I don't understand why people set their subscriptions to private. 

Like, are they embarrassed about what they're reading? Do they not want their friends/readers to get ideas for other stories to read from them?

Because that's what I do. After I read a story, or while I'm waiting for an author to update, I go look through that person's stories. And if I run out of those, I look at their subscriptions. Now, I don't really care about the graphic ones or whatever. I don't need graphics for mine, because... well, I can Google the boys if I need to (right?) and most fanfiction doesn't have a graphic or banner. Unless it's old-school Harry Potter stuff back over on harrypotterfanfiction.com (and even then, fans made me stuff, and I always gave them credit, so that was nice).

Anyway, I digress.

Why do people set their subs to private? Like... I wanna know what you guys read when you're not writing! I'm curious! Maybe you have treasures in your lists that I haven't heard of or seen on the site, that I'd enjoy. Because, I'll be the first to admit. I'm kind of extremely elitist  picky about the stories I'll read to the point of being a grammar nazi sometimes and I get tired of slogging through things that aren't up to my standards my cup of tea. So... it'd be cool of an author I really like could point me in the direction of other authors I'd really like.

On the other hand, it makes me kinda suspicious. Are you hiding something? Are there stories on your sub list that are eerily similar to what you're writing, to the point it might seem like you're stealing ideas from them? Because that's not cool. I got nothin' to hide. My subs are public (I think; I haven't checked anything to change them from standard settings). 

I dunno. Maybe people are just greedy about the stories they find.

Like we're all just a bunch'a dragons hoarding gold in the form of real person fanfiction. 

Just food for thought.