Hm . Facebook started with college networks and pokes but they got removed as it grew
Youtube started with piracy and pranks but it got contentID over time
Sorry, should have been clearer: I meant for-profit physical villages ("company towns") turning into real cities.
The poke feature is still there, just hidden away. If you do find it, using it will send a poke notification to someone bringing them to the page where they can then poke others.