Hey freeboot, get stuck in on the forums and you;ll soon have some social chat!!!
Not tried the instant chat thang myself, but others seem to make friends on there.
Sometimes it takes awhile to get replies to private messages, not everyone does. Dont know why, there are plenty of topics on these forums discussing the whyfores of that.
Good luck, sit back relax and have some fun!
(and please dont be arrogant blahblah no you wont fit in like that I doubt).