If you are using IE and are getting the Null Message, do this:
Start/Control Panel/Java Plug In
Click on the Browser Tab and make sure you have a check in the box for Internet Explorer. Apply the settings and restart IE. You should now be able to connect via the Java Chat.
If you don't have the Java Plug In installed, Go to
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html and download the J2SE v 1.4.2_07 JRE and install. Then make sure the above setting is correct and you should be all set.
Once you get connected you should see a huge list of channels. Click Info to get an input field to pop up. Here you can type "/join #tfp" (without quotes) to join the channel.