Because it hasn't been mentioned by anybody yet, I wanted to point out that #wikipedia-en-help (formerly #wikipedia-bootcamp) is the perfect channel for new Wikipedians who need help (hence the name).
While this channel does, for some reason, seem to be forgotten by the mainstream Wikipedia IRC community (which may or may not be a bad thing), it is extremely well-advertised on the Help desk, on the New Contributors' Help Page, and on {{helpme}} messages. It is also served by Bjelleklang's Java IRC client on the toolserver (again very well-advertised in the pages quoted above).
Users in the channel are on the most part very friendly towards newbies, and even basic questions are bound to get responses from one or more helpers within seconds.
While I do not exactly condone the idea of compartmentalizing IRC channels for particular purposes (especially with channels that have seemingly similar topics, like #wikipedia, #wikipedia-social, and #wikimedia-social), #wikipedia-en-help *is* a safe haven for newbies where they can get help without getting ignored (or even worse, being told that they are in The Wrong Channel) by the masses of seasoned yet not-newbie-oriented Wikipedians.
So if you do find a newbie in need of help, or if there are any opportunities where you recommend a channel for a newbie in need of help, please don't forget #wikipedia-en-help.
Cheers,
Tangotango
On Jun 17, 2007, at 6:47 AM, Gurch wrote:
Yes, we can move to #wikipedia-social or #wikipedia-en as appropriate, but Mark is adamant that newcomers should be sent to #wikipedia for help. Until now such help has reliably been delievered within seconds by experienced and knowledgable users. But they're not there to help people; they're there to discuss the project (usually the English-language edition) and socialize. No help will be forthcoming if the channel is empty. (Why wouldn't I just idle there? The same reason I don't idle in #wikimedia-admin or read the English Wikipedia mailing list: nothing useful ever happens).