Are there too many private messages on these boards?

How can anyone tell or know if too many private messages? I use private messages with the question or response is very narrow and may be time specific which would make a public message useless or misleading at a later date. Trust the experience post to know how to deal with the question.

You're assuming that there are a lot of private messages. I don't know that that's true. I'm a mildly regular poster, and I don't get private messages very often at all. In any case, if a sender wants his message to be private, I don't have a problem with that. It should be the sender's choice.

I've thought about this issue a few times myself. I see a message that references information in a private message and I wonder why it wasn't posted to the forum. For me, it's not just about the accuracy, but about sharing information in general. It's interesting to see the details and different takes that people have on a question / topic. Now, I do think that there are definitely some messages that are best sent via the private message. I had an exchange with Shoni about our personal connections to Orkney. There was nothing in the messages that were related to the topic so it belonged in a PM. I also think that there are occasions when messages are posted to the forum that belong in a PM. ; ) When I'm deciding whether or not a message should be posted to the forum or sent via a PM, I think about whether or not the information is something multiple people would benefit from or if it truly is specific to an individual. Pam

Usually the only time I get private messages is if someone is interested in coming to Frankfurt and wants more minor details, or messages from regular posters about mundane stuff or funny items that don't belong on the forum. Some posters become cyber friends this way. Only occasionally do I get a PM from someone where I think it is better if they posted it on the Helpline and then I tell them they probably should post it. Wondering why you are getting so many. Have you gone someplace really different, that people are interested in getting your very own personal opinion? If not, then just tell them to post their question.

I'll PM you with my opinion.... :-) I don't think PMs are all that common. I'll ask for one when I have a lot of personal experience to share but I don't know yet if the person asking the question cares that much - I'll ask them to PM me for more information after I've been public with the basics. Occasionally, I'll get a PM from a 3rd party who was simply reading along on a thread and had a specific interest related to a specific comment I made. But overall, my public posts beat PMs by at least 10 to 1. I don't really see a problem. If you want more information, PM me......:-)

I don't think that there are that many pm out there that should be in the public discussion. But yes, it has happened to me as well. When a very vague question was asked and I pointed out that more information would make it easier to help I occasionally got a pm telling me how many people are travelling in the group or something like that. That's not what a pm is for but it doesn't happen often.

All I get are propositions...am I the only one?

I have only received 7 PM's here that I thought should have been posted on the forum, it seems a lot considering I have only posted 107 times. I have also received a few private, private messages. I have posted thousands of times on TripAdvisor and have only received 4 PM's that should have been addressed on the forum. I would have guessed that forum members that regularly post helpful information here get inundated. On open forums I feel free to respond or not to respond to any thread, yet it is rude not to reply to a PM. Jo, I agree with you that PM's are appropriate for "messages from regular posters about mundane stuff or funny items that don't belong on the forum." You are kind to help out members via PM with minor details about a trip to Frankfurt. I think that even these minor details should be aired on the forum. Someone may benefit from the information and someone else might offer an alternative. Update: It is now eight. "Hi Chip,
No two people are alike. Some prefer to communicate privately. I do - and it's usually due to the nature of my response. However, should you receive something of general interest, you could edit it appropriately and post it yourself. At that time, you might poll the readers on their communication preferences. Could be interesting. All the best, ~ P"

I think people over use the PM function, too. I've gotten quite a few, and all would have been better placed on the board. I agree, the point of this board is to share information, not to pass it secretly. I've chalked this up to the idea that maybe a lot of posters here don't contribute to many other forums, and don't really get the concept. I think there is a place for pm's; maybe you think someone from a long dead thread might have some very specific info that would be helpful to you, but that's never the kind of pm I get. I've also received a nasty message from someone who didn't like my (politely-stated) advice I gave in a thread. After that I emailed the admin and asked for my PM to be turned off, but was told that can't be done. I no longer check my pm's at all. I know I have at least one but I don't care. Edit: Chip, that last pm you got is hilarious. Why in the world did that person just not post that here? If that's the kind of messages you keep getting, consider just ignoring your pm's, like I do.

Some people send a PM because they are afraid of getting lambasted by people on the forum. If they are new, have a question that they are afraid is dumb, etc. they prefer to keep it private. The other use of a PM is when a poster has posted something incorrect, one can let them know privately rather than on the Helpline itself, so that they can edit their post or delete a duplicate posting. This way they aren't embarressed. I have sent messages to people telling them stuff like to remove their last name or their email address or to delete their multiple postings. Chip, posting that private message is considered out of order in my book, even though the message didn't contain much of anything. That is why they are called "private" messages.

I receive occasional PMs, mostly thank yous or asking specific questions about my posts, not really enough to make a dent in the site.

Chip - I sometimes will let a poster know that if they have any other questions to pm me. ie train schedules, ticket costs, or golf courses to play in Scotland. I do this because I don't want to hijack the thread.

I get PMs thanking me for info, asking for clarifications, Lee correcting my spelling or German... and several of us PM each other when we think Steve is posting under another assumed name. Jo and I have also exchanged tips (well, mostly Jo giving me tips) in PMs that probably wouldn't interest the general traveling population but would for people who live here. Most of my traffic, though, is in the open forum.

IME, participation in these boards generate more PMs than participation in other boards. However, you're under no obgliation to respond to them. I've received some specific to my location, which I happily respond to. And then there's the "what's the weather going to be like in Paris on XX date?" ones which I can choose to ignore (because I in no way can provide the correct answer).

Chip, unfortunately some people seem to think that by having the opportunity to send a private message that this gives them 'carte blanche' to send nasty messages and write things that they would not want others to read and judge them by. Christy, I too had a personal and 'nasty' message posted privately. Perhaps these people are not brave enough to show their true colours in public and are unable to accept that people have different opinions and experiences. As Pam said, personal information (such as the fact that a side of our families both originate from Orkney and we wondered if there could be a family connection) is of no interest to the general public, but I cannot imagine that the facility is intended as a venue for personal attacks and shame on those of you who use it as such. At least James is brave enough to be 'personal' in the public arena. How does he get away with it? Is it because we all basically love an anarchist?

Most of the private messages I've recieved have been very appropriate. There are a few I've directed to other posters or to a public post because I felt that I couldn't adequately answer their questions. Then there are the few who are so negative (publicly and privately)! I just report them to the webmaster and move on. If the messages annoy you, I suggest you take the advice given earlier and just ignore your private messages. Or put a note on your posts that you don't want any pms. I like having the the pm available- it keeps the board from becoming too cluttered, and lets us have a place for those personal items that many of us like to share, but don't necessarily want to post on the general boards.

"All I get are propositions...am I the only one?" No, Michael, you're not the only one. And FWIW, I also don't like to see people posting PMs on a thread. Doesn't matter whether the author is currently with us or not... I received one bizarre PM early on in my Helpline days...the rest have been a joy to read. When I have gotten a PM that I thought should be a new topic ('Eileen, you seem to know alot about __; can you help me with __?'), I've suggested they start a new thread unless it was a cut-and-dried question and answer, such as which day the Louvre is closed. Chip, I've sent you a PM. NOT!!! ;-)

Um...Eileen...I've sent you a PM... :-)