While most servers allow connections using port 6667, it's possible that the server you're trying to connect to doesn't. By telling us what network you're trying to connect to, we can try to connect ourselves and see what messages/responses we get. In addition, occasionally we'll have a helper here that is an IRC operator on the network in question, and if they see that there's a problem with one of their networks, they'll likely have a better chance of getting it resolved than someone that is just connecting.
That's the main reason we ask for the name of the network, which is what the query "what network" means.
