How does Facebook suggest friends?

[raskolnikov]

I just got suggested a friend that I haven't seen for five years. He was at university with me. We haven't seen each other since uni. None of my other friends on Facebook know him or were at uni with me. It's kind of scary. It's like they know all about me.

 

[Bourky23]

probably have the same uni course and alumni on your profile i guess?

 

[raskolnikov]

probably have the same uni course and alumni on your profile i guess?

No, I don't have anything about uni on my profile.

 

[PowerIStough]

If your friends with someone who is friends with them.

Just say Mr X's friends with your mate and his wife but not with you.

Mr X will be suggested to you as a possible friend.

Since you friends with your mate and his wife but not with Mr X.

Get it?

 

[Falchoon]

I had the same thing, it suggested someone I went on a European tour with 6-7 years ago.

She was saying it was something to do with her Outlook emails identifying me.

 

[BILC]

I thought it just suggested people in the same area as you?

 

[rofltown]

magic

 

[magic_johnson!]

I thought it just suggested people in the same area as you?

what the hell haha

 

[devil demon]

I think that they suggest friends who look at your profile but do not request an add

 

[lemon chicken]

I think that they suggest friends who look at your profile but do not request an add

Yeah i agree with this. As well as them suggesting friends of friends and stuff like that.

 

[FevolasFox]

You will find one of your friends has this person on their friends list, when it came up as suggested friend, it would also have a link to click to see friends you have in common.

 

[Zarrix]

I think that they suggest friends who look at your profile but do not request an add

That would explain why these people from the US end up in my suggested friends list.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

I've had people I email, including one subscription email, suggested to me, despite me not giving my email address's password. It's the same password as my Facebook though.

Horrible privacy on Facebook tbh.

 

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

Also I think it suggests people you may have on MSN.

I've got one kid I think I talked to on MSN like years ago, cant remember where I know him. But his name is a pretty rare name and he's popped up a few times. No mutual friends...some of the people they suggest is whack to be honest. Like people I go to Monash with, but have 0 mutal friends? You'd think it would suggest the multitude of people which would actually have 10-15 mutual friends...

 

[crownie]

you can click on the cross so it doesn't suggest the person anymore.

 

[Zarrix]

you can click on the cross so it doesn't suggest the person anymore.

not true. I sometimes get given the same suggestions a week or two later.

 

[crownie]

not true. I sometimes get given the same suggestions a week or two later.

oh well...

mine works fine

 

[Juddy88]

Well it does mutual friends.

But also must suggest friends from msn. Had a few suggestions of people who I could only possibly know through msn. And even some of them I don't know who they are.

Had a few people who I have never seen, spoken to or had on msn in my life. No mutual friends either.

 

[FootyJunkie]

What about people whose profiles you try to see, but don't add as a friend. Do they get suggested back to you?

 

[numchuks