How to Send Your Twitter Contacts Direct Messages

Direct messages (DM) let you send your contacts private notes through Twitter. Just like regular tweets and @replies, direct messages are limited to 140 characters. Unlike regular tweets and @replies, the only person who can see a direct message is the recipient.

You can send a DM only to a Twitter user who’s following you (but you don’t have to be following that user), which helps cut down on spamming and other unwanted messages. To see whether someone is following you and to send a direct message:

Go to the Profile page of the person you want to DM.

You can get to the Profile page by either clicking that person’s @username anywhere that you see it or by adding the username into the URL bar on your Web browser after Twitter.com.

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Look for the Message link in the right sidebar under Actions.

If the only action visible is to block the person, he does not follow you, and you can’t DM him.

Click the Message link.

The screen changes to a single text box over the user’s Twitter background that is labeled Send Username a Message.

Write and send your message.

Compose your direct message in this box and then click Send.

Sending DMs is easy, but proceed with caution! Many Twitter users have embarrassing tales of DMs that they accidentally sent as public tweets because they formatted the tweet incorrectly or sent it from the Twitter Home screen instead of from the user’s Profile page (best bet) or the Direct Messages page. Double-check, just to be sure.