Facebook PMs

[Audrey Quest]

Is it normal that someone would just ignore a PM on Facebook?

I am just wondering.  Sometimes people respond, but other times they just go inactive.  I can understand that as they didn't come online to chat but to do their Facebooking, whatever that entailed, and continue on.  Some people are uncomfortable with online chats.
 
I am just getting used to how to initiate and wrap them up properly.
 
I've had several hours long chats with people I have never met personally before--some who are very forthcoming with personal information and it seems as if we have been friends for years when in fact we have only met on Facebook.  A little odd, but then at the same time, its a real person with real feelings and I try my best to take people at "face" value--- or should that be "Facebook value.   
 
In any case, its been an interesting experience.  I cant imagine what it will be like when I actually meet some of these people face to face! 

[RainhaDoTexugo]

I tend to keep Facebook up in the background, which has led to me wandering away from the computer and coming back to a confused IM sent two hours ago quite a few times.  I rarely use the IM feature there, so I don't usually think to check it.  I think most likely people just have
Facebook in the background and don't notice the IM until it's too late.  I wouldn't read much into it

[penelope2017]

I don't use FB to chat. I didn't even know that it could work that way and as soon as I found out it could, after getting too many popups and conversations I couldn't devote time to, I now customarily keep myself off line. I enjoy the passive method of keeping in touch that FB allows.

If I'm accidentally online and someone chats me there's a good chance, depending on who it is, that I'll ignore it. Especially if it is someone I don't talk to every day. Otherwise it tends to be a long time commitment and an awkward ending to the conversation ('We've got to get together soon...etc.'). I just don't want to do it.

I have to kids under three and work full time from home. I want to glance at it, see who's doing what, and leave. I have no time to spare.

[MariaE]

There are two possible explanations for this. Sometimes FB chat just disconnects randomly or fails to deliver some messages. Or they may be busy with other things on the computer at the same time, and it's very easy to miss FB telling you that you have a new message (happens to me all the time, which is why I seldom use it. I prefer msn or digsby where the window changes colour when you've received a new message).

[greenleafmountain]

For some reason my facebook chat feature doesn't function well at all.  It disconnects randomly, I'll get messages popping up from hours ago but they look like I've just received them, etc.  So I just signed off of it and never use it.  However I can see someone who isn't a real frequent facebook user not knowing how to turn the chat off, but still having all these issues with it.  I would stick to the message feature, rather than the chat, if you want to be sure to get a reply.

[Cattitude]

I keep Facebook open as one of my windows and check it every so often.  However, I don't often respond to the chats.  I've always hated IM's anyway and I don't have time or desire to participate.  If anyone wants to talk, call me!

[mikeylou]

I dislike the FB chat feature.  I try to keep online so my friends can pop a quick hello, but I get many "can you click this link and help me with this war/monster/job/etc", which I find very intrusive.  Unfortunately FB chat and Flamingvixen do not get along.  So while I do most of my gaming from chrome, I check my groups/status updates/etc from Flamingvixen.

The problem with sending me a chat thingy?  I may just not be here or on that tab to see it.  I may be reading eHell, reading up on some WoW stuff, the news, or even playing WoW in full screen.  The kids could be on my PC, or a cat could have decided to perch on my mousepad. 

As other posters have mentioned, sometimes FB chat just drops messages, or it shows that you have dropped offline when you really haven't.  It's kinda also like any instant messenger, sometimes you just get called away, or focused on something else, and totally forget you were having a conversation with someone.

[Nurvingiel]

FB chat is terrible, so I have myself automatically signed out. Then my friends don't see me signed in and think I actually use it.

However, it is normal with IMs in general for someone to be signed in, except they are away from their computer. So if you say, "Hi buddy how's it going?" and they don't respond, don't worry about it. They just forgot to sign out, they're not ignoring you.

Or are you talking about Facebook private messages? These are also normal to ignore. Think of it like private messages on Ehell. You send someone a PM, they send one back, you reply, they reply... but just like real life conversations, eventually either you or them has nothing to add and doesn't respond to them PM. You're not ignoring. This is the on-line equivalent of talking about something else or sitting in companionable silence.

[MDefarge]

I've found that even if I "x" out of the FB tab that doesn't actually log me out & I have come back to IMs from people who probably thought I was ignoring them.  If you are talking about e-mails, FB has changed the way they are set up SO many times - I've forgotten where the "mailbox" is and haven't noticed messages for a couple of days.

[Mahdoumi]

Is it normal that someone would just ignore a PM on Facebook?

I am just wondering.  Sometimes people respond, but other times they just go inactive.  I can understand that as they didn't come online to chat but to do their Facebooking, whatever that entailed, and continue on.  Some people are uncomfortable with online chats.
 
I am just getting used to how to initiate and wrap them up properly.
 

I have permanently toggled my page to indicate offline whenever I log in.  I don't want to spend hours on Facebook and use it primarily to catch up on my friends and family.  Email is better for me for that kind of thing.

[Fluffy Cat]

I tend to keep Facebook up in the background, which has led to me wandering away from the computer and coming back to a confused IM sent two hours ago quite a few times.  I rarely use the IM feature there, so I don't usually think to check it.  I think most likely people just have
Facebook in the background and don't notice the IM until it's too late.  I wouldn't read much into it

Yup.  I usually have several other windows open as well and often have my sound off, so I don't hear it ping.  I'd think of the chat feature more like a telephone than e-mail.  Its not rude to not answer it (for whatever reason).

Personally, I hate the chat feature (I hate the telephone too) so I generally have it turned off. But it was very aggravating back awhile ago when you couldn't turn it off.

[JustEstelle]

I keep my status as offline when I'm on Facebook.  I had a situation a few months ago where a friend's DH would call our house, leave a message, call my DH's cell phone and leave a message, and then he'd have her send me an IM to tell my DH to call him.  He'd already left two voice messages for my DH, but he would have her do this too.  It got really tiresome.  

I might go online just long enough to see which of my friends are currently on Facebook, but I quickly switch back to offline.

[Piratelvr1121]

I'm not crazy about the FB chat either. 

There've been times when I've been in the process of replying to a friend's e-mail in gmail, or a post to a message board, and if Facebook is open and someone sends me a message while I'm typing something, my cursor disappears and I can't write anything unless I click in the window I was already writing in.

[Hushabye]

Yeah, Facebook chat is just one more Facebook function that (surprise, surprise) doesn't work properly all the time.  It's also something that most of the people I know who have Facebook don't use but don't think to turn off.  I wouldn't take it personally if you don't get responses -- there's no telling whether the site dropped your message, the person has another window open, or any of the other reasons PPs have listed.

[Sharnita]

Another possibility: maybe they are busy farming and answering a PM would screw up their momentum. Not that I spend a lot of time on farm town or anything.