No worries.
We have them separate basically so that the promotion of the story and chapter upload announcements don’t drown in the chat between the author and their readers, basically. You are even allowed to put a link to the Review and reply thread in an author’s note in the story, so users who don’t have a forum profile can also chat with you there.
The Review and reply threads are exactly what the name suggests, a place where you can interact with your readers and other users as freely as you wish. You can thank reviewers for their reviews, and/or chat with readers who want to know more about the story, or whatever, no limits. Except just, you know, no story content
Willow Darkling, forum moderator.