Aryeh Gregor writes,
I'm not assuming that -- I've been idling in the secret channel for a while now. (I keep almost saying its name, argh. Channels that aren't access-restricted and rely on secret names are annoying.) Most of it is just chitchat. But that's exactly something that the broader community should be part of, so that staff doesn't form its own group that excludes volunteers.
As a student of human communication, I'd like to affirm what Aryeh says. Chit-chat is phatic communication -- part of group-forming and the way that people form social ties and learn how to work together.
Saying "we chit-chat over here" and "discuss development over there" imagines a false dichotomy between the two kinds of conversations, and draws a line between the two groups. It ought to be "we chit-chat and discuss development together."
Pete