diff --git a/include/conversation.php b/include/conversation.php
index 6fdfd30b4..e623c9320 100644
--- a/include/conversation.php
+++ b/include/conversation.php
@@ -771,7 +771,7 @@ function conversation_add_children(array $parents, $block_authors, $order, $uid)
 	$items = [];
 
 	foreach ($parents AS $parent) {
-		$condition = ["`item`.`parent-uri` = ? AND `item`.`uid` IN (0, ?) AND `vid` != ?",
+		$condition = ["`item`.`parent-uri` = ? AND `item`.`uid` IN (0, ?) AND (`vid` != ? OR `vid` IS NULL)",
 			$parent['uri'], $uid, Verb::getID(Activity::FOLLOW)];
 		$items = conversation_fetch_items($parent, $items, $condition, $block_authors, $params);
 	}
diff --git a/mod/ping.php b/mod/ping.php
index 73e759107..6b3b015ac 100644
--- a/mod/ping.php
+++ b/mod/ping.php
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ function ping_init(App $a)
 
 		$notifs = ping_get_notifications(local_user());
 
-		$condition = ["`unseen` AND `uid` = ? AND `contact-id` != ? AND `vid` != ?",
+		$condition = ["`unseen` AND `uid` = ? AND `contact-id` != ? AND (`vid` != ? OR `vid` IS NULL)",
 			local_user(), local_user(), Verb::getID(Activity::FOLLOW)];
 		$fields = ['id', 'parent', 'verb', 'author-name', 'unseen', 'author-link', 'author-avatar', 'contact-avatar',
 			'network', 'created', 'object', 'parent-author-name', 'parent-author-link', 'parent-guid', 'wall', 'activity'];
diff --git a/src/Database/PostUpdate.php b/src/Database/PostUpdate.php
index a3b967d3b..de584238d 100644
--- a/src/Database/PostUpdate.php
+++ b/src/Database/PostUpdate.php
@@ -831,7 +831,7 @@ class PostUpdate
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * update the "vid" (verb) field in the item table 
+	 * update the "vid" (verb) field in the item table
 	 *
 	 * @return bool "true" when the job is done
 	 * @throws \Friendica\Network\HTTPException\InternalServerErrorException
@@ -851,10 +851,10 @@ class PostUpdate
 		$start_id = $id;
 		$rows = 0;
 
-		$items = DBA::p("SELECT `item`.`id`, `item`.`vid`, `item`.`verb` AS `item-verb`, `item-content`.`verb`, `item-activity`.`activity`
+		$items = DBA::p("SELECT `item`.`id`, `item`.`verb` AS `item-verb`, `item-content`.`verb`, `item-activity`.`activity`
 			FROM `item` LEFT JOIN `item-content` ON `item-content`.`uri-id` = `item`.`uri-id`
 			LEFT JOIN `item-activity` ON `item-activity`.`uri-id` = `item`.`uri-id` AND `item`.`gravity` = ?
-			WHERE `item`.`id` >= ? ORDER BY `item`.`id` LIMIT 10000", GRAVITY_ACTIVITY, $id);
+			WHERE `item`.`id` >= ? AND `item`.`vid` IS NULL ORDER BY `item`.`id` LIMIT 10000", GRAVITY_ACTIVITY, $id);
 
 		if (DBA::errorNo() != 0) {
 			Logger::error('Database error', ['no' => DBA::errorNo(), 'message' => DBA::errorMessage()]);
diff --git a/src/Model/Item.php b/src/Model/Item.php
index b4d22055b..7a965f80b 100644
--- a/src/Model/Item.php
+++ b/src/Model/Item.php
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ class Item
 		'event-id', 'event-created', 'event-edited', 'event-start', 'event-finish',
 		'event-summary', 'event-desc', 'event-location', 'event-type',
 		'event-nofinish', 'event-adjust', 'event-ignore', 'event-id',
-		'delivery_queue_count', 'delivery_queue_done', 'delivery_queue_failed', 'activity'
+		'delivery_queue_count', 'delivery_queue_done', 'delivery_queue_failed'
 	];
 
 	// Field list that is used to deliver items via the protocols
@@ -285,6 +285,10 @@ class Item
 			}
 		}
 
+		if (array_key_exists('vid', $row) && is_null($row['vid']) && !empty($row['verb'])) {
+			$row['vid'] = Verb::getID($row['verb']);
+		}
+			
 		if (!array_key_exists('verb', $row) || in_array($row['verb'], ['', Activity::POST, Activity::SHARE])) {
 			// Build the file string out of the term entries
 			if (array_key_exists('file', $row) && empty($row['file'])) {
@@ -1777,7 +1781,7 @@ class Item
 
 		// Check for hashtags in the body and repair or add hashtag links
 		self::setHashtags($item);
-		
+
 		// Fill the cache field
 		self::putInCache($item);
 
@@ -1796,12 +1800,14 @@ class Item
 		}
 
 		$body = $item['body'];
-		
+
 		// We just remove everything that is content
 		foreach (array_merge(self::CONTENT_FIELDLIST, self::MIXED_CONTENT_FIELDLIST) as $field) {
 			unset($item[$field]);
 		}
 
+		unset($item['activity']);
+
 		// Filling item related side tables
 
 		// Diaspora signature