alt_selwyn | Enhancement to the Journal Program

I am pleased to announce a new enhancement to the journals. It is now possible to communicate more privately with one or two people using your journal. Simply write 'Private Message to' followed by one or two names, and then write the rest of your entry as usual. The content of your message will be invisible to all but the intended recipients, who will be able to reply to it as they would any other journal entry.

So, for instance, if I wished to send a message to Robert and Sarah Smith, I would write 'Private Message to Robert and Sarah Smith' in the subject line. Anyone who regularly reads my journal would see that I had written a private message to the Smiths, but would be unable to read anything further.

To answer a few of the questions I have already been asked:

* You may send a private message to only two people at once, but there is no limit to the number of such messages you may write.

* If two individuals share the same name, any additional description (such as an address, a town, or a personal description) will suffice. You do not need to write out the exact name provided that no one else shares the nickname (so, 'Private Message to the Razzer' will reach Mr Lestrange unless there is another Razzer with whom we are not acquainted.)

* All regulations and policies regarding communication by owl apply to this method of communication as well.

* Muggleborns in service who are in possession of journals may use this feature, but their owner of record must always be one of the two people who may view the message.

Many thanks to our gracious and glorious Lord Protector! Any further questions may be left as replies to this entry.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

alt_bill

Well. I guess there's my answer.

From:

alt_rodolphus

I somehow doubt there are many more folk named "Rabastan" than there are "Razzer."

Really, though, what a clever method for making the journals more useful than they already are. I don't suppose that the upgrade was inspired by necessary ban of owls this spring past? The journals were enormously helpful for keeping in touch during that period, but it did show the downside of their (previously, at least) very public nature. Especially for those of a relatively taciturn character.

From:

alt_rabastan

What do you know? Could be loads of people out there who've named their first born after me!

From:

alt_rodolphus

Fair point. But would they have named said first born Rabastan or Razzer?

Or Basil?

From:

alt_rabastan

They could use all three names and it would still be better than a certain name that begins with M.

From:

alt_lucius

Indeed.

One hopes, however, you will not be inundated with dozens of 'test' messages by enterprising witches hoping to verify that the nickname will, in fact, find you.

From:

alt_selwyn

Come, Lucius, surely that would be an unexpected bonus from the Razzer's perspective.

From:

alt_lucius

Provided they are not young ladies already of his acquaintance, you're quite correct!

From:

alt_rabastan

Oh, now you've gone and turned my head! Who are these young ladies who are not already of my acquaintance? Why are they so bashful? Now I dare to hope that this new journal feature shall embolden them so that they may finally seek me out, quills trembling from their fingers.

From:

alt_lucius

Well, I'm certain even one as gregarious as you must have missed a witch or two in this glorious nation. Perhaps in Hunspow or Laxford Bridge there are, unaccountably, a handful who have not experienced your personal attention.

As for the ones who have had that happy honour, you might be wise to open their private messages with wand at the ready.

From:

alt_rabastan

But do the ladies of such Highland regions still have all their own teeth?

I do prefer teeth. Prevents lisping.

From:

alt_lucius

Precisely. So are you sure you want every woman in the realm to write to you, expressing her undying devotion?

Consider the unfortunate (and distasteful) woman who committed the faux pas of Saturday evening. More like that and I fear even your good humour would suffer an injury we can ill-afford. It is too essential to the continued vitality of the Protectorate to allow it to be damaged!

From:

alt_selwyn

It was indeed inspired in part by the many obstacles to normal owl traffic last year. This provides an alternative to the owl post system that is faster and nearly as private.

From:

alt_draco

Pardon me, Sir, but what do you mean exactly when you say "nearly as private?"

From:

alt_selwyn

The subject line of your entry will still be visible to anyone who looks at your journal. So, should you send a private message to someone, everyone will know that you sent a private message to this person, though they won't be able to read the content. If you send an owl, you will have to wait longer for a response, but it is less instantly obvious to whom you sent it.

From:

alt_draco

Ah, yes, that makes sense then. Thank you, Sir.

From:

alt_lucius

Working late?

I'm a little interested to see that a certain someone has not used his feature yet. Perhaps he was reticent to try it before it was officially announced.

From:

alt_selwyn

I'm working from home at present -- it's a bit distracting what with the children, but the wife does like to see my face occasionally.

And yes, I noticed that as well; he doesn't seem to care for attention, and perhaps he thought a mysterious private post might lead to too much speculation?

From:

alt_lucius

It's my experience that he is uncommonly considerate in that wise. Moreso than a boy of his years ought to be, strictly speaking. You may be right.

Still. I had understood that this innovation was a particular request of his - not only for his own use, but for the benefit it brings to us all - so I was surprised to find he had not yet tried it for his own satisfaction.

In any event, it will be most enlightening to see whether this reduces owl traffic and speeds communications, as Massopust's studies projected.

From:

alt_zacharias

Excuse me, sir, but if the people you're writing to aren't related, do you need both their full names? I mean, like, if I was to write to MacMillan and Finnigan, I'd have to write 'Private Message to Ernie MacMillan and Seamus Finnigan' right? Not 'MacMillan and Finnigan' or 'Ernie and Seamus'? I guess that's maybe a stupid question.

