IRC will be removed in v4 essentially because rtb connect replaces all it's functionality.
You have the option to have notifications (settings for visual or sounding notifications if you receive a message from someone).
With RTB Connect, it will also be easier to track popular people and see what server they're on, just like you Ephial. However Ephial doesn't join that many servers that much since he still has a big new update for RTB to work on!
You can see in the earlier picture where the Invite notification bar is, and also in this one. When you click it you're shown this:
I just had an odd thought concerning the add-on DL system. I know you and your moderators check each add-on before approving it, but do you also check every update the author makes as well?
Although i highly doubt this, But is it possible to put a voice chat feature in there? I have many BL friends with mics, and it'd be cool to chat with them in-game rather then in a steam chat group/vent server.