Direct Messages [DM]

Matthew Grant9 said:Thanks again for the help, because I finally figured everything out! I came up with a brand new, super effective experiment to test this theory.😵 I was poking around my own profile just now and realized there's actually an option to send a PM to myself, just like you would to anyone else on the site. So, I decided to try sending one to myself, and this popped up:

The following errors occurred with your submission:

1. You have reached your stored private message quota and cannot send any further messages until space has been created.
2. Matthew Grant9 has exceeded their stored private messages quota and cannot accept further messages until they clear some space.

So, if anyone else out there is currently wasting their time on silly little troubleshooting experiments like I am...
It turns out you can't send them OR receive them once you're at the limit.😛

Now the only question left is whether you can still DM a moderator if their inbox is totally full. If you want to test it out, feel free to try sending one to me.

Jacob Foster11 said:Now the only question left is whether you can still DM a moderator if their inbox is totally full. If you want to test it out, feel free to try sending one to me.

I gave it a shot, but nope, it just won't go through.😁
Could you please repeat that first message for me—you know, the one where I hit my storage limit... blah, blah, blah.
Anyway... since you're feeling so incredibly generous and helpful today🙂👋, I actually have one more silly little question for you😢.
Well, since the opportunity has presented itself...
So, here's what I'm wondering: once I finally clear out my inbox enough space, will I actually receive that message I tried to send to myself? Or would you be the one getting this message from the start of my post? Basically, does it stay saved somewhere, kind of like how things work on an iPhone?

I mean, I know I could easily check by deleting some messages right now to see if it delivers, but honestly, I'd much rather just leave my PM folder completely stuffed.
Besides, most of the "difficult" cases usually end up sliding into my DMs anyway😁, so having a full inbox would actually be a pretty genius way to dodge them!

It won't happen, and it isn't happening. 😁

Richard Perez3 said:It won't happen, and it isn't happening. 😁

Thanks to you, too!🙏
I actually feel a little better now, which is funny because about a year ago, right when I finally cleared out my inbox, @Wrbhhh got this totally ridiculous DM titled "Testing" that just said, "You down?😁"

I have a feeling I might end up getting a random DM myself, regardless of whether my inbox is actually full or not.🙂😬

Good grief, I really hit the jackpot during this day of peak efficiency, lightning speed, and pure kindness from our (totally awesome) moderator, didn't I?🤔
😍

Way to go, me!👋

Jacob Foster11 said:My bad. I misspoke. You can have a maximum of 75 PM's total—that includes both incoming and outgoing. Once you hit that limit, you can only receive messages from mods or admins. Not entirely sure how the sending side works.

I can't send anything. I’ve tested it. A moderator can still shoot me messages like 76 or 77, but I’m completely blocked from sending a single word until I clear my inbox. Verified. 😉

Matthew Grant9 said:I gave it a shot, but nope, it just won't go through.😁
Could you please repeat that first message for me—you know, the one where I hit my storage limit... blah, blah, blah.
Anyway... since you're feeling so incredibly generous and helpful today🙂👋, I actually have one more silly little question for you😢.
Well, since the opportunity has presented itself...
So, here's what I'm wondering: once I finally clear out my inbox enough space, will I actually receive that message I tried to send to myself? Or would you be the one getting this message from the start of my post? Basically, does it stay saved somewhere, kind of like how things work on an iPhone?

I mean, I know I could easily check by deleting some messages right now to see if it delivers, but honestly, I'd much rather just leave my PM folder completely stuffed.
Besides, most of the "difficult" cases usually end up sliding into my DMs anyway😁, so having a full inbox would actually be a pretty genius way to dodge them!

You can disable private messages. There are two ways to do it:

If you just shut the whole thing down, you won't be able to send anything, and nobody can reach you either. Of course, you’ll still get that ban notification regardless.

Just switch the settings so only moderators and people on your contact list can reach you. That way, random nobodies won't be blowing up your inbox, but you can still exchange messages with the people who actually matter. That’s my setup. Go ahead, try sending me a DM—you won't be able to because you aren't on my list. Jane Doe can still message me since she’s a moderator, even though she isn't on my contact list either.

reddriver35 said:You can disable private messages. There are two ways to do it:

If you just shut the whole thing down, you won't be able to send anything, and nobody can reach you either. Of course, you’ll still get that ban notification regardless.

Just switch the settings so only moderators and people on your contact list can reach you. That way, random nobodies won't be blowing up your inbox, but you can still exchange messages with the people who actually matter. That’s my setup. Go ahead, try sending me a DM—you won't be able to because you aren't on my list. Jane Doe can still message me since she’s a moderator, even though she isn't on my contact list either.

Honestly, I think having that kind of realization would have come in so useful for me right before I went ahead and reorganized my entire filing system!😁 It might be a little late to bring this up, but I just couldn't let it go! If I didn't say something now, I honestly think I’d spend the rest of my life feeling incredibly restless and wondering about that quote from the very beginning of the story.😛

reddriver35 said:You can disable private messages. There are two ways to do it:

If you just shut the whole thing down, you won't be able to send anything, and nobody can reach you either. Of course, you’ll still get that ban notification regardless.

