Yeah. Those PMs? Ignore them. If you want, smack down the person who sends them in public, in the chat room. In our chat room, NOBODY should be private messaging you without your permission. That rule is there to prevent exactly that sort of intimidation.

Some of the regulars in chat make a big effort to be welcoming to new people. We were all new at one time and we all felt that awkwardness. It takes a little persistence to get past it, but I think it's worth it.