Benefits
- I might mention that not logging by default is potentially a benefit. Some networks have a policy of no public logs without prior notification.
Networks
- Networks may be one or more servers.
- You connect to a specific server but they are effectively all the same (so many networks round-robin or distribute them geographically).
Channels
- the # / ## distinction is a convention
Registering your nick
- Makes no gurantees about you being online, but gurantees that when you're disconnected someone can't steal your nick
Writing style
- Putting an @ before messaging someone can interfear with some older (poorly configured) IRC client's ability to notify people you're talking to them. It's not part of the nick.