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What is Poke in Facebook?
The Poke option is hardly even noticed
Most Facebook users don't even realize that there is a Poke option. Many don't know why it is even there. In this short guide,you will learn about the Poke option and how best to make the most of it.
Where you see the Poke option and how to use it
When you visit anyone's profile on Facebook, at the lower right corner of their cover picture is the 'Message' button. Right next to it is a * sign with an inverted triangle next to it. When you click the inverted triangle, a drop-down list appears. One of the options on the list is the 'Poke' option. Click it to Poke the person.
What does it mean to Poke someone?
In the simplest language possible, to Poke someone means to ask them "Wassup?"
You Poke someone from whom you haven't heard in a while. You Poke that person to let him/her know that you probably miss him/her and want to be in touch again.
You could Poke someone as a reminder that you both are due to do something, like play a prank on someone for instance.
You could Poke someone as a practical joke.
You could Poke someone merely to piss them off.
Finally, you could Poke a stranger as an expression of interest in him/her. If he/she Pokes you back, it probably means that he/she in interested in you as well, and you both could take things further from there.
Reasons to Poke someone
To ask, "Wassup?"
| To let the person know he/she is missed
| To remind the person that you both have something to do
|
To express interes in him/her
| To piss off the person
| To play a practical joke on him/her
|
What does the person I Poke see?
When you Poke someone, he/she will see the Poke icon and your name on his/her homepage when you are logged in. He/she may even receive a notification or an email message to the ID registered for Facebook updates, based on his/her settings.
How do I respond to a Poke?
You could either choose to respond to a Poke or ignore it altogether.
You could respond to a Poke by either poking back, or messaging the person who poked you.
The way to Poke someone back is to navigate to your homepage, where on the top right hand side you will see the name of the person who poked you along with Poke icon. Next to the Poke notification, you will also see a 'Poke back' option. Just click it. You have successfully poked the person back and he/she will know.
Something cool you can do with the Poke button
Facebook has tightened its privacy rules over the years. It isn't easy now to send friend requests to strangers without the risk of being penalized. That's where the Poke option becomes really useful.
If you are interested in connecting with a stranger, or just seeing his/her profile, you could Poke him/her. If he/she pokes you back, you will be able to access his/her profile for 3 days even without being his/her friend. In this time you could decide if you still want to send a friend request to this person.
A video that's a little old, but explains how to Poke clearly enough
Tell me
Do you ever use the Poke button on Facebook?
Feedback is Gold
Do you know any interesting way in which the Poke option can be used? Comment below and let others know! And do let me know if you find this article to be useful. I meant it to be a simple guide to something I've only really thought about recently, even though I've been on Facebook for a fairly long time and have a lot of friends. If you found it easy to understand, I've been successful.
