Private Messenger enables you to send private messages to other community members. Private Messenger has two big advantages over email:

You don't have to know the other member's email 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 have a quick conversation with another community member.

To use Private Messenger, you must be registered and signed in. Also, for increased security, you can require all members to agree to a Terms of Use document and opt in to use the private messaging feature.

Note: Members who do not accept the terms of use and choose not to opt in to use private messenger are not able to send messages to or receive messages from other members, nor will they be notified via private message of any community activity, such as rank changes, group invites, mod status, etc. Members still receive these notifications via email, based on their notification settings.

The Private Message indicator is at the top of the page. When you have new messages, you'll see the number of unread messages displayed. Private messages are presented in a "threaded" view and a streamlined inbox experience:

To send a private message:

Sign in to the community.
Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages inbox.
Click Compose New Message.
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.
Enter the subject for the message in the Message Subject area.
Type the reply in the Message Body editor.
Click Send Message.You can look for the messages you've sent in the Sent Messages tab.