Facebook Launches Snapchat Competitor “Poke”

[bill]

Introducing Poke for Mobile [newsroom.fb.com]

With the Poke app, you can poke or send a message, photo, or video to Facebook friends to share what you're up to in a lightweight way. You can poke an individual friend or several at once. Each message expires after a specific time you've set, either 1, 3, 5 or 10 seconds. When time runs out, the message disappears from the app.

[GaryK]

This seems like it will eventually be a new revenue stream for the 'book. I can see them presenting an ad of some type (probably video) before getting to see the "message, photo, or video." And as usual more people will go along with it — while complaining about it — than quit over it, so it will be successful.

[IanCP]

Poke app, you can poke

For Australians, that expression has a universal unfortunate alternate meaning.

[motorhaven]

Same unfortunate alternate meaning in the USA. As dumb as Ford naming a car aimed at female drivers the "Probe."

[skibum]

It is a way to keep people glued to Facebook snce the messages only last for a fe seconds.

[bill]

I believe the expiration timer starts once the "poke" is opened. However, FB will archive the information on their server for quite some time. It doesn't really disappear.