# Communicating Privately

{% hint style="info" %}
Chats may not be supported by all third-party apps. We recommend using the web interface or apps with Pleroma support such as [Husky.](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=su.xash.husky\&hl=en\&gl=US)
{% endhint %}

FGC.Network offers two means of communicating in private:

* Chats, which are one-on-one conversations.
* Direct Messages, which are posts that can only be seen by people you mention.

### Using Chats

Chats are one-on-one conversations you can easily follow outside of your timeline. 

* To create a chat, select "Chats" in the sidebar of the web interface or find it in your app.
* Searching for a username will return all results and you can click on the user you want to start a chat with. Happy chatting!

{% hint style="info" %}
Not all users on other services will be shown when searching chat.
{% endhint %}

For more technical information refer to [the Pleroma documentation page.](https://docs-develop.pleroma.social/backend/development/API/chats/)

### Using Direct Messages

Direct Messages are only shown to people you mention in them. Select the Mailbox icon on the web interface or select "Direct" in your app as the post visibility and mention all the users you want to address. Users will then be able to reply to you if they can see it.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Note that any users mentioned later in the thread of replies will be added to the visibility of the Direct message. **Don't mention people you don't want reading your messages!**
{% endhint %}

<figure><img src="/files/JZe6wvKDsRwmdU9TDpse" alt=""><figcaption><p>An example of creating a Direct Message.</p></figcaption></figure>

As a reader, you can select [the "Direct Messages" timeline](/usage/about-timelines.md) to view any posts which have been marked as Direct and mention you.

### Moderating private communication

Please keep the following in mind when using Chats and Direct Messages:

* **Users have the option to report any chats or direct messages they receive.** To keep our users safe, moderation may review any reported private communications. This is the same policy in place at Twitter, Discord, and many other social media networks.
* FGC.Network does not offer secure, end-to-end communication. [We recommend Signal for this use case.](https://signal.org/en/)
* Our [Terms of Service](/policy/terms.md) will always apply to Chats and Direct Messages interacting with our users.


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