Being able to see whos online in the lobby/ guild chat is very very important I can't stress that enough. Even more so with guilds it makes it pretty pointless if you can't see whos online. The blinking red chat is also something that's very important because it at least tells you that someone is there, maybe a new player trying to get help but can't because nobody even thinks to open the chat anymore. Bottom line is communication is just as crucial as a balanced game for a turned based table top game with few playing.
Yea, 99% of my chat is just me saying hello. I use flip back and forward to see if people respond. Got tired of that. Having no feedback on whether someone responds, means a "working chat" is useless.