Quote from Gradonil_Ral

IMO, DDL is the best, then comes IRC and torrent is on the very end.
But yeah, I almost didn't use irc before I turned like 19-20y/o. I guess I didn't search for series that had only active IRC downloads before that.

DDL is not "the best" as it isn't very reliable.
You can't always resume if you were disconnected from the transfer.
Also, DDL links can be removed if someone reports it and gets the server threatened with a court order etc.
IRC can't be touched by the authorities, if memory serves me well (some sort of privacy law...) and seriously, you can find almost anything on it if you know where to look.

[img]http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa229/azrinirza/makotoshinkai1_zpse3901c5a.gif[/img]
Everyday I'm tumblin'

I started using IRC around 2000, so around when I was 11-12. I used it on and off at the time, then used it in a more permanent manner in 2005.

Also, facepalm @ the OP.

-GGpX

I run Illuminati-Manga. You're welcome.

I'm ancient, but I was ancient already when I finally decided to use IRC. Like many people say, it can be daunting to start using, but once you have followed one of the thousands of guides available for setting up your client, and have spent about an hour on IRC you realize there wasn't that much to it after all. You don't need to know what a lot of the terminology is to use it - just going to a channel and grabbing a chapter off a bot (and saying thanks of course) is really simple.

I'd have to say that the majority of people I've chatted to whilst I'm downloading have been less than 20 - especially in #lurk (I swear the average age in there sometimes seems to be around 12).

I look at IRC as first-line backup for anime downloads, but I often use it as a main source for manga (especially if I'm grabbing a couple of volumes worth of chapters and I don't want to wait 4,999 seconds until my next download from crapidshare, difficultshare or megafailload).

Quote from Scyfon

Quote from Gradonil_Ral

IMO, DDL is the best, then comes IRC and torrent is on the very end.
But yeah, I almost didn't use irc before I turned like 19-20y/o. I guess I didn't search for series that had only active IRC downloads before that.

DDL is not "the best" as it isn't very reliable.
You can't always resume if you were disconnected from the transfer.
Also, DDL links can be removed if someone reports it and gets the server threatened with a court order etc.

I actually meant "real" DDL, like mangashare's direct download for Binktopia's chapters, etc. But it might be because I'm not downloading much these days.

You can PM me if you need a temporary (freelance) cleaner/redrawer for some project. Especially if it's something with nice art.
Being the lazy person that I am, I'm not likely to accept anything long-term though.
[img]http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm252/Gradonil_Ral/Bulsajo/sig2small.png[/img]

Well, I've used IRC for about 3-4 years now, I started when I was around 14 or 15, and I'm 18 now. I find that downloading from IRC is a lot faster than direct downloads. I'm mostly on there though because a lot of scanlation groups use the channels to communicate... and for mafia...

As for demographic... a lot of scanlation group channels, especially them shoujo groups will have younger people... it really depends where you go. But for the most part, it seems most people these days are too lazy to learn.

#lurk for manga
#news for anime

One website each, and you can find pretty much any manga or anime (most of them anyways).

IRC is a tool for nerds who cling to the past, and that no one nowadays use it to download stuff anymore.

Wow... Okay. I admit that I'm a bit of a nerd. But MIRC is crazy useful. I suppose nowadays people my age are spoon-fed everything via google and whatnot that MIRC seems like too much work for them. It's a shame. For everything that can't be found on the net easily there's MIRC. I'm 20 by the way. I've used MIRC.... since middle school. Majority-wise perhaps for an older age group, but by no means is it reserved for just the 30+ age group.

Quote from MissMi

I suppose nowadays people my age are spoon-fed everything via google and whatnot that MIRC seems like too much work for them. It's a shame. .

No, not a shame.
I'd rather more idiots and n00bs stay out of places I hang out at.

[img]http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa229/azrinirza/makotoshinkai1_zpse3901c5a.gif[/img]
Everyday I'm tumblin'

I love IRC. Nowadays it's my tool for getting anime and anime music (news and nipponsei). Plus there are a lot of personalities (er, cool people ;3) in a lot of channels, and I have a lot of fun talking to them. xD

The IRC users I encounter are usually older than 16, so it's all good. Many channels like animeblogger and randomc are of older age though (20+).

[img]https://i.imgur.com/cWeUK2w.png[/img]

Quote from LawX

You are like the dense main character in a shoujo manga.

Quote from Crenshinibon

And you will murder someone one day, pika. If you're my daughter.