diff --git a/app/models/conversation.rb b/app/models/conversation.rb
index 58ab2ab2f..27f375af2 100644
--- a/app/models/conversation.rb
+++ b/app/models/conversation.rb
@@ -12,6 +12,10 @@ class Conversation < ActiveRecord::Base
   has_many :participants, :class_name => 'Person', :through => :conversation_visibilities, :source => :person
   has_many :messages, :order => 'created_at ASC'
 
+  def author
+    self.messages.first.author
+  end
+
   def recipients
     self.participants - [self.author]
   end
@@ -19,4 +23,24 @@ class Conversation < ActiveRecord::Base
   def participant_handles
     self.participants.map{|p| p.diaspora_handle}.join(";")
   end
+
+  def participant_handles= handles
+    handles.split(';').each do |handle|
+      self.participants << Webfinger.new(handle).fetch
+    end
+  end
+  def subscribers(user)
+    self.recipients
+  end
+  
+  def receive(user, person)
+    cnv = Conversation.find_or_create_by_guid(self.attributes)
+    self.messages.each do |msg|
+      msg.conversation_id = cnv.id
+      msg.receive(user, person)
+    end
+    self.participants.each do |participant|
+      ConversationVisibility.create(:conversation_id => cnv.id, :person_id => participant.id)
+    end
+  end
 end
diff --git a/app/models/message.rb b/app/models/message.rb
index 53dff9305..b02765165 100644
--- a/app/models/message.rb
+++ b/app/models/message.rb
@@ -5,8 +5,39 @@ class Message < ActiveRecord::Base
 
   xml_attr :text
   xml_attr :created_at
+  xml_reader :diaspora_handle
+  xml_reader :conversation_guid
 
   belongs_to :author, :class_name => 'Person'
   belongs_to :conversation
 
+  def diaspora_handle
+    self.author.diaspora_handle
+  end
+
+  def diaspora_handle= nh
+    self.author = Webfinger.new(nh).fetch
+  end
+
+  def conversation_guid
+    self.conversation.guid
+  end
+
+  def conversation_guid= guid
+    if cnv = Conversation.find_by_guid(guid)
+      self.conversation_id = cnv.id
+    end
+  end
+
+  def receive(user, person)
+    Message.find_or_create_by_guid(self.attributes)
+  end
+
+  def subscribers(user)
+    if self.conversation.author == user.person
+      p = self.conversation.subscribers(user)
+    else
+      p = self.conversation.author
+    end
+  end
 end
diff --git a/spec/models/conversation_spec.rb b/spec/models/conversation_spec.rb
index f595adf8d..51683a961 100644
--- a/spec/models/conversation_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/conversation_spec.rb
@@ -3,18 +3,17 @@ require 'spec_helper'
 describe Conversation do
   before do
     @user1 = alice
+    @user2 = bob
+
+    @create_hash = { :participant_ids => [@user1.contacts.first.person.id, @user1.person.id], :subject => "cool stuff" }
+    @cnv = Conversation.create(@create_hash)
+    @message = Message.new(:author => @user1.person, :text => "stuff")
+    @cnv.messages << @message
+    @message.save
+    @xml = @cnv.to_diaspora_xml
   end
 
   describe 'serialization' do
-    before do
-      @create_hash = { :participant_ids => [@user1.contacts.first.person.id, @user1.person.id],
-      :subject => "cool stuff" }
-      @cnv = Conversation.new(@create_hash)
-      @message = Message.new(:author => @user1.person, :text => "stuff")
-      @cnv.messages << @message
-      @xml = @cnv.to_diaspora_xml
-    end
-
     it 'serializes the message' do
       @xml.gsub(/\s/, '').should include(@message.to_xml.to_s.gsub(/\s/, ''))
     end
@@ -30,13 +29,35 @@ describe Conversation do
     end
   end
 
-  describe "#subscribers?" do
+  describe '#subscribers' do
     it 'returns the recipients for the post owner' do
-
+      @cnv.subscribers(@user1).should == @user1.contacts.map{|c| c.person}
+    end
+  end
+  
+  describe '#receive' do
+    before do
+      Conversation.delete_all
+      Message.delete_all
     end
 
-    it 'returns the author for any other user' do
-
+    it 'creates a message' do
+      lambda{
+        Diaspora::Parser.from_xml(@xml).receive(@user1, @user2.person)
+      }.should change(Message, :count).by(1)
+    end
+    it 'creates a conversation' do
+      lambda{
+        Diaspora::Parser.from_xml(@xml).receive(@user1, @user2.person)
+      }.should change(Conversation, :count).by(1)
+    end
+    it 'creates appropriate visibilities' do
+      lambda{
+        Diaspora::Parser.from_xml(@xml).receive(@user1, @user2.person)
+      }.should change(ConversationVisibility, :count).by(@cnv.participants.count)
+    end
+    it 'does not save before receive' do
+      Diaspora::Parser.from_xml(@xml).persisted?.should be_false
     end
   end
 end
diff --git a/spec/models/message_spec.rb b/spec/models/message_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5c5e11f58
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/models/message_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+require 'spec_helper'
+
+describe Message do
+  before do
+    @user1 = alice
+    @user2 = bob
+
+    @create_hash = { :participant_ids => [@user1.contacts.first.person.id, @user1.person.id], :subject => "cool stuff" }
+    @cnv = Conversation.create(@create_hash)
+    @message = Message.new(:author => @user1.person, :text => "stuff")
+    @cnv.messages << @message
+    @message.save
+    @xml = @message.to_diaspora_xml
+  end
+
+  describe 'serialization' do
+    it 'serializes the text' do
+      @xml.should include(@message.text)
+    end
+
+    it 'serializes the author_handle' do
+      @xml.should include(@message.author.diaspora_handle)
+    end
+
+    it 'serializes the created_at time' do
+      @xml.should include(@message.created_at.to_s)
+    end
+    it 'serializes the conversation_guid time' do
+      @xml.should include(@message.conversation.guid)
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#subscribers' do
+    it 'returns the recipients for the post owner' do
+      @message.subscribers(@user1).should == @user1.contacts.map{|c| c.person}
+    end
+    it 'returns the conversation author for the post owner' do
+      @message.subscribers(@user2).should == @user1.person
+    end
+  end
+  
+  describe '#receive' do
+    before do
+      Message.delete_all
+    end
+
+    it 'creates a message' do
+      lambda{
+        Diaspora::Parser.from_xml(@xml).receive(@user1, @user2.person)
+      }.should change(Message, :count).by(1)
+    end
+  end
+end