GMS will be finished. We'll keep you posted.
I haven't received a response on my group contact form yet. What's up? We're several months behind in our processing of the forms. We're catching up as quickly as we can.
How can I speed up the processing of my group contact form? We use the "squeaky wheel" system. Speak to first level support and ask to have the priority bumped up. We'll do our best to get you taken care of quickly!
How do our group members request hostname cloaks or channel resets? You should provide your members with the name of someone associated with your group who can process their requests. We may not be able to point them directly to your group contact due to our privacy policy.

freenode Project organisation.

Who runs freenode? About 40 volunteer staffers around the planet run the network, under the direction of the head of the project. Since October 2010, Richard Hartmann and Martin Peeks have headed up the freenode project, while Christel Dahlskjaer takes a break from active duty (blog).
How do I volunteer? If you spend time in #freenode or elsewhere around the network, it's possible you'll be asked if you'd like to perform some staff role. We usually look for people who haven't asked.
Do server owners run the network? No, they don't. Server owners may be tapped for a staff role, but the roles of staffer and facilities host are as separate as we can make them. On most IRC networks, the roles are combined, which often results in heavy IRC politics and uneven service. We can't eliminate politics, but we do our best to minimize the effect of such activity on the network.
What privileges do staff members get? It varies from staff member to staff member. No minimum level of access is guaranteed to any staff member, including those who host servers.
Who administers the servers? Staff members update server configurations and install new releases of the software. They're responsible for routing changes and server problem resolution. Facilities hosts are asked to provide technical contacts who can perform administrative functions in areas where freenode staffers have no access.
How do I link my server? Servers are hosted, not linked. For information on how to host a server, please take a look here.
Who do I complain to? If you have a constructive suggestion, please email it to: support at freenode dot net. If you would like to suggest a server feature, please email it to: features at freenode dot net. If you think you've found a bug in the server code, please email a detailed bug report to: bugs at freenode dot net. Please avoid sending flames and abusive messages to staff, particularly while we're trying to solve a problem. It may be good for your ego, but it doesn't help the network.
Do you get a lot of complaints? Not so many, but the ones we get can be, uh, very memorable. When things are running well, people tend to forget how much work it takes to keep freenode running. If you like the service, tell a staffer. It'll make our day. :)

Contributions.

Why do you need money? Peer-Directed Projects Center, the parent organisation of freenode, is a not for profit organisation incorporated in England and Wales. We talk about some of our other projects here. Without your support, we'll find it difficult to maintain and expand the growing freenode network or take on the other community service projects in planning.
Who decides how the money you collect will be spent? The Board of Directors of Peer-Directed Projects Center must approve all expenditures of funds for freenode and other PDPC projects.
What does it cost when I donate? If you donate via PayPal, we receive your donation less PayPal fees. At last check, we were charged at the standard rate, 2.9% plus a 20 pence fee.
Why should I wear a Cloak to acknowledge my donation? When you wear the Cloak, your donation becomes more visible, which helps to raise awareness of the idea of donating to Peer-Directed Projects Center, the not-for-profit entity which runs freenode. So, in a sense, your donation goes twice as far. We strongly recommend that you do the necessary setup and wear the Cloak!

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