A private message, or PM, is a message sent to a specific person or a small group that only those recipients can see, unlike a public post visible to an entire community or channel. It's also commonly called a direct message, or DM.

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‍Why it matters

Online communities and messaging platforms need both public and private layers, since not every conversation belongs in front of the whole group, a sensitive complaint, personal contact details, or a side conversation that would clutter the main channel. Private messaging is what lets a community stay public and active while still giving people a way to talk one-on-one.

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‍How communities manage it

Because private messages are invisible to moderators by default, most platforms with real moderation responsibility give trust and safety teams a way to review reported PMs or escalate disputes, since private channels are also where a lot of harassment and scams happen out of public view. Community guidelines usually need to address private messaging separately from public post rules, since people often assume private means unmoderated.

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‍DM versus PM

The two terms mean the same thing, but usage differs by platform generation. DM is the more common term on modern social networks, while PM has stuck around longer on forums and older-style chat platforms. Neither is more correct, it's mostly a matter of which era and platform a community grew up on.