Hi-
 
I think posting the content of a PM should be considered a violation of the TOS Code of Conduct unless both parties consent before it appears on the forums. A "Private Message" should be private, IMO. I assumed they were until I saw one posted in a thread on this forum and didn't see anything about it in the TOS.
 
Thanks-
 
-Susan
 
Edited subject from "TOS" to "Code of Conduct".

+1

I think the person who receives PM is free to use it as he/she wants, till that violates some general rules (NDA, Copyright, etc.).
 
Not allowing users to post Customers Support answers here (which are originally PMs) will slow down problem tracing for example.
 
I am for free information exchange
 
It already disturb me when some song is repeated 1000 times on radio station, not commercial self singing it in "public" (even to colleagues at work) is strictly speaking illegal. If in addition people are not allowed to speak about anything they get in PMs without special agreement, what the world it is going to be... 

Susan G
Hi-
 
I think posting the content of a PM should be considered a violation of the TOS unless both parties consent before it appears on the forums. A "Private Message" should be private, IMO. I assumed they were until I saw one posted in a thread on this forum and didn't see anything about it in the TOS.
 
Thanks-
 
-Susan

+1
A private message should be kept private unless permission is given by both parties. That's a no brainer!

azslow3
I think the person who receives PM is free to use it as he/she wants, till that violates some general rules (NDA, Copyright, etc.).
 

I agree.  It's bad enough already with folks able to hide behind anonymity.  I'm a firm believer in the idea that people shouldn't say, write or do anything to each other that would embarrass them or their families if printed in the local paper.  If somebody gets embarrassed by their behavior, maybe they'll learn something from the experience.
 
On the other side of it, be careful who you trust.
 
Admins/moderators/hosts already have enough to deal with, IMO.

I was under the impression that Private in "Private Message" described the delivery system NOT a quality of the message. IOW messages between users which are not automatically posted on the forum. That said, I understand others believe the Private in "Private Message" means something else entirely.

Tricky one Susan though I think I can see where your coming from.  When the content of PM's are used in a negative manor then I think I agree.  This may well fall under the Code of Conduct third paragraph. 
 
Then as Azslow3 says when from support the content can be of use.

If I wanted everyone to see the message I would post it. PM is just that. A Private Message or Personal Message, something intended for a specific person that I wish to communicate with.

I could argue it either way. I, too, believe in the free flow of information. But...
 
If someone sends me a message in private, it's obvious they didn't want it broadcast. Otherwise, they would have just written it in a public post. My instinct is to respect that, and I've never repeated a PM.
 
Oh, there have been times when I wanted to, because I do get the occasional juicy bit of gossip. But if people think they can't trust you to keep private matters private, they'll stop talking to you. I place a very high value on whatever trust others grant me.
 
There are exceptions to every rule, though. Threats and insults, for example, don't deserve privacy.
 
Bottom line: we don't need to amend the TOS. Only send PMs to those you trust, and if you want to be one of those trusted confidants, honor the sender's instructions when they say "this is between you and me".

When I use PMs it's NOT because of confidentiality.  I use PMs to go into detailed tangents without derailing threads in the forums.  Yes, I realize mine isn't the only use case :)