UA Jabber (jabber.uark.edu) Instant Messaging System at the U of A

Jabber is an instant messaging (IM) system capable of communicating with users of MSN, Yahoo!, ICQ, and AIM instant messaging systems. Users with a valid UARK username can use jabber.uark.edu.

UA Chat is a web-based, Jabber instant messaging client. Access UA Chat at http://uachat.uark.edu or using UA Mail.

Software download and setup instructions for supported IM clients:

• Exodus IM for Windows
• UA Chat for Windows and Macintosh
• Psi Messenger for Macintosh OS X
• Apple iChat for Macintosh OS X
• Chatopus for Palm OS
• iMov Messenger for Pocket PC

The Chat Room Directory is a list of available chat rooms; some may require a password. Join the Jabber Listserv for Jabber related news, archives, discussions, announcements, updates, support issues, etc. Chatiquette is a list of activities which are strictly prohibited when using UA Chat in the GACLs.

JabberPowered^TM is a trademark of Jabber, Inc. and its use is licensed through the Jabber Software Foundation.

Viewing Jabber Chat Room Logs on jabber.uark.edu

If you have entered a Jabber chat room and have posted a message in that chat room you can view the chat room log. To view a chat room log:

1. Use a web browser to access the Jabber chatlogs web page.
2. Enter your UARK username and password when prompted.
3. You will see a directory called private and a directory called public. Browse to the appropriate directory depending on whether the chat room is a private room or a public room.
4. Click the name of the chat room that you want to view.
5. Chat logs are organized by date. Click the appropriate date to view the log for that particular day.

You can see a description of the public chat rooms by going to the jabber.uark.edu Public Chat Room Directory.

Chat Room Creation

Use the Jabber Permanent Chat Room Request form to request the creation of a permanent chat room. Please allow 2 to 3 working days for your chat room to be created. You will be notified by email when it is ready.

Please note that a permanent room will remain on the Jabber server even when nobody is in the room. This is in contrast to a temporary chat room that will be destroyed a few minutes after the last person leaves the room. Anyone can create a temporary chat room, but the Jabber server administrator creates permanent chat rooms.

RSS Newsfeeds Using Jabber

Yes, you can subscribe to a newsfeed using Jabber by using rss2jabber. rss2jabber is an application that gathers articles from RDF/RSS/Atom feeds and sends them to an IM client.

1. To subscribe to a newsfeed in Jabber, you need to add the Jabber ID:
   rss2jabber@jabber.fr
   in the same way that you would add any other Jabber user. If you are using UarkJabber, click File, Contacts, Add Contact. If you are using Exodus, click on Tools, Contacts, Add Contact.
2. Enter:
   rss2jabber@jabber.fr
   in the User ID (UID): field in UarkJabber, or the Contact ID: field if you are using Exodus.
3. Click Add in UarkJabber, or OK in Exodus.
4. After several seconds you should see the rss2jabber@jabber.fr user appear in your Jabber contact list.
5. Double-click on the rss2jabber@jabber.fr user and type “help” in the chat window and press enter. You will receive help information about various commands that you can send including subscribing to a newsfeed.
6. For example, to subscribe to the slashdot newsfeed, send the following command to the rss2jabber@jabber.fr user:
   sub http://slashdot.org/index.rss 3:30 4
   The slashdot newsfeed will be polled every 3 1/2 hours and will send up to 4 new articles on every update. Incoming news articles in UarkJabber will appear in a chat window.