Do you like getting private/direct/instant messages?
I'll say that I'm okay with it for the most part, but only if my online persona is that of a man (or a non-human). With strangers or non-friends I still prefer public chat over communicating one-and-one in secret, though.
Sometimes I choose to play as a woman in video games and virtual worlds, and that's when private messages get annoying because they're usually from thirsty men.