Never read DMs I’m afraid

[GoodTaste]

Does DM stand for Digitalized Media? It seems unlikely because media itself is plural.

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Stephen Fry
@stephenfry
How can I tell you what I think until I’ve heard what I’m going to say? * (Never read DMs I’m afraid)

 

[emsr2d2]

No, it means "direct message". It's similar to PM (private message).

Please DM me = Please send me a direct message.
Please PM me = Please send me a private message.

Stephen Fry doesn't read private messages people send him on Twitter; he only reads public tweets.

 

[GoodTaste]

he only reads public tweets.

But he said "Never read DMs I’m afraid" rather than "Only read DMs I’m afraid".

Or do you mean "Stephen Fry doesn't read messages, be they private or public"?

 

[emsr2d2]

But he said "Never read DMs I’m afraid" rather than "Only read DMs I’m afraid".

Or do you mean "Stephen Fry doesn't read messages, be they private or public"?

He omitted the word "I" at the start - "I never read DMs". It's not an imperative, even though it looks like one. I gave the examples starting "Please" only to show how DM/PM are often used.

By saying "Never read DMs", he is explaining that he'll read public messages, but not private ones. He probably gets thousands of DMs a week!

 

[Rover_KE]

He doesn't read private messages; he only reads public tweets.

 

[GoodTaste]

Well, I think I've not had a clear picture of "direct message" - DM - I understood public tweets as DMs.

So it is odd that when he says "Never read DMs/Public tweets", he means that he'll read public tweets. I've got something wrong here. But where?

 

[Rover_KE]

So it is odd that when he says "Never read DMs/Public tweets" ... He didn't say that—he said "(I) Never read DMs I’m afraid".

Isn't post #5 clear enough?

 

[teechar]

he says "Never read DMs/Public tweets",

That's not what you quoted in post #1.

 

[GoodTaste]

OK. Now it seems that "DMs" in twitter are the equivalent of the PMs in our forum. He never read them.

emsr2d2 in #2 used "similar" rather than "equivalent", which puzzled me.

No, it means "direct message". It's similar to PM (private message).

 

[emsr2d2]

I meant that the name was similar! But yes, they are equivalent. They are both messages that can be seen only by the recipient, not by a wider audience.

 

[Tarheel]

OK. Now it seems that "DMs" in twitter are the equivalent of the PMs in our forum. He never reads them.

emsr2d2 in #2 used "similar" rather than "equivalent", which puzzled me.