I mostly hangout on Mozilla. Don't know if ssl is absolute requirement but an IRC with history (searchable) would be welcome.

I have not seen the website- But why does it sound like HN. (Based on the quality of content shared)

HN is very good for emitting news, but not necessarily built for a meaningful expression or format. HN serves its purpose well, but does not have the provisions you would want in a network - following topics, authors, seeing the top posts in an area, so on.