# Facebook Question: What is the point of these "Poke" wars? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 16, 2011, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-question-what-is-the-point-of-these-poke-wars/578621 "2011-04-16T16:53:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-question-what-is-the-point-of-these-poke-wars/578621/1 "2011-04-16T16:53:00Z")
What are you supposed to do when somebody “pokes” you on Facebook? Are you supposed to just poke back, so they can poke you back, so you can poke them back, so they can poke you back, so you can poke them back, so they can poke you back, so you can poke them back, so they can poke you back, so you can poke them back, so they can poke you back, so you can poke them back, so they can poke you back, so you can poke them back, so they can poke you back, so you can poke them back, so they can poke you back… Where does it end? Are you supposed to actually talk to the person at some point? ETA: Also, if you’ve “hidden” someone from your updates, how do you get them back? I’m trying to “un-hide” somebody and I can’t find the button. ---
**Author:** ![Win\_Place\_Show](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/win_place_show/32/13469_2.png) [@Win\_Place\_Show](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Win_Place_Show)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-question-what-is-the-point-of-these-poke-wars/578621/2 "2011-04-16T17:18:39Z")
> [@cuauhtemoc](#): > > ETA: Also, if you’ve “hidden” someone from your updates, how do you get them back? I’m trying to “un-hide” somebody and I can’t find the button. “hidden” so that they can’t read your updates, or so that you can’t read theirs (i.e. “ignored”)? if it’s (b), then scroll down to the bottom of your “news feed” deal. You’ll find a link that says “Edit Options”, and click on that. That will bring up the list of people you’ve chosen to “ignore” and you can remove them from that list. Hope this helps. ---
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-question-what-is-the-point-of-these-poke-wars/578621/3 "2011-04-16T17:26:06Z")
> [@brianh333](#): > > Hope this helps. Yes it did, **brianh333** , thanks. Now, about these poke wars… ---
**Author:** ![A.Gwilliam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@A.Gwilliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.Gwilliam)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-question-what-is-the-point-of-these-poke-wars/578621/4 "2011-04-16T17:41:45Z")
I’ve never been “poked”, and have never “poked” anyone. Should I be embarrassed? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-question-what-is-the-point-of-these-poke-wars/578621/5 "2011-04-16T18:26:39Z")
There’s one friend on Facebook that I’m engaged in a poke war with. It started with him poking me one day. I noticed it a few days later and poked him back. Rinse and repeat, with each of us refusing to allow the other person the last poke. Yes, I think it’ll continue until the end of time. ---
**Author:** ![feppytweed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/feppytweed/32/4280_2.png) [@feppytweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/feppytweed)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-question-what-is-the-point-of-these-poke-wars/578621/6 "2011-04-16T19:05:42Z")
It’s just a way to say “hey” or thinking about you or something without engaging in superfluous conversation. I think it’s akin to the " 'sup" head nod in real life. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-question-what-is-the-point-of-these-poke-wars/578621/7 "2011-04-16T20:02:34Z")
> [@cuauhtemoc](#): > > What are you supposed to do when somebody “pokes” you on Facebook? Poke them back - [hard](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Agamemnon42/poking_tank1.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-question-what-is-the-point-of-these-poke-wars/578621/8 "2011-04-17T15:37:04Z")
> [@feppytweed](#): > > It’s just a way to say “hey” or thinking about you or something without engaging in superfluous conversation. > > I think it’s akin to the " 'sup" head nod in real life. That would make more sense if it was only available if you were both online, and if responding to a poke didn’t look exactly the same as starting one. I actually think it would make more sense if the poke response included a textbox to write on someone’s wall or a link to write a message. But even just acknowledge that they responded to your poke would be nice. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-question-what-is-the-point-of-these-poke-wars/578621/9 "2011-04-17T20:10:19Z")
Some people have so many privacy settings on Facebook that if you do manage to find them, sometimes there’s not an option to add them as a friend. Poke is always there though. I couldn’t add a girl, so I poked her, which caused her to add me. Winning. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2011, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-question-what-is-the-point-of-these-poke-wars/578621/10 "2011-04-17T20:40:22Z")
> [@FordTaurusSHO94](#): > > Some people have so many privacy settings on Facebook that if you do manage to find them, sometimes there’s not an option to add them as a friend. Poke is always there though. I couldn’t add a girl, so I poked her, which caused her to add me. Winning. But then you said Winning, which means you’re actually Losing. I thought “poking” on FB went out of fashion a year or so ago. I don’t see anyone using it anymore, at least. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2011, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-question-what-is-the-point-of-these-poke-wars/578621/11 "2011-04-17T20:42:37Z")
I cheat and use a automatic poking extension so that every page refresh makes it poke back anyone who poked me in the interval. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-question-what-is-the-point-of-these-poke-wars/578621/12 "2011-04-18T02:42:01Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > But then you said Winning, which means you’re actually Losing. > > I thought “poking” on FB went out of fashion a year or so ago. I don’t see anyone using it anymore, at least. She added me, which is what I wanted, so it was winning. Losing was a little while later when I got trashed in a bar and ran into her… ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-question-what-is-the-point-of-these-poke-wars/578621/13 "2011-04-20T01:03:51Z")
I won a 3-year poke war recently. I’m the King of Facebook!