Good evening! It's time for another tip for how you guys and gals can use Steem more efficiently. It's been a while since the last post in this series, and today we are going to take a closer look at how we can send encrypted messages to other users without having to use a third party tool.

This means that you can send a secret message that can only be read by you and the user who receives it, and you don't even have to leave the blockchain.

When we are sending an encrypted message, we must do it alongside a transaction, which means you need to also send at least 0.001 SBD or 0.001 Steem, so it will cost your roughly one tenth of a cent for each message.

Anyway, it is really easy to send an encrypted message. All you have to do is type a # before the message in the Memo field on the transaction page, and now only you and the recipient can see the message.

Take a look at the image above, and keep in mind that I actually sent the transaction. As you can see I sent 0.1 Steem along with a message from my account to my other account @valth.blog (which I often use as a type of Instagram-like account). Now head over to my wallet. As you can see, the memo field looks blank to you. But here is what it looks like to me from both my accounts (@valth and @valth.blog):

The only way for anyone to see this message from the Steem blockchain is by having access to my account with either my Owner key, Memo key, Active key or my master password. You cannot even see it with it with the Posting key, so don't worry if you have shared this with people. Here's what it looks like if you can only access my account from my Posting key:

So it's really easy to send hidden messages to other users that only the recipient can see!

I guess this is pretty much all you need to know, so just keep in mind that you can use a # to make the message secret from everyone else. If you want to try it out, but lack a recipient, then feel free to send a message to me ;) I don't mind getting free money with the messages! Hehe.

Why would we need encrypted messages?

So, what's the point in having these encrypted messages? I for one have bought a few things here on the Steem blockchain, and it's really great to be able to send my address without having to publicly post it on the blockchain for all eternity. It's not like my real name and address is a huge secret, but it's still nice to limit how easily third-party members can find this information.

It can also be useful if you are selling sensitive information, such as a game key to activate a game on Steam or another service, or something like that.

More Steem tips

I've written a few Steem tips in the past, so check them out if you are interested in learning more about the cool stuff you can do on this amazing blockchain!

• Steem tip #1: All users who create unique and high-quality content should join the @qurator guild and get roughly $1 votes on your posts every day. (This is a bit outdated now, but the general information still applies - and it's still worth it by a long shot!).
• Steem tip #2: How you can easily create a Steem accounts for your friends, so they don’t need to wait for Steemit to confirm their accounts.

About @valth

Hey, I'm @valth - the author of this post. I love to write about nature, biology, animals, nature conservation, ecology and other related branches of science, and I occasionally write about my life, about Steem or about random stuff as well. I'm trying my best to write at least one post every day, so make sure to give me a follow if you enjoy my content and want to see more of it.

Join the @valth community!

I love nothing more than to engage with my readers, so please join the @valth community in the comment section. You will definitely find more information about the topic, personal experiences, questions, and even opposing views down there, so don't miss out on learning more.

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