Internet Communication - Should I run my own servers?

Yes Steemians - long awaited I'm sure, my first post.
Browsing through Steem here, I came across a post from @katamori enquiring about if there was a chat channel for Steem (which there is - I have directed katamori to the relevant page). Having been on the Internet a fair time now, I was happy to help out, and katamori's query got me thinking. I am an IRC old-timer, and am wondering what other means of internet communication you all use?