I thought that one had to post a certain number of posts before the privilege of Private Messaging was accorded. I thought it was 20 but I'm not sure. Try searching for 'private messaging'. The search icon is up at the top of every thread, just to the right. Click on it and it's clear what to do next.

Try clicking on the 'profile' icon at the bottom of someone's post - they may have listed an e-mail in their profile.

Do a search for the word "avatar". that's the term for the little photos or cartoons under everybody's name. I know that the 'how to post' has been explained somewhere.

Good luck.

BarB