Discussion

Okay, so this is meant to be a civil discussion about the purpose of private threads.

In my blunt opinion, I personally think the usage of private threads is utterly abused. Why do they exist? You don't have a "private" conversation in real life, unless it's in the privacy of your house, and even there you can be overheard sometimes. Pack lands? I don't mind seeing private threads so much, because that's your house, and you can do whatever you want. But some of the unclaimed areas? Private threads? Expecting not to be overheard? That's a little bit more unlikely.

Not only is it unlikely to not be overheard. (That's like me sitting in McDonalds and expecting people to not hear what I'm saying if I decided I want to have a Skype conversation.) But it also sways new people away from the site sometimes. If you you look down at Recent IC topics, you see maybe two AW threads, and the rest of them are private. Why? Can't your wolf grovel to another wolf in public so the rest of us can form opinions on the character? (Not saying all threads are groveling threads, that's just an example.)

Another point is plotting, private threads kill character development and plotting. I have noticed that sometimes people plan character responses OCly. (Metagaming) But what happens if you OC plan to have bob cheat on harry, and go out with sally? What happens if no one tells Harry? What happens if Harry is realistically in the same area, let's say a board, or in the same board as said cheating thread that's set private? He would have justification to join that thread, I mean he smells bob in the area, but if the thread is set to private Harry can never discover that Bob has broken his little wolf heart with Sally. See my point?

Now I saw one suggestion from Yumpy about private threads asking for clarification on the rules, and I have to agree, I don't understand the point/logic of a private thread either. If you are in a pack land in a 'private' thread, what is stopping the alpha from stepping into it? Isn't that the perk of being an Alpha, the whole territory and everyone in it belongs to you? Why can't Alpha Lulzzy walk into that thread, because it has a P set on the topic?

-rage over-