What is an @reply?

Any Twitter update that begins with @username is considered a reply.  Starting your tweet with @username means you're directing your tweet at a specific person.  All replies to you are collected in the sidebar tab so you can read them anytime. 

When someone you follow posts an update, it appears in your homepage.  If someone you follow posts an @reply to another person, you can control whether or not it appears in your homepage.

What are the @reply settings?

Twitter offers @reply settings so you can control whether or not replies made by other people appear on your homepage.  There are three settings:

• @replies to the people I'm following:  see @replies posted by people you follow to other people that you also follow. If someone you follow posts a reply to someone else you follow, you'll see it in your home page.  (This is the default setting.)  Why?  Because if you know both people, chances are, you'd be interested in what they have to say to eachother. On the other hand, if someone you follow posts a reply to someone you do NOT follow, you will NOT see it in your home page.  Why?  Because you don't want to see replies to a person you don't know; the context would be missing and/or you wouldn't care about that conversation.
  

• All @replies: see all @replies posted by people you follow, whether or not you follow the person to whom the reply is directed.  You will see all @replies posted by people you follow. Why? Because you're interested in the conversations others are having, even if you don't know both parties.
  

• No @replies: never see any @replies in your timeline, ever.  In this case, you would not see a reply from anyone, regardless of follow state.  If an update begins with @username, it will not show in your homepage.  Why? If you're not interested in Twitter as a conversational thing, you may not need to see tweets directed to others. (This does not affect tweets directed to you.)
  

Note: these settings don't affect your replies tab.  The replies setting is like a filter for including or excluding replies made by people you follow, it's not for managing replies made to you. To change your @reply settings:

1. Log in to Twitter
2. Click Settings
3. Click the fourth settings tab, Notices
4. Select the appropriate setting: all or nothing, or somewhere in between.
5. Save your changes

Use your reply settings to show a comfortable number of replies for you.  (New to Twitter? Learn more about replies here.)

People often wonder...

1. If I @reply to someone who doesn't follow me, will they see my reply in the replies tab?

Yes. A person's replies tab shows all replies made to them regardless of timeline settings or follow state. The only exception to this is block-- replies from people you've blocked will not show up in the tab.

2. Can I receive notifications on my device when someone sends me an @reply?

Yes. If you have Twitter turned ON, and notifications are ON for the person you're following, you will receive their @reply on your device. There is no setting for receiving replies only.

3. What is the difference between an @reply and a Direct Message?

Direct messages can only be exchanged between mutual followers; they are private and only the author and recipient see them. @replies are public messages sent between people, regardless of follow state. Direct Messages are sent with this formula: D+username+message. (example: D Jack are you going to that movie?)

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