Helmar let me know about the recent launch of Qunu. Qunu is an interesting idea that aims to connect help-seekers and experts via their IM clients, and is based on Jabber.
For help-seekers, the benefit is that help is more immediate. No more messing around on forums and waiting days to be told RTFM. For help-providers, a similar benefit applies. No need to trawl forums, as the question comes right to you, and the personal touch means that it’s that much more rewarding to help.
Apparently the name was originally meant to be Quna (QnA), but that was taken, so it became Qunu. Only later they discovered that that was the birthplace of Nelson Mandela, which is fitting given the South African connection to the project.
Read more about it on the Qunu site.