I remember a live chat site from years ago that I found entertaining at times, but for some reason it became the target of hackers and I think that's why it went away. I suppose it drew the wrong crowd.

They are still around and there are different kinds of chats too. You just always have to be careful.

I agree that live chat as a social tool can be a very bad idea. However, I have often made purchases from one site, rather than another, because I know that I can access customer service by chatting on the first. Customer service chat is invaluable.