Like newsgroups, only different. Searchable by keyword and topic. A great resource and alternative to listservs, mailing lists. Chatrooms offer useful web interactivity too to help you investigate your community. Some chats have transcripts that you may access.
Chat rooms offer live discussions about almost any topic.
Just remember, as with any electronic interaction, that the person you're chatting with may not be who they say they are. Yahoo's list of non-Yahoo chat rooms. An indices means that it's a directory of sorts for the chosen topic. Plenty of weird and wonderful reviewed sites to consider in your research. Look for sites that reflect your community and that are informative.