Gen: threads or private?

[paul <psslaney@ENAILA.NIDLINK.COM>]

I have been on this listserv for about 3 months and have a question.  How do
I know when to respond to a question privately and when to respond to the
group?  I know we are suppose to send e-mail to the person asking for
suggestions and then they will send a hit to the group, but how do we
determine if it is a "thread" that we can all discuss?  I have sent material
on issues before, privately, then see other people discussing it with the
group! Are there unwritten rules here that I am unaware of?  If you are
reading this, and want to respond, how do you determine if you are suppose
to respond to my e-mail address or to the group?  I can never figure it out.
Sharon Slaney
e-mail psslaney@nidlink.com