[Tohsig]

I'll add on to this that per-user channels could work well in teams where everyone is comfortable sharing, but could be absolutely paralyzing in other situations.

My personal preference is to have some kind of "Off-Topic" or "Open Discussion" channel that is communal. I'll then make a point of consistently posting half-developed ideas to that channel. Especially the ideas that I know are going to morph as the team discusses them. I find that helps do two things:

- Helps create a culture of collaboration rather than one of "whatever the lead dev says goes".

- Provides Cover For/Reduces Pressure On anyone that is less comfortable putting their thoughts out there for discussion.

As the parent comment said, the fundamental idea in the post isn't bad, but the mechanism may need tweaking for a given team.