OT - any Facebook experts on here?

[Dave Baker]

I'm not very experienced with FB but I use it to chat to a couple of friends as it's easier than email. Sometimes I get a notification that my last message was read at a particular time. Recently I've sent messages to three new people I've recently got in touch with after many years and I see no sign that they've read them and got no reply to any of them. At the top of each of my unanswered posts is a little left pointing curved arrow. They've all accepted the friend request so I know they saw that but no evidence they also saw the message.

I'm now beginning to think that the "read" notifications I get are only when my messages are read on a mobile device like a phone. Maybe if someone reads a message from a pc I should not expect to be able to know if they have actually read it or not. I do have notifications turned on for all people.

Can anyone clarify?

[Adrian]

Yes, reading it on a PC browser will show it as having been read, too.

[Scott M]

Did you message them before or after they accepted the friend request?

Messages from non-friends go to a separate "others" message bin and there's no notification for the receiver that anything has arrived. Most people don't know it's there (or never check it) so stuff often gets overlooked. It's the bane of anyone who uses FB Buy&Sell groups.

[Tim+]

Dave, I think it's to do with whether they have upgraded to using messenger rather than just messaging within FB.

If you send a Facebook message to someone who doesn't use messenger and is not currently a Facebook friend of yours, the message languishes in the "other" folder in their inbox. It's all too easy to not notice messages here. In these cases, whether read or not, the sender doesn't get a "read" report.

If they ARE using messenger though, you get to see read reports and the message appears in their ordinary inbox.

I suggest that you email or call them and suggest that they either check their "other" folder in their inbox or to install messenger.

Of course, it's often easier to find people on Facebook that it is to contact them and if you have no other contact details, you may be stuck.

Tim

[Dave Baker]

In all three cases I sent the message before the friend request was accepted. In one case I then sent a follow up after the friend request was accepted but maybe this just tagged onto the first message which was already in the Other folder. I think I'll delete all three conversations and start again. It seems like a bloody silly setup though if you don't even get informed there's a message if a non-friend has sent it.

Thanks all though.

[News]

In message , Scott M writes

I'm not a regular FB user, and did not realise I had an 'other' message folder. Just looked, and found a two year old message from someone I have not seen for more than twenty years. Thank you :-)

[Scott M]

You're welcome :-)

Typing my message prompted me to go and look in mine and found a couple from 8/9 months ago. One a birthday message; the other a request to go help empty a shed!