facebook question

[space-time]

OK, I think I got a facebook account about 2 years ago, but never used it. I think tonight it's the second time I log in, because I got a question in my email from an old buddy.

So I go there and facebook has 9 suggestions for me. 7 I never heard of, but 2 are actually people I know. I looked in my email and I never got a facebook invitation from these 2 people. How the hell did facebook know that these are people I know?

[Harbourmaster]

Some one else that knows you suggested them as a friend.

[blooz]

Its spies are everywhere.

[graylocks]

i think they track if someone does a search on your name. it's the only explanation i can think of for some of the suggestions i see.

[Seacrest]

Facebook is creepy.

[testcase]

You stopped wearing the aluminum foil hat, didn't you? :banghead:

[microchip]

Don't worry. If that creeps you out, take a look at LinkedIn suggestions. *Those* are downright creepy.

[M A V I C]

There's a lot of methods. First it's important to note that there's two suggested friends areas. One is people you are friends within facebook that suggested you add someone as a friend. The other goes off of a more complex system.

One can be if your friends are friends with them. I literally have people it suggests to me because I have more than 100 friends in common with them - and I don't know them.

Facebook also allows people to add their AIM, MSN/hotmail, gmail... address books & buddy lists. So if one of your friends cc'd 100 people and one of them added all those recipients to their address book, Facebook is going to suggest you might know them.

It will also grab people who have worked at the same places you did, or went to the same schools.

There's a few other methods as well.

graylocks wrote:
i think they track if someone does a search on your name. it's the only explanation i can think of for some of the suggestions i see.

That's not one of their methods.

[msienkiewicz]

It could also be that someone that you know (that has your email address) allowed Facebook to go through their email address book and Facebook is suggesting people from that address book to you. I had a suggestion that came that way.

[Seacrest]

M A V I C wrote:
There's a lot of methods. First it's important to note that there's two suggested friends areas. One is people you are friends within facebook that suggested you add someone as a friend. The other goes off of a more complex system.

One can be if your friends are friends with them. I literally have people it suggests to me because I have more than 100 friends in common with them - and I don't know them.

Facebook also allows people to add their AIM, MSN/hotmail, gmail... address books & buddy lists. So if one of your friends cc'd 100 people and one of them added all those recipients to their address book, Facebook is going to suggest you might know them.

It will also grab people who have worked at the same places you did, or went to the same schools.

There's a few other methods as well.

Like I said. Creepy.