Would it be possible to establish an IRC channel on any server, for example, Gamesurge, for Discovery for use for real-time roleplay (for face-to-face negoiations/talks without the battleships) as well as have 'live' discussions about updates and other events OOCly. Plus it'd be a good way for the players to socialize without having to worry about RPing all the time. If one was worried about mixing the two up, simply set up a second channel and designate which one is RP and which one is OOC. Also, it might be good to help people to keep up-to-date and involved in RP in case they're not at home. (Assuming they can find a way to access the server through an embedded java client of some sort.)
Yes, it's possible. I'd recommend we set up a channel on the server irc.dynamix.com. I've been using it for quite a while now, and it's quite secure as long as you've registered your nickname & channel. The thing is that one of us will have to stay in the channel 24/7 to keep it alive.
For those of you who don't have an IRC client, give Xchat a go.