why can't I figure out how to respond to messages?

It took me a little while to find my way around too. Don't get discouraged, just ask for help it you can't figute it out. When I had trouble posting comments/replies, I finally figured out it was because I wasn't logged in with my user name and password. You won't be able to get into chat unless you are logged in either. Try that and see if it helps, if not send me a message if you can.