What is the direct message equivalent in Community, and how do I use it?
Though public interactions do the most to promote an active Community and improve available knowledge, sometimes a private conversation is preferable.
You can send and receive private messages with other Community members—including sharing posts, articles and threads. To access Private Messaging tools and features, you have to be signed in to the Community.
NOTE | Because any Community member can limit or opt out of private messaging, you may not be able to reach everyone using this method
In this article…
- What happens when I receive a private message?
- How do I send a private message?
- …from the private message area | ...from a profile page
- Be Courteous and Respectful
- How to report inappropriate Private Messages
What happens when I receive a private message?
When someone sends you a private message two kinds of automatic notifications are triggered:
- On the navigation bar, the counter badge on the envelope icon will increment
- Look out for an email notification in your inbox
How do I send a private message?
You can send a private message within the Community in a few different ways:
- The private message area is accessed by clicking on your Avatar on the top right of the page
- A member’s profile page, using the Send Message button
NOTE | You need to be signed in to your Community account to be able read and send private messages
Send a message from the Community private message area
- When signed in to Community, click your Avatar on the top right side of the navigation bar to open the the dropdown
- Click the "My messages" button
- Click the circular pink and white button that looks like a pencil and notepad. The Private Messages page will open.
- Address and write your subject and message.
TIP | Don’t use the “@” symbol in the Send To field. Just begin typing the recipient name and choose from the resulting list.
NOTE| If one of the people you’re writing to has disabled their private messaging, their name will be removed from the field and they won’t receive a message
- When you are finished, click the Send Message button.
Send a private message from the profile page
- From a fellow member's profile page, click the Send a message button
- From there, type in Member Profile name and subject and body and hit send!
Be Courteous and Respectful
Always maintain courtesy and respect when privately messaging other community members. Even though these conversations are private, our Community Guidelines still apply.
How to report inappropriate Private Messages
- While inside the Private Message page
- Click the Vertical 3 dot button next to the message that is inappropriate
- Click the button that says "Report as inappropriate"
