by granma gran
Member since:
January 1, 2009

I have a question about those "pings"

March 31, 2009 10:13 PM EDT
views: 74 | rating: 9.8/10 (18 votes) | comments: 22

I have a question about the "pings" and hope that

someone will be kind enough to explain them and

help me understand.



I wonder what they're for.



Is it like the instant messengers on the computer?



Does pinging or getting pings help with points?



What if people ping me and I don't answer them,

is that seen as being rude?  I don't want to hurt

anyone's feelings by not pinging them back, but

I'm not on here all the time.  That's why I turned

my pings "off".  Because I didn't want anyone to

get upset if they pinged me and I didn't ping them

right back.  Or if I didn't return the ping at all,

I was afraid people would get upset.



So can someone help me understand better

about the pings?



Does the person sending a ping "EXPECT" to

get a return ping?  Do they expect a ping back

in a certain amount of time?



I'm rather confused about them.

Thank you to anyone willing to answer on this.

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Comments: 22

Barbara M. Mar 31, 2009, 10:17pm EDT
As I understand it, pings do not help with points. It is merely another way to communicate on Gather. It's public so anyone can see your pings. No, I don't think anyone that pings you would necessarily expect to be pinged back unless they pinged to ask a specific question. I think everyone on Gather realizes that we're not always here. So, don't worry about the ping feature. Turning it on or off is entirely at your discretion.
Larry H. Mar 31, 2009, 10:18pm EDT
just to send a message to someone i guess.
Karen L. Mar 31, 2009, 10:18pm EDT
They are just a small way of dropping in, saying hi, how are you, leaving a short message that you don't mind anyone else seeing. I don't believe you get any points for them, they are just a nice way to keep in touch with people!
Carol B Mar 31, 2009, 10:20pm EDT
Glad that you got your answer.
Michelle C. Mar 31, 2009, 10:21pm EDT
Kinda like a profile message, sorta like Myspace.
I too, understand that they're not getting points - for anyone, and mine are also turned off. One thing that turning them off also will do, is to limit the ability of anyone that might want to insult someone in a ping. (which has happened to others on here)
Renee S. Mar 31, 2009, 10:23pm EDT
That's the way I understand it.
Rodney R. Mar 31, 2009, 10:28pm EDT
I just ping people when they are on my mind, dont care about points just people.
Angela A. Mar 31, 2009, 10:36pm EDT
Pings are for those who love to leave little messages for that one and only person they feel especially connected to.
If someone pings you and you don't ping back, I don't consider it rude if you just don't have the time to answer them.
And, pings don't give you points. So, if you don't want them on your profile, it's really no big deal.
Peggy C. Mar 31, 2009, 10:36pm EDT
I get points when I ping someone. I get more that way, than if I comment on someone post or picture.
I ping the ones that I have made friends with on here. Some friends that I have ping, never ping back. They might not be conforable with the idea of pinging and that doesn't bother me.
Lee P. Mar 31, 2009, 10:40pm EDT
Don't know.
Julia Star Mar 31, 2009, 10:59pm EDT
They are little personal message boards. Since you don't allow them, I can't ping you to say hello, have a nice day. You can go back and forth with the person who left you a message or you can just let it be. I have had a lot of fun with mine. It doesn't bother me if they don't ping back unless they are that stuck up Clark Kent. ;-)

Click on another member's profile and check out how they work.
granma gran Apr 1, 2009, 2:42am EDT
thank you so much to all of you. I appreciate all your answers.
Sheryl L. Apr 1, 2009, 2:58am EDT
I see you got an answer!
Elaine D. Apr 1, 2009, 11:38pm EDT
Hello, Pings offer an additional avenue of communication. Sort of more like one on one short conversation or short comments in more of a personal space than a comment left on a thread. In a comment for your post I would be basically be commenting on your post along with everyone in the thread. In the ping I could thank you for your comments on something I had posted. I could ask you something related to your interests. I could also thank you for your friend invite which I will do now. Thank you, thank you so very much. I will be looking for your posts and comments. Take good care.
elaine d.
Elaine D. Apr 2, 2009, 12:52am EDT
Just one more thing that might help you-----In the upper right hand corner of your Gather Pages you will see in blue print the "Help" command (to the left of "sign out"). Click on that and you will go to a listing of Gather Topic paragraghs. You will find a lot of info here. Info re: pings will be found here. If you need more information contact the Gather Help Desk.
elaine d.
Nana to Seven Cutiepies Apr 2, 2009, 8:13pm EDT
When you ping it is still a page view, so I would think you'd get some sort of point value.
I use pings to thank people for commenting, wishing them a Happy Birthday or Gatherversary, or just to send a message.
I love some of the pretty pings I get. Some of my favorite people don't post every day so I like to stop in to just say hi and love the hello pings I get.
Beverly T. Apr 3, 2009, 2:28am EDT
I enjoy using the pings. They are a great way to thank people for commenting on posts, for wishing them well, or for short answers to personal questions. Some people don't wirte many posts, and sometimes the only way to respond back to them is through pings. From what I've seen, they are a lot of fun. And you can always use the approval function with pings to weed out those you think are spam or rude, or whatever.

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gina h. Apr 3, 2009, 2:53am EDT
My understanding is it's kind of a public way to say hello (or whatever). It shows that people are thinking of you. Sort of a cybersmile! I think pings are there mostly as a way to make people feel good, to communicate even if there is no reason to do so or substance in the message. I think they are fun! Ping me!
Holly K. Apr 4, 2009, 1:13am EDT
I think they are just a fun little feature of Gather. A cute way to say hello, or thanks, or I'm thinking about you.
Janell R. Apr 4, 2009, 6:02pm EDT
Looks like you got a lot of good answers here. I use them just to say hello.
Meagan M. Apr 15, 2009, 6:44pm EDT
This is just a friendly comment to tell you that your content has reached 50 views and will now be removed from 50 Views Per Content Congrats.

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