It was so busy as to be intimidating to 14 year old me. I remember popping into IRC a couple of times, but ultimately stuck to the forums after that.
I think social media has also changed the main chat platforms we use without removing the concept of chatting altogether. I have a group of 20...
Welcome to TarValon.Net! That was quite a thorough introduction.
I was about to point you to Aulrick's work, but I see you've already found it! I love the Discussion Halls, it seems like there's a place for every topic.