Hi Ameliae,
There is a brief period where new members cannot initiate a private message conversation. We do this to deter spammers and keep the community safe. You will be able to send a private message in a few days. You can however receive and reply to private messages sent to you by established members like @chaka67

Naturally the value in an online community are the open discussions because they not only help the people actively participating in them, but also the people reading them and learning from them. I hope you'll both continue to share your journey here.