diff --git a/actions/showstream.php b/actions/showstream.php
index af0bcb8097..9d871e41bf 100644
--- a/actions/showstream.php
+++ b/actions/showstream.php
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ class ShowstreamAction extends StreamAction {
 		$user = User::staticGet('id', $profile->id);
 		
 		if ($cur->id != $user->id && $cur->mutuallySubscribed($user)) {
-			common_element('a', array('href' => common_local_url('newmessage', array('nickname' => $user->nickname))),
+			common_element('a', array('href' => common_local_url('newmessage', array('to' => $user->id))),
 						   _('Send a message'));
 		}
 		
diff --git a/classes/User.php b/classes/User.php
index 4305c15411..1168406ef8 100644
--- a/classes/User.php
+++ b/classes/User.php
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ class User extends DB_DataObject
 		static $blacklist = array('rss', 'xrds', 'doc', 'main',
 								  'settings', 'notice', 'user',
 								  'search', 'avatar', 'tag', 'tags',
-								  'api');
+								  'api', 'message');
 		$merged = array_merge($blacklist, common_config('nickname', 'blacklist'));
 		return !in_array($nickname, $merged);
 	}
diff --git a/htaccess.sample b/htaccess.sample
index ce380666ec..de920de982 100644
--- a/htaccess.sample
+++ b/htaccess.sample
@@ -54,6 +54,9 @@ RewriteRule ^notice/(\d+)$ index.php?action=shownotice&notice=$1 [L,QSA]
 RewriteRule ^notice/delete/((\d+))?$ index.php?action=deletenotice&notice=$2 [L,QSA]
 RewriteRule ^notice/delete$ index.php?action=deletenotice [L,QSA]
 
+RewriteRule ^message/new$ index.php?action=newmessage [L,QSA]
+RewriteRule ^message/(\d+)$ index.php?action=showmessage&id=$1 [L,QSA]
+
 RewriteRule ^user/(\d+)$ index.php?action=userbyid&id=$1 [L,QSA]
 
 RewriteRule ^tags/?$ index.php?action=tag [L,QSA]
diff --git a/lib/util.php b/lib/util.php
index ac2f9af360..2fdcb37e39 100644
--- a/lib/util.php
+++ b/lib/util.php
@@ -934,6 +934,10 @@ function common_fancy_url($action, $args=NULL) {
 		} else {
 			return common_path($args['nickname'].'/favorites');
 		}
+	 case 'showmessage':
+		return common_path('message/' . $args['id']);
+	 case 'newmessage':
+		return common_path('message/new' . (($args) ? ('?' . http_build_query($args)) : ''));
 	 default:
 		return common_simple_url($action, $args);
 	}