@I agree its a case of entering the chat, and doing other stuff till you hear the sound on someone else entering.
Im normally on the chat between 11 and 5:30 all day week days, while Im on maternety leave and OH is at work, unless on the rare occasion I find something else to do! and I chat to people all day, but yeah sometime when you first go in, you need to be prepared to wait a fews mins for other people to enter.
I have made some great friends now who I chat to on petty much a daily basis, I love it! I dont use it much in the evening though as OH is home them and we spend the time together.