Tony, some people's email addresses show in their posts. When you point your mouse arrow at the poster's name, if it's underlined like mine, the poster's email address will show up. I think since it's optional to provide the email addy, we can assume that if a person reveals an address on forum posts, they are "fair game" for a private message.
It's not a direct answer to your question, I know, but it addresses your wish to be able to send a private message off the forum.
