Make sure you are using the forum with forum.pittersplace.com (forum.pittersplace.com/forum will also work. "pittersplace.com" and "www.pittersplace.com" will redirect to forum.pittersplace.com). There is another domain that loads up the forum, but it will not allow you to log in properly.
If you click "Notifications" and then "Settings", you can set it up so that you get an email when you get a private message or change other notification settings.