&gt;If you&#x27;re using a bouncer, it&#x27;s trivial to set it up to change your nickname when you&#x27;re not there.<p>This is a terrible way to communicate your absence. It&#x27;s spammy, potentially confusing and, worst of all, imitates a built in functionality of IRC. The _only_ correct way to set an away status is IRCs builtin `away` message.