diff --git a/include/enotify.php b/include/enotify.php
index 4327e75b83..4316188506 100644
--- a/include/enotify.php
+++ b/include/enotify.php
@@ -63,6 +63,11 @@ function notification($params) {
 	// e.g. "your post", "David's photo", etc.
 	$possess_desc = t('%s <!item_type!>');
 
+	if (isset($params['parent']))
+		$parent_id = $params['parent'];
+	else
+		$parent_id = 0;
+
 	if($params['type'] == NOTIFY_MAIL) {
 
 		$subject = 	sprintf( t('[Friendica:Notify] New mail received at %s'),$sitename);
@@ -78,7 +83,7 @@ function notification($params) {
 	if($params['type'] == NOTIFY_COMMENT) {
 //		logger("notification: params = " . print_r($params, true), LOGGER_DEBUG);
 
-		$parent_id = $params['parent'];
+		//$parent_id = $params['parent'];
 
 		$p = q("SELECT `ignored` FROM `thread` WHERE `iid` = %d AND `uid` = %d LIMIT 1",
 			intval($parent_id),
diff --git a/include/items.php b/include/items.php
index 8a0deb437b..1fecc44215 100644
--- a/include/items.php
+++ b/include/items.php
@@ -1567,7 +1567,8 @@ function item_store($arr,$force_parent = false, $notify = false, $dontcache = fa
 				'source_link'  => $item[0]['author-link'],
 				'source_photo' => $item[0]['author-avatar'],
 				'verb'         => ACTIVITY_TAG,
-				'otype'        => 'item'
+				'otype'        => 'item',
+				'parent'       => $arr['parent']
 			));
 			logger('item_store: Notification sent for contact '.$arr['contact-id'].' and post '.$current_post, LOGGER_DEBUG);
 		}
@@ -4021,7 +4022,7 @@ function local_delivery($importer,$data) {
 							'verb'         => $datarray['verb'],
 							'otype'        => 'person',
 							'activity'     => $verb,
-
+							'parent'       => $datarray['parent']
 						));
 					}
 				}
diff --git a/mod/ping.php b/mod/ping.php
index 405edd3c49..6207663391 100644
--- a/mod/ping.php
+++ b/mod/ping.php
@@ -22,23 +22,23 @@ function ping_init(&$a) {
 
 		$firehose = intval(get_pconfig(local_user(),'system','notify_full'));
 
-		$t = q("select count(*) as total from notify where uid = %d and seen = 0",
+		$t = q("select count(*) as `total` from `notify` where `uid` = %d and `seen` = 0 AND `msg` != ''",
 			intval(local_user())
 		);
 		if($t && intval($t[0]['total']) > 49) {
-			$z = q("select * from notify where uid = %d
+			$z = q("select * from notify where uid = %d AND `msg` != ''
 				and seen = 0 order by date desc limit 0, 50",
 				intval(local_user())
 			);
 			$sysnotify = $t[0]['total'];
 		}
 		else {
-			$z1 = q("select * from notify where uid = %d
+			$z1 = q("select * from notify where uid = %d AND `msg` != ''
 				and seen = 0 order by date desc limit 0, 50",
 				intval(local_user())
 			);
 
-			$z2 = q("select * from notify where uid = %d
+			$z2 = q("select * from notify where uid = %d AND `msg` != ''
 				and seen = 1 order by date desc limit 0, %d",
 				intval(local_user()),
 				intval(50 - intval($t[0]['total']))