Ask HN: Active, social online chat communities

Back in the day I was a member of a very active chat-based online community, and as a freelancer it kept me sane working from home alone all day.

The community was populated by a couple hundred people with a common interest, many of whom were retired, homemakers, or self-employed. Thus many of the regulars were present all day long and formed close friendships. Conversation ranged far from the original purpose of the community - it was like having a room full of friends to talk with about anything and everything at any time of day or night.

Since then, many of the regulars have either passed away or experienced career or life changes that have left them little time to go online in the middle of the day. As a result, the community has completely fizzled out. I was disappointed, but had also moved on to a 9-5 gig and wasn't able to visit regularly either.

Now that I've returned to remote work, I miss that type of constantly available interaction and conversation. Does anyone here know of any vibrant, close-knit, social online communities that they'd recommend?