How to Answer a Facebook Email Without Joining

Facebook opened up a new messaging platform to a limited number of its users beginning in February 2011, gradually increasing the number of members who have access to it. Among the advantages that this new messaging system offers a Facebook user is the ability to use his Facebook message inbox like an email account. Reply to a message a Facebook user sends to you via email using his Facebook email address.

Instructions

1. Click the "Reply" button within your email message to see if the person sent you a message via his Facebook email account. If this is the case, the address that populates the "To:" field is in the format "[e-mail]."

2. Hover your mouse throughout the message until you find a link to the person's Facebook profile if directly replying the message doesn't work. Click the link.

3. Highlight the person's Facebook username -- in other words, the text that appears to the right of "facebook.com" -- right click it and click "Copy." Return to your email account, and click your mouse inside the "To:" window. Right click and click "Paste" Enter "@facebook.com" behind the username.

4. Give your message a subject and compose your reply as you would one to any email. Click the "Send" button.

Tips & Warnings

• If your email bounces back, it's likely the person who sent it to you hasn't activated Facebook's new messaging platform, something he must do voluntarily.

References

• Facebook Help Center: What's Changing With the New Messages?