Is a Poke the new pigtail pull?

What the fuck is a facebook poke?

I received my first facebook poke a while back and thought nothing of it. It was from this dude who used to make fun of me in elementary school so I assumed he just hit w button my accident or something. I received my second facebook poke a couple days ago from a friend I know and work with. Since then I have been trying to figure out what it is. It was explained it is just like soemone poking me, getting my attention. Well thats just weird. Why? well, for starters, the pokes are displayed way down the bottom of the facebook home page. The only way I am going to see it is if I am scrolling down to see which one of my friends have a birthday. I should clarify that by "friend" i mean someone i care enougn about to put the effort into wiriting happy birthday on their wall, but not a close enough friend to already know their birthday (these people merrit phone calls). The only other way I am going to see it is if I am reading everything on my news feed and get far enough down the line to see it. Which only happens in conferences and now at work when I have shit else to do. So I don't see how its getting my attention.

So I wonder, is it the new flirting? a sly way to joke around, let me know they are thinking of me without being too...obvious, or whatever to write a wall post. Is it like the old school, I pull your pigtails becuase I like you but Im too scared/immature to actually say anything? I cannot imagine how, as i mentioned earlier, the first poke was from a kid that used to seriously bully me.

I write this post not becuase I have not written anything in forever and I would like to to start but honestly have nothing to say

I write this this post not becuase I am bored and have shit all to do

I write this post purely becuase I am genuinely curious about the purpose of a poke. What should one take away form being poked? what is the appropriate response?

...and also cause im bored and hvae shit else to do and didnt think anyone would want to hear my Katherine heigal/megan fox/movies of today rant