Facebook, Its Time To Kill the Poke


Facebook has gone a half step to putting the Poke out of its misery but I dont see why they dont kill it off completely. Would we really miss it?

Last week, when launching the new Facebook subscribe button, the social network hid the much-maligned Poke button behind a settings menu, making it pretty unlikely that visitors to your profile page will see it.

Guess what: Facebook users didnt notice.

While there was a minor backlash about the new real-time Ticker at the top of the site, not to mention the Top News section ! at the t op of your news feed, only a handful of eagle-eyed bloggers noticed that the Poke button had virtually been retired. This from a community that balks at the slightest change.

Whats more, Facebooks huge upcoming redesign (Facebook Timeline) keeps the Poke button behind this same dropdown menu there are no plans to make it visible again.

Heres my problem with the poke: What the heck does it mean?

I originally assumed that Poking was merely flirting: A subtle way to get the attention of another Facebook user. And yet just under half of my Pokes are from males most of them seemingly straight (or are they?). So again: What does a Poke mean? And should we take a Poke to be flirtatious when it could, in my case, just as easily mean Hey, I just sent you a press release about my new app?

Facebook doesnt even know what a Poke means, with the Help page reading: The poke feature can be used for a variety of things on Facebook. For instance, you can poke your friends to say hello. Ah, so theyre either saying hello, or flirting, or pestering or something completely different.

If youre going to Poke someone, isnt there a better way to get your message across? Perhaps send them a Facebook Message? Like or comment on one of their updates? And isnt it the case that a good percentage of Pokes are intended as ironic?

Or perhaps Im wrong: Is there a huge group of Facebook Poke fans out there? Do I just need to be college-aged to understand the wonder of the Poke? Perhaps we all love to complain about the Poke but secretly love it? Let me know in the comments.

READ THIS NEXT: Facebook Users Beware: Facebooks New Feature Could Embarrass You


Facebook Poke Art




Image credit: Someecards


Facebook Poke Art




Image credit: Someecards


Facebook Poke Art




Image credit: Someecards


Facebook Poke Art




Image credit: Someecards


Facebook Poke Art




Image credit: Someecards


Facebook Poke Art




Image credit: Someecards


Facebook Poke Art




Image credit: Someecards


Facebook Poke Art




Image credit: Someecards

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