IRC.  Internet relay chat is a loose connection of chat servers and rooms tied together by a common protocol.  The most popular IRC client for Windows is mIRC, which can be downloaded from www.mirc.com.  With mIRC installed and functional the #sourcescrim channel can be accessed where dozens of teams will be looking for scrim at any given moment.

• Download & Install. www.mirc.com - Go go go!
• Setup. Fill in a name, an email address, and a couple of nicknames - no, they don't have to be real.
• Look under the "Connect" tab, and click "Servers."  Find "GameSurge" and choose a reasonable option - "Random server" should be fine but if there's an obvious regional alternative go for it.

Click the "Options" tab directly below the "Servers" tab.  Click the "Perform" button. 
Check the "Enable perform on connect" box and add any channels you may want to join each time mIRC starts up.  Note the "/j #channelname" format below.  Click "OK" to save your changes.

Click the lightning button in the upper left corner of the main program window to connect to GameSurge.  A window with a lot text including "Message(s) of the Day" should pop up - this is the main GameSurge window, and it should be obvious.
Type "/j #sourcescrim"  into the text area.  During the busiest hours several single-line adds will scroll through the window every second.
To a find a 5 v 5 match for, I would enter

5 v 5 | Our Atlanta | de_season | cal-o

which translates to "we have 5 ready and would like to play on our server which is located in Atlanta on the map de_season.  We are approximately CAL-O skill level," and wait for a response, or double click the name of an ad that matched what we were looking for.




When someone messages you and asks for your server information, respond with the ip and password in the format

connect 12.34.56.78:27015 ; password ninjakillas

so they can copy/paste to their teammates and straight into the console.  Avoid getting a five-minute ban  bytyping no more than 3 lines per 35 seconds and don't accidentally post your IP/password into the main window!