This though is not private convo. Private convo would be sequestered from the hearing of others in some manner, by some indication or method. To me, this conversation seems to me to have been held at a public event. Recently people asked me whether i thought i should take pictures at an nsf sponsored event indicating that they thought it was improper for me to take pictures without permission. My answer was that for amateur photography at a publicly sponsored event, i don't think that i need to ask permission even if you might want me to ask permission. There is a basic need for some the desire for privacy and what people think is/should be private is remarkably unclear cross-culturally. however, many people do not recognize the same legitimizing or justificatory practices for assumed privacy, therefor, i think people should always tell people when things are meant to be private or held in confidence, otherwise you have to expect people to interpret the situation on their perceptions. Jeremy Hunsinger Center for Digital Discourse and Culture () ascii ribbon campaign - against html mail /\ - against microsoft attachments http://www.aoir.org The Association of Internet Researchers