I sometimes feel that when I discuss an issue in chat and another person will enter; if I continue with my topic it may discourage another member with a problem from discussing theirs so I'll whisper to a pal of mine on PC instead for a more one on one chat when things get crowdy on there. That or I might want to speak to someone I know about matters that seem a bit more personal and not for everybody's ears so you might find yourself doing that too one day. Or again you might just want to talk to one person rather than a whole group. I really don't think (well I hope so) that people would use the whispers or private messaging option for any other purpose than to talk to friends. I don't imagine anything being said is against you and I think, like other members have pointed out, that "whispers" might have negative connotations for you. It really is pretty harmless. You'll find that if you use it too!