Some of you monsters have been impersonating Videogum staff (Gabe, Scott, and Amrit). To out an imposter, make him verify his identify via Twitter. Don't make us turn this chat car around!
COMMANDS
You can change your nickname at any time by entering /nick, followed by a space and your new nickname. Eample: /nick new_nickname
You can type /me followed by a space and the action to send an action message. Example: /me buys Simon Sez on laserdisc will output the following in chat if your nickname is gabdsey: gabdsey buys Simon Sez on laserdisc
To ignore someone altogether, use /ignore followed by a space and their username. Example: /ignore harry-knowles. You will not see any messages from them, although other people still might, unless you un-ignore them by entering /ignore -r harry-knowles
/notice username will send a private message to someone with the nickname username.
To open up a private chat window with one other user, enter /msg username. Generally, it's considered rude to /msg someone who isn't expecting it.
For more help, you can try entering /help or check out a list of beginner IRC commands
ETIQUETTE & TIPS
The usual internet stuff (don't go all caps, etc) plus: don't "flood" the chat with rapid-fire short messages when you could combine it into one single line, and don't open a private chat window with someone unless they're expecting it. A more detailed list is here.
For the love of everything good, don't open any files from strangers. Just don't.
