Once you have connected type "help" to get an index of help topics, or click on the HELP button on your Xpress toolbar. To get specific help on communication, for example, you can type "help communication" or select the topic you want in the Xpress Help Browser search box. For more in-depth information about use of educational MOOs we refer you to our books:

HighWired: On the Design, Use, and Theory of Educational MOOs (http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=8910)

MOOniversity: A Students Guide to Online Learning Environments (http://www.ablongman.com/catalog/academic/product/0,,0205271146,00%2ben-USS_01DBC.html).

To see how the room (MOOspace) you're in looks like, just type "look" in the lower left side of the window, which is the area where you will talk, do actions (called emotes) or type other commands—or, click on the LOOK button on the Xpress toolbar. To get information about the objects around you, including yourself and other users, you can click on the object link in the right-hand web area window, or type: look object-name
Example: look news —to see the description of that object

Examine object
Example: examine news - to see the description, and additional information, like the owner of the object, and some commands on how to use it.

NOTE: Whenever you type something in the lower left-hand window, the output of your typing appears in the frame directly above it. The right web/graphic frame of the MOO session window will also be used to navigate and view objects and rooms by clicking on links.

If you have a player account (i.e., you are not logged in as a guest), one of the first things you should do after you connect is to set your personal preferences such as gender, description and so on. To do this using the Xpress web interface, click on the Options button on the toolbar. Fill in the information as desired. If you have questions about the fields to fill in, click on the lightbulb for HELP.

If you are connected with TELNET, simply type: @preferences

To talk to someone in the same room as you are, you type one double quotation mark " followed by what you want to say and then hit enter/return (no need for a closing quote mark, just your normal sentence punctuation), like this:

"Hello there!

You see this in the output frame:
You say, "Hello there!"

Everyone else in the room sees:
Ann says "Hello there!"

You can use body language, also known as emoting, by typing a colon followed by text, like this:
:smiles

You see this text in the output frame:
Ann smiles.

Everyone else in the room sees:
Ann smiles.

Often, when several people are in the same room, you may want to address a particular person. To do that type "to" followed by the name of the person you want to talk to, and then what you want to say (NOTE: In this instance you do NOT enter the quote marks to speak since the "to" command tells the MOO how to return the output correctly), like this:
to John Good to see you again :-).

John, you, and everyone else sees:
Ann [to John]: Good to see you again :-).

To communicate with people who are not in the same MOO room/place you are, you can "page" them across the MOO, like this:
page John Do you have time for a question?

The "page" command can be shortened to "-", like this:
-john Hi, may I come over?

You can also "remote emote," like this:
+john smiles and waves

In every room, exits or entrances are usually both listed in the output area of your talk side and as links in the web side on the right. If you are using Xpress, the exits or entrances will appear as links, so you simply click on the link. Sometime there are also links on the image you see in the web area, such as in the main Courtyard of Lingua MOO leading to the main buildings, in which case you can either click on the link on the image, or use the link to that same room/building in the list below the image. If you are using a TELNET connection, there may exits marked on an ASCII text image, perhaps indicated by a word or letters on the map itself, or directional words like in, out, up, down. To move in a given direction simply type the name of the direction or exit. For example, if you see an exit named 'west', you type "west" to go there. If a code on the map says 'LIB', you type LIB to go there.

If you get lost, you can always get back to where you started by typing "home." A fast and convenient way to move around is to "@join" other users. To see who is in the MOO type
@who

If you are using Xpress, click on the WHO button.

If you see another user online named John, you can join him by using the "@join" command, like this:
@join John

Or click on the link in the location column of the Xpress Who window.

NOTE: People come to the MOO for many different reasons, some come to work, others to hang out or visit with friends. Out of courtesy, you should always ask before you join someone. For example, if you want to talk to John, you should ask if he is busy by using the "@knock" command, like this:
@knock John

If he wants to talk to you he can reply with the "@invite player-name" command, like this:
@invite player-name

Another way to move quickly between locations in the MOO is to use the "@go" command if you know the name of the place. If, for example, you want to go to a place called "Rhetoric Classroom," you type:
@go Rhetoric Classroom

Lingua MOO is a public educational and professional community, therefore real names and email addresses of users are available. For more information about a given user you can type:
@whois name

Or, if you are using Xpress, click on the WHO button, then the person's name link.

An occasional problem on MOOs is harassment from anonymous guests or other users. To deal with this problem there are certain commands that you can use. If someone is bothering you and will not stop after you request that they do so, or request that they leave your room, here are some commands:

@gag person — This will effectively filter out anything the person says or pages until you type @ungag person.

@eject! person — Use this command to expel someone from a room you own.

@lock here with me — Will lock the room so nobody can come in.

@unlock here — Will unlock your room. Or, if you are using Xpress, you can click on the padlock icon to lock your room (it will turn to a red padlock, and clicking on it again opens it, and it turns back to green).

You can also contact the wizards and ask them for help.

@wizards — Will tell you the name or names of wizards who are online.

If you are using telnet to connect to the MOO, the text you type in may get disrupted and broken up by the output from the MOO. This can be very confusing and frustrating, and the best way to deal with it is to use the enCore Xpress client. There are also many other MOO clients available, see for example http://web.nwe.ufl.edu/~tari/connections/client-info.html.

If you want to create your own room, from the Courtyard go to the ComMOOnity building and click on the link that reads NOTE ON HOUSING. This explains on which floor you are allowed to create your room. If you go to the Plaza floor, for example, then you click on the NOTE ON HOUSING there for full instructions on how to create your room.

To log out, type @quit, or click the QUIT button on the Xpress toolbar.

Finally, remember that one of the most useful help commands in MOO is this one:
"Hi, I'm new here. Do you have a minute for a question?

Good luck and happy MOOing.

Cynthia Haynes
cynthiah@utdallas.edu
972-883-6340