PM

Is it bad form to share things discussed via PM to the general forums?

Sharing isn't bad form, not asking the person you discussed it with is.

If they're happy to... why not?

In general, if a conversation is assumed to be private, making it public in any way without the permission of all parties involved is very bad form. Potential exceptions exist (quoting someone anonymously as a talking point, for example), but they are rare.

I personally don't like seeing PERSONAL messages out in public, I don't think anyone like it... well unless you've stated it is going to be going to be seen by public, or ask them if you can post them...

Topics discussed I dont see issue with, obviously as long as it can be said without violating any privacy...

But, screenshots, and copy/pasting, are sorta bad form in my opinion...

I learned long ago, that is I want something kept private, I blatantly state that...

Otherwise, I talk with the assumption that it could be shared...

In a face to face conversation, it is the same...

If I have a conversation with a co-worker, there is always the chance that I say something, and my co-worker repeats it to someone else, no big deal...

But, if I want it kept silent or secret, I say such...

Most of the time, my PMs are just conversations out of the public eye, because too many people kind of ruin the flow, lol....

As a general rule, PMs are private messages. Sometimes the exchanges via PM influence this or that uptake on a discussion in the forums, but I don't quote verbatim what anyone else tells me. Myself, I often say things in the same way, but depending on interlocutor specificity, unless otherwise referenced - such as with literary support - the only one I ever quote is me.

Due to my rôle in the Temple, I cannot share particular points-of-view as expressed to me by others. That would violate the confidence one would naturally - or super-naturally - place with the Pastor. This makes me a pretty safe person to bitch to (or even to bitch out ) As such, it would be bad form for me to divulge anything confided to me by PM to anyone - unless required by law to do so. Those cases are really rare to the extent that it has never happened. But still ...

Just personally, if someone says something to me by PM (or by Skype even), I treat it as private. For general discussion, we answer one another and cross-talk all the time in the forums. If something was meant to be public, that is where it would have been put ... So, PMs are just by their nature private unless all the participants of the PM elect that it would go out for public scrutiny.

Common courtesy I think is always the general rule of thumb. Not the "Golden Rule" as some people have no issue with private messages shared openly. But simple courtesy - "I would like to share this publicly and get other people's opinion. May I?"

I am a bit more personal, a bit more blunt in Private Messages. But I do not say things I regret or wouldn't stand behind if they were made public. I think it is that way for most Jedi. We aren't two-faced. We may express our opinions more candidly privately. But that is simply understanding tact and trusting those we talk to privately to understand our more misunderstood sides (such as dark humor).

*shrugs* Good question. Just apply the same principle to the question itself. Better to ask and know than simply assume right?