Help

Private Messenger

• What is the Private Messenger?

  The Private Messenger allows you to send private notes to other members of the community. Private Messenger has two big advantages over e-mail:

  • You don't have to know the other member's e-mail address to send the note. (Also, you don't have to reveal yours.)
  • You can read and send private messages without leaving the community, making it easy to a quick conversation with another community member.

  To use the Private Messenger, you must be registered and signed in. You'll see a Private Message icon at the top of your page. If you have any new messages, you'll see the number of unread messages next to the envelope icon.

  Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox.

• How do I send a private message?

  To send a private message:

  1. Sign in to the community.
  2. Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox.
  3. Click Compose New Message.
  4. Enter the recipient's name in the Send to area.
     Note: Depending on your role in the community, you might be able to send a message to a group of users based on their role or rank in the community. If so, you can choose a role or a rank.
  5. Enter the subject for the message in the Message Subject area.
  6. Type the reply in the Message Body editor.
  7. Click Send Message.
     You can look for the messages you've sent in the Sent Messages tab.

• How do I read a private message?

  To read a private message:

  1. Sign in to the community.
     If you have any new messages, you'll see the number of unread messages next to the envelope icon.
  2. Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox.
  3. To read a message, click the message subject.
  4. To reply to a message, click Reply. Type the reply and click Send Message.
  5. To delete a message, click Delete Message and confirm that you want to delete it.
  6. To add the sender to your Friends List, click Add username to Friends.
  7. To prevent this user from sending you messages, click Ignore username.

• How do I reply to a private message?

  To reply to a private message:

  1. Sign in to the community.
  2. Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox.
  3. To read a message, click the message subject.
  4. To reply to a message, click Reply.
     The recipient and subject are automatically entered for you, but you can edit them.
  5. Type the reply in the Message Body editor.
  6. Click Send Message.

• How do I delete a private message?

  You can delete messages one at a time as you read them, or in bulk from your Inbox.

  To delete a private message:

  1. Sign in to the community.
  2. Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox.
  3. To delete several messages at once, click the check box for each message you want to delete.
  4. Choose Message Options > Delete Checked and confirm you want to delete the messages.
  5. To read and delete a message, click the message subject from the Inbox.
  6. Click Delete Message and confirm that you want to delete it.

• How do I see private messages I've sent to others?

  To see the private messages you've sent:

  1. Sign in to the community.
  2. Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox.
  3. Click Sent Messages.

• What is my Friends List and how do I add people?

  Your Friends List is a way to create your own little community within a community.

  Depending on your Privacy settings, the people on your Friends List can see your biography and other personal information or whether you're online. If you send Private Messages, you can choose your friends from a list instead of typing their user names.

  Note: Your Friends List is only available if your community allows Private Messages.

  To add people to your Friends List:

  1. Sign in to the community.
  2. Click the user name of a friend to see the friend's About user name page.
  3. In the Contact area, click Add user name to Friends.
     That's all there is to it!

• What is my Ignore Users List and how do I add users to it?

  Most users in an online community get along very well. Sometimes, however, you might encounter someone you consider a nuisance. If you are receiving messages that you'd prefer not to receive, you can add the sender to your Ignored Users list. The system blocks all messages from users on your Ignored Users list.

  To add someone to your Ignored Users list:

  1. Sign in to the community.
  2. Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox.
  3. Click a message from the user you want to ignore and click Ignore user name.

  To remove someone from your Ignored Users list:

  1. Sign in to the community.
  2. Click Ignored Users to see the list.
  3. Click Remove from Ignored list to begin receiving messages from this user again.

  You can also search for community members and add them to your Ignored Users list.

  To search for a user:

  1. On any page, enter a user name in the Search box.
  2. Choose Users and click Search.
  3. In the Search Results, click the user's user name to visit the user's About... page.
  4. Click the Ignore user name link in the Contact area.