After the MOTD is displayed, you can retrieve a list of channels (or "chatrooms" blah!) by clicking the "Channels" button. The channel list is displayed to the right of the open window (called the "server window". You can only type commands into the server window. This is not a chat window.). When the channel list is complete, scroll through it and find a channel that sounds interesting. Channels also have topics which are also displayed right beside each channel's name. When you find one that you are interested in, double-click on the channel's name in the list. A new window will open up with a list of members on the right. Text is displayed in the window prefixed by the person's name who said it.

At this time you may begin chatting. Simply type what you want to say into the box at the bottom and hit "Enter". You do not have to type in your own name, Pirch does that for you.

You may also notice that some users are typing using colors and symbols, etc. Don't be afraid to ask how this is done, most Pirch users are more than happy to help others learn. To type your message in color, type a CTRL+K character by holding down the CTRL and the K key at the same time. This produces a little square in the edit box. Now you type the color code followed by your message and it will come out in color. You can create pictures and elaborate color "popups" by using the popup editor and aliases, but this is more an advanced feature. You can find "scripts" which contain these color popups ready for you to use. This will all be covered later.