Instant Messaging
QuietJourney Forums is all about community and communication while maintaining each member's privacy goals. And there are plenty of ways to communicate: Posting on the boards, Instant Messaging, E-mail, ICQ, AIM and YIM. Of course, all methods of communication are only available to members.

Unregistered users are NOT allowed to view the Member List or send Personal Messages to members.

What's an Instant Message?
As an alternative to e-mail, QuietJourney Forums offers a faster, more private method. Instant Messaging on the boards provides instantaneous delivery to the recipient's Private Mailbox. The mail is sent and received entirely through QuietJourney Forums, so neither you nor the recipient have to open another program or leave your browser.

Instant Messaging also gives both the sender and recipient greater privacy: No one's real e-mail address is revealed. Instant Messages show only the handle and name of both parties.

If a recipient isn't online, Instan Messages wait in the member's IM box until the next time s/he logs in and manually reads and/or deletes them. QuietJourney Forums Instant Messages is a self-contained, highly private e-mail system.

There are no specific limits. Feel free to do what works for you but keep in mind QJ, just like the web, just like the BW/Q, is a shared environment. Each time you portage something you don't need, not only are you slowing yourself down, you're also hogging the trail.

Saving IMs locally and deleting old ones from the server once in a while is a fine idea. Another idea is to set your preferences to "notify" so incoming IMs are automatically forwarder to your e-mail. Then just delete each message after you IM your reply. Once you get to know and trust someone, messaging looses it's value since e-mail is much more efficient in most respects.

I agree it's is a nice tool. It helps keep this virtual campsite clean while providing an added opportunity to make connections, offer private advice or a quiet thank-you to the deserving individuals we meet. It also spares everyone the internet version of portaging around campers who stop to eat lunch at the portage. (LOL - Did you get my e-mail? - OEM)

We all have different motives for posting anything. This post is a good example of discretion. QP obviously thought his question may also help others so he posted it publicly even though an IM would have served his purpose. I answered publicly because he asked publicly, and it served mine.