My IRC Experience and Strategy

Back in 1997/8, when Undernet's #Krishnachat was created and during its popularity peak, there were only a few devotees on IRC. We had about 5 regulars and 5-10 people coming every day during the main time (19-21h in Europe). The channel was permanent and the rest of the time it was operated by an info bot, providing addresses. There were also two another bots—a sastra quoting bot and a Krishna-names chanting bot. 8)

The visitors were nice and inquisitive and as one of its ops I didn't have to kick or ban any troublemakers. My overall experience was positive. Great times of pioneering the online preaching. When I had to return to Prague, I didn't have an internet connection at home and IRC became more or less a history for me. I just paid an occasional visit when back in Korsnas (NE-BBT headquarters in Sweden) to see old friends.

I also used to frequent some other IRC spirituality-focused channels to talk with interested folks. Usually they first asked what my path was, and when I said "Vaishnava," they wanted to know what that is, since they'd never heard of it. That was an opportunity to explain the basics of our message, also giving links to iskcon.org, the main site back then.

Getting the feel (desa-kala-patra) of IRC, I didn't immediately say "I'm a Hare Krishna," since from my experience many people had heard about some problematic ISKCON issues, got influenced by negative propaganda (often derived from them), and by default wouldn't listen to a "Hare Krishna guy"—"Yeah, those sentimental chanters and pushy book peddlers..." 8).

But once they heard the philosophy they understood that there is much more than meets the eye, so to say. Efficiency of this approach was confirmed to me by one older devotee by a nice experience:

"Once, way back in 1986 I was a candidate for being the in-house-astrologer at a big meta-physical center in Atlanta, GA. I went to the center and the devotees (matajis) had set up a table in front. They were in saris, I was in karmi clothes.

I could overhear people making all kinds of nasty comments about the devotees as they didn't know I was one also. I gave readings to several of the board members of the center; they were very impressed by the fact that I interjected philosophy into my readings and would often question me and get into long discussions. They wanted me to teach philosophy at their center, yet these were exactly the same people who had made disparaging remarks about the devotees outside their doors. They didn't know I was just giving them the same philosophy found in the books on the table that they criticized. It was a big realization for me. That people are very much affected by the bad press about ISKCON, but once they hear the philosophy they are attracted. So it is an art to give them the philosophy and benefit them."

So there is a room for both direct and indirect presentation of Krishna's words.

It would be great if no more in-house problematic issues damaged the reputation of ISKCON. There will always be enemies of Krishna so why to provide any ammunition to them?

Hare Krishna

ys Jan

My "myspace" Experience

I have been attempting to preach going through myspace and AOL chatrooms that are so-called "reliogious." Bad idea. The consciousnesss is really low in there. But through all the rubbish I saw someone posting quotes from Bhagavad-gita. We attempted to "chat" a bit amongst all the sex talk going on, and he asked anyone who wanted to discuss philosophy to email him.

I did and his first response was, "What do you think about Bhaktivedanta Swami?" Of course I dove right in and we have been corresponding over the past few days. He already has a few books and chants about once a week. I distributed a Sri Isopanisad and Krishna Book to him. So while there are some genuine seekers here and there, the chat rooms still aren't very conducive for preaching because you can't moderate anyone and have no control. But I am stil ecstatic!

ys Tamal Krsna dasa