Half the staff, and a lot of the bigger posters hang there and chat while they work. Sometimes its quiet, but other times its noisy. Get mIRC and leave it open always that way you get a nice live update and can jump in at any point.
21/ Dont PM members whom you dont know asking them for help. This is not a support forum, people are busy with their own projects, and if they decide to help its because they are nice people. Keep your questions within a thread, so that everyone can benefit