Sorry, IRC is calling me away
(In short, no. Threads that serve no purpose other than a quick gag, joke, or question do not need threads or sections unless they get somewhat elaborate.)
Even the quick gags, jokes, or questions aren't really even necessary, really.
I feel like there should be a central thread for these gags, jokes, and questions. Of course, a couple threads will still pop up around these three categories, but I still feel the need for a central thread for them, as their OP just ends up being so small and short...
As for a thread for general chat, that reminds me of the times where we had "Post Before 24 Hours WITH PRIZE." I tried bringing it back, placing it in where I thought were reasonable areas for the thread, but the higher-ups didn't want it for some reason.
In my honest opinion, even though it was mostly absolute spam, it was enjoyable to go there to have random chats that no one would really, honestly care about. Not everyone goes on IRC, sadly, and you'll probably see most people in the Other Things section of our forums.
Of course, the best place for these types of threads would be somewhere that the post count isn't affected, and the only place currently like that is the Forum Games section.
That's all I've been wanting to say, so... Haveatchu.