Just switch the settings so only moderators and people on your contact list can reach you. That way, random nobodies won't be blowing up your inbox, but you can still exchange messages with the people who actually matter. That’s my setup. Go ahead, try sending me a DM—you won't be able to because you aren't on my list. Jane Doe can still message me since she’s a moderator, even though she isn't on my contact list either.

I don't actually maintain any kind of contact list, because honestly, I prefer keeping everything out in the open! I’m really not the type to send out those first direct messages either; I usually just stick to replying to the folks who reach out to ask me things. If I'm being totally honest with you, I’m just a little too lazy for all that extra digital housekeeping, and now you're asking me to... I'm reaching out! All right!😲
I only just realized yesterday that there’s actually an option to send a message to myself!🙈

reddriver35 said:You can disable private messages. There are two ways to do it:

If you just shut the whole thing down, you won't be able to send anything, and nobody can reach you either. Of course, you’ll still get that ban notification regardless.

Just switch the settings so only moderators and people on your contact list can reach you. That way, random nobodies won't be blowing up your inbox, but you can still exchange messages with the people who actually matter. That’s my setup. Go ahead, try sending me a DM—you won't be able to because you aren't on my list. Jane Doe can still message me since she’s a moderator, even though she isn't on my contact list either.

I honestly can't send you a private message just yet because my inbox is a complete disaster zone right now! I’ve totally overstuffed it, and to be perfectly honest, I think I might just leave it exactly like this—a little bit cluttered and delightfully messy!😉

I see how it is—you think I'm just some kind of hyperactive whirlwind!😍 You're basically telling me I should clear out my inbox just so I can write a message that you wouldn't be able to receive from me anyway!🤣 I honestly have no clue what on earth is going on here!🤔
Pulling it up just to plant it back down again!
😬
No worries at all, and honestly, thank you so much for putting in the effort! I really appreciate all that enthusiasm you brought to the table.😍 Once I finally manage to shake off this laziness of mine and actually clear out my entire inbox, I am definitely going to give option one a shot!

So, what’s actually the point of limiting the number of messages? One single message takes up just as much space in the database as one post—so if there isn't a cap on the total number of posts, or even those mindless threads over on Offtopic, why bother putting restrictions on messages specifically?

@ Matthew Grant9 : That’s probably because your settings are defaulted to save every outgoing message. Change that—then see if you can actually send anything... 😉

Matthew Grant9 said:I gave it a shot, but nope, it just won't go through.😁
Could you please repeat that first message for me—you know, the one where I hit my storage limit... blah, blah, blah.
Anyway... since you're feeling so incredibly generous and helpful today🙂👋, I actually have one more silly little question for you😢.
Well, since the opportunity has presented itself...
So, here's what I'm wondering: once I finally clear out my inbox enough space, will I actually receive that message I tried to send to myself? Or would you be the one getting this message from the start of my post? Basically, does it stay saved somewhere, kind of like how things work on an iPhone?

I mean, I know I could easily check by deleting some messages right now to see if it delivers, but honestly, I'd much rather just leave my PM folder completely stuffed.
Besides, most of the "difficult" cases usually end up sliding into my DMs anyway😁, so having a full inbox would actually be a pretty genius way to dodge them!

Honestly, they really ought to implement a feature like that. Or better yet, just have it auto-delete old messages as new ones roll in! Wouldn't that be convenient?

By the way, you actually get an email notification sent to your registered address letting you know your inbox is full and who exactly tried to reach you.
Luckily, I have a junk email account specifically for forums and random stuff like this.

Kate Foster12 said:@ Matthew Grant9 : That’s probably because your settings are defaulted to save every outgoing message. Change that—then see if you can actually send anything... 😉

Oh, you are such a jokester, aren't you?😁 I was honestly trying my hardest to escape this whole devilish PM situation, and here you are giving me advice on how to use them even more! As if that would help at all, haha!

Drew Scott said:Honestly, they really ought to implement a feature like that. Or better yet, just have it auto-delete old messages as new ones roll in! Wouldn't that be convenient?

By the way, you actually get an email notification sent to your registered address letting you know your inbox is full and who exactly tried to reach you.
Luckily, I have a junk email account specifically for forums and random stuff like this.

You are such a party pooper...😢...I was actually living in blissful ignorance for a few days, but then I read your post and it totally ruined the peace...so I went to check the email I used for registration...which, just like yours, I don't really check very often...and when I finally did😲...all those PMs I was trying so hard to avoid jumped right out at me with notifications.
And now, instead of just having a cluttered inbox on the forum, my actual email is getting flooded too!

Honestly, I don't think there's a perfect fix for this.😁 Anyway, I give up! I'm off to go clear out both of my mailboxes now.🤣

What good is increasing my private message limit when even 75 is way too many for me?

I suppose it really boils down to popularity; the more eyes you have on you, the more messages you end up drowning in.

Personally, I say leave things exactly as they are. If someone is desperate for constant chatter, they can just go bother people on AOL, Zoom, Meta, or whatever other junk is out there.