Can my followers reply to my tweets if my account is private? Do their tweets appear private/only on my feed?

[Laura]

I have a private Twitter account. If my followers tweet at me in this format "@myaccount hey what's up", will those tweets remain private as well and only exist on my twitter feed for only me and my followers to see?

Thanks!

[xoxo-gossip-girl]

followers can definitely still reply to you because since you allowed them to follow you, they can see what you post. their tweets to you are not private, and other people will be able to see them, if their account isn't privatized.