No e-mail is going to be totally private. If you use a work e-mail, the owner of the business has the right to read and delete any message them deem inappropriate. So I think it only stands to reason the Quilting Board has the same rights and ability. If you want something to be totally private you need to exchange e-mail addresses and go outside the board.
I don't work for the QB, but I have worked in insurance for a great many years and have always told people that I trained, never put anything in writing that you don't want to see under your picture on the front page of a newspaper or television screen.
There are a lot of rules for the QB, and I applaud them. When I started on this board several years ago there were a lot of snarky people and you never knew if your replies were going to be one of their targets. I don't believe anyone is sitting in a dark room reading all of our private messages, there must be a program that kicks out items for the administrators to check into. Please don't take it personal, they are only trying to protect the masses.