For some odd reason if anyone is missing the hostility, there's always IRC, one of the best places to learn but also one of the best places to get flamed.
General-purpose channels on IRC seem to fall into two categories: on the one hand, small and populated by mutual acquaintances who view un-vouched-for outsiders with suspicion; on the other, gigantic, purposeless, and either dead idle or too busy to keep up with. Starting from scratch, you're better off looking for channels relevant to your specific interests, and branching out from there.
