Ah interesting the IRC channel may be something you could push a bit more. IRC is a very useful tool for giving lectures and holding community meetings.
Me too! I work all day in front of a computer, people come by and interrupt me, and by the time I get home I don't want to be in front of the computer any more. Chat is another demand on my time that I just don't have to commit to. Forums are perfect, in that I can log in and reply to threads when I have time.
I'm not big on live web chat in most situations, either. It's nice of John to put something together for people who are interested ... I'm just not one of those.