Whenever I try to chat or browse hosts I get no response. The host may have firewall but then why is chat function shown?

I'm trying to chat with people who obviously have the same taste in music and set up swap shops as it's pretty obvious that people don't always share everything they have. I have a huge collection but only share a fraction to cut down connection and refresh times. I'm prepared to share the whole collection but only to others of like mind.

What is the best way to go about this?

Thanks

Moscow01