How to Send a Direct Message on Twitter

Contributor

By eHow Contributing Writer

Article Rating:

(15 Ratings)

Direct messages are one of the many features of Twitter, which not only allows you to send updates to all of your followers at once, it also allows you to send an update to just one person. In addition, Twitter users can enable mobile phone support and receive direct messages via their cell phone.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Log into Twitter via the Twitter homepage.
Step 2

Browse to the Twitter direct messages inbox, or click the "Direct Messages" link in the right sidebar.
Step 3

Select the intended recipient's username from the drop-down menu.
Step 4

Compose your private message. Verify the message is correct, because you can't change it once you send it. Click "update" to send the direct message.

Tips & Warnings

To send a direct message from your cell phone to Twitter, compose a text message with "d USERNAME" at the beginning. Send the text message to Twitter's text phone number, "40404."
You can receive direct messages from Twitter on your cell phone. Simply log into Twitter, click "Settings" and then "Phone&IM." On the right sidebar, select "Phone Notifications" and then "Direct Messages."
Various Twitter add-on products that utilize the Twitter API allow you to send direct messages, as well.
If you don't include a username, Twitter posts your message to the public timeline where anyone can see it. Be careful of posting private or sensitive information via a Twitter direct message.

Resources

Who Can Help Sponsored