The IRC-galleria (IRC Gallery) is a collection of photographs of (mostly) Finnish IRC users. Starting out as a small collection of pictures by a very close-knit group, the gallery has now grown to an immense size, and even gained some popularity in Finnish IT-related press (namely Mikrobitti).
Any person may view all photos submitted to the gallery. By searching for a specific nickname or weaving through an alphabetical list of names, a user is able to view the picture, the user's associated information (Real name, birthday, home town, etc.) and a list of frequented channels. Users can also be sorted by channel or location. However, there is twist in this idea that only becomes available if one submits his or her own photograph to the gallery.
Gallery members may comment on each others' pictures. In essence, to a logged-in user a small bulletin board appears below the picture showing comments written by other users. Many members communicate extensively through this personal message board.
Previously, all pictures submitted to the gallery had to be approved by one of the gallery staff. However, as popularity grew (there are now over 10000 members) a submit form was adopted. Other functions include a list of the newest 100 pictures, the latest photo changes, a birthday list and a list of people who logged in recently.
According to the front page, 38 000 unique IP addresses visit the site weekly, and generate over six and a half million page loads.
The gallery may be accessed at http://www.irc-galleria.net. However, the site is Finnish-only, but an interesting visit nonetheless. |
