I think the actual issue here is the notification of new messages, which is not instant, whereas the actual private messaging system is instant. @Admin, could you have a look at this?

The green dot on the thumbnail picture of the member tells if they are online. If you sens a message they will get it in their email provided they have alerts turned on.

The inbox/pm is instant messaging. As far as checking who is online, try the member search sorted by last login.

I think if there’s a green dot on the persons profile pic that it means they are currently online. There are other chat apps like kik that can be used without giving up your personal info.

Click on the "About" button at the top left of the page to find links to FAQ or the website tutorial.
Points are being given to level 3+ members who chat. You can see chat rooms on the group main page, but dunno if people use them very much.

I think messaging is the only hope on here. I could be mistaken though.

I've wondered that also