Using Direct Message on Twitter – Part 4

Direct Messaging on Twitter

In part four and the penultimate on the Twitter series we take a look at Direct Messaging on Twitter. Once again, thanks to Hill and Knowlton Strategies for their help in compiling this series.

What do you do if you want to send someone a private message or tweet that does not get seen by the rest of the world? What if you want this to be only between you and that one other person?

This can be done by using Direct Message, which allows for private messages to be sent from one Twitter user to another.

Direct messages won’t show up on anyone’s Twitter home page or public feed, they will only show on the recipient’s Direct Message list on their personal Twitter page – and only if they follow you.

To send someone a direct message (DM), click on Direct Messages (toward the top, all the way to the right below your Twitter Profile and @AccountName). Just

like for any tweet you send, a direct message also has a limit of 140 characters – this does not mean you can’t start a conversation though. Just select the

person you want it to go to (from your list of available names), type in your message, and send.

If the person’s name does not show up in your list of available names, you might still be able to DM them by going to their profile and seeing if the word message

(with a link) appears next to their Twitter name under Actions as you scroll down the right hand column. If it’s there, you can DM them.

You might want to continue a public conversation privately with a smaller group, or start one based on a Tweet you saw. You can do this by starting a group direct message chat with a group of up to 20 people. The group function lets you start conversations with any of your followers and they don’t all need to follow one another in order to chat. You can create a group in just a few taps and when you’re added to a group, you’ll get a notification.

Try it out, take the next step and send someone a Direct Message – it may just brighten their day!