I do very little chat anymore (no time) but yep, it's common practice to get a lot of rather basic questions from newbies on AIM when they think you know something about cars.
I decided to save my time for doing that and devote it to this site, instead. Now, the site has grown enough that we have plenty of knowledgable folks to answer basic questions and I respond to tech questions when I feel like it (or have an answer that is useful, rather than just agreeing with 5 other posts) but usually, someone else answers before I do. I love it!
I suggest you avoid AIM and contribute all your tech info to Mustang Works.
Well, it was worth a shot.