Sniff???
OK, a quick check with your in-forum posts looks pretty good, not obvious troll tracks, so let me say 'howdy' and 'Welcome to FreeRepublic.
'Ping' is a way for someone to put a 'marker' in a thread really quickly, so they can come back and find it easier. When you do that, the thread will show up in your "my comments" portion, which you access by the Ping tab at the top. It's a listing of what threads have been specifically addressed to you, or ones that you have replied to. Sometimes, someone you know here on FR will put your name in the To: field at the top, to alert you to a thread you might be interested in. Then it shows up as "New Posts To You"
Clear as mud yet?