Not if they aren't on the thread, dimbulb.
I think the rule is mainly used now as a pretense for getting folks suspended.
Delusional.
The only people who have complained about not being "pinged"-and they've done so vociferously and incessantly throughout this thread-are the ones who have already made multiple replies to this thread.
In other words, they were already here to begin with!
This is akin to saying that I should send out a birthday invitation to someone who is already at the party and getting loaded on Cognac.