Poking
Poking is a greeting without words: with one tap you show a friend that you are thinking of them – no message needed.
What is poking?
Poking is a small gesture in social networks: with a single tap you tell another person “hello, I'm thinking of you” without text, picture or comment. The person you poke gets a short notice and can poke back or ignore it. That makes it lighter than a message and a handy way to keep in touch when you have nothing particular to say.
When it fits
A poke is a greeting for in between. You can use it to get back in touch after a pause, to gently start a conversation or simply to show that you like someone. It is non-binding and does not call for an answer. How it comes across depends on how well you know each other: among close friends it is a bit of fun, with loose acquaintances it can also be puzzling.
What to keep in mind
Because a poke takes hardly any effort, it can become annoying if it is repeated constantly. It is therefore good if a service limits how often you can poke the same person and lets recipients hide pokes. If someone is pestering you, hiding is not enough: in that case you should block or report the person.
On Friendstime
On Friendstime you poke friends whose friendship has been confirmed: in the browser with the “Poke” button on their profile, in the Android app via the menu on a friend's profile. You can poke the same person at most once within 12 hours, and up to 30 pokes per hour are possible in total. If there is a block between you, no poke goes through. Your friend gets a notification (“… poked you”). In the browser the poke shows up as a card on their start page, in the app in the “Pokes” list; it holds the pokes of the last 30 days, at most 50. They can poke back or hide it – hiding notifies nobody.
Frequently asked questions
Can I poke anyone?
On Friendstime only people you are friends with. Poking is not possible with strangers, with pending friend requests or with blocked contacts.
Does the person notice if I hide their poke?
No. Hiding notifies nobody; the poke only disappears from your own list.
How often can I poke the same person?
On Friendstime at most once within 12 hours. Poking back follows the same checks as the first poke.
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