Twitter Direct Messages For Dummies

Have you ever been on twitter felt unsure if you should send a communication as a direct message or @ reply? I’ve got your answer.

First a little refresher course – @ replies and direct messages are the two main modes of communication on twitter. For a detailed explanation of @ replies, check out the article Demystifying The Twitter @ Reply.

On to direct messages! Unlike @ replies which are public, direct messages are private. Only you and the recipient can see them. They will not show up for anyone else, including in a Google search.

So when is the right time to use a D message?

You want to use direct messages when no one else would have interest in the conversation. For example – “I’m going to be late for lunch”, “There’s a typo on your website”, “Can you give me the phone number of your plumber?”. Conversations that are private or that no one else would have interest in jumping in on.

Remember not to put anything TOO private in a direct message. Twitter has been known to have glitches and occasionally direct messages will accidentally show up in the public timeline, due to user error or a twitter glitch.

If it is a one-to-one conversation that no one else would be interested in – send it in a D message.

– Laura