From:

alt_padma

I think you're right, Smith, but I was sort of wondering the same thing. If I wrote to Lavender and Parvati I'd have to use their whole names.

And I don't think we can write to 'Mum and Dad' either because, well, everyone's got a mum and dad, haven't they? Well, mostly everyone.

From:

alt_selwyn

I believe that you have only one Mum and Dad, Miss Patil, so if you write 'Private Message to Mum and Dad' in your journal, the journal magic will direct that to the proper individuals.

On the other hand, should your mother write 'Private message to my daughter,' it would be visible to both you and your twin. If she wrote 'Private message to my daughter in Ravenclaw,' it would be visible solely to you.

From:

alt_padma

Really? Nift.

Thank you, sir.

From:

alt_selwyn

The system, of course, is magical and not merely mechanical. Should you regularly direct messages to particular individuals, the journal magic will adapt to your use and assume that 'Ernie' is the Ernie you usually write to and not some other Ernie.

In fact, I believe that for Hogwarts students the default assumption is that they are writing either to their parents, or to other Hogwarts students, so 'Finnigan' and 'MacMillan' ought to serve. However, if you wish to be absolutely certain, use full names.

From:

alt_zacharias

~~How does it know~~

Thank you, Mr Selwyn.

From:

alt_bill

It's quite a brilliant extension of functionality to the journals project, I must say. The more ways we encourage our citizens to entrust their personal communications to the Ministry, the better.

From:

alt_bill

And if THAT isn't enough of a big fat hint to people, I don't know what could be.

From:

alt_selwyn

I couldn't agree more, Mr Weasley. This particular innovation has numerous potential benefits.

From:

alt_neville

So what do you all think?

From:

alt_lee

You're kidding, right?

No. Bloody. Way.

From:

alt_gredforge

We'll stick to our own lock.

We even thought of it first.

From:

alt_sally_anne

I think it would be a good idea for you and Ron, and for me and Pansy, to use private messages regularly.

Everyone knows we're mates. It would be odd if we DIDN'T use it.

So long as we never EVER forget that Bellatrix Lestrange can read anything we write in them, and never say things like, 'oh, I'd better go say this more privately.' If anything, I think MLE will pay more attention to the private messages than to things people just wrote in the open.

From:

alt_gredforge

Hmm. Good point, Perks.

See, there's a reason we keep you Slytherin lot around. Sometimes we can really benefit from your twisty thinking.

From:

alt_sally_anne

Why thank you.

It's sort of the way the rest of us keep you Gryffindors around so we can send you out to battle dragons, if any come calling.

From:

alt_neville

That'll be real weird. I dunno if I'll be able to make it sound convincing. I'm pants at trying to fool anybody.

From:

alt_pansy

Well, it could just be a load of nothing. Random jokes or making fun of teachers or whinging about homework.

I mean, we're just kids and all, so if you want to keep something really random private, it wouldn't seem too weird.

From:

alt_sally_anne

I agree with Pansy. Use it when you want to complain about Acton or even Carrow -- no one in MLE will care if we're complaining about our teachers. Or to make fun of Padma Patil, no one in MLE will care about that, either.

It is a bit odd they're limiting us to two.

From:

alt_pansy

I was thinking the same thing. As long as it's nothing we wouldn't mind being read by someone at the Ministry. And it's not like I'll be writing personal messages to the twins or something when this will do just fine, but it would be weird if we didn't take full advantage.

And this way, if we do it enough, it won't seem too dodgy when Ron and Neville know something they wouldn't have otherwise, so it'll be easier to hide this.

It's awful interesting they're only letting us write two people at a time, though.

From:

alt_sally_anne

I have to admit I'm a little curious what would happen if I started a private message to Pansy and then added a comment under the lock -- would that be a message that really and truly, ONLY Pansy could read?

It makes me a bit nervous, though. What if somehow everything canceled out?

From:

alt_pansy

We wouldn't have a good way to check it, so I'd rather you didn't.

From:

alt_percy

This is indeed wonderful news, Mr Selwyn. I must say, I've been waiting for this announcement with a great deal of anticipation.

From:

alt_bill

PERCY KNEW?!

FUCK.

From:

alt_arthur

If you have any Calming Draught in your office, I suggest you use it, son.

From:

alt_sirius

Not surprising, Bill: Malfoy knew.

It's really too bad he can't be goaded into telling you lot what he's learned. Even if he's not a willing informant--

No. Sorry. That's not on.

But if only he'd show you he can be trusted!

From:

alt_selwyn

Have you, lad?

It's good to know you're making the most of your summer internship.

From:

alt_percy

As I do with any opportunity, sir. Thank you.

From:

alt_pansy

This is very exciting, sir!

Do the private messages have to be written in just your own journal, or can there be private messages that are comments on someone else's journal? So if someone said something, and you wanted to ask them something private about it, could you do it in their journal?

Thank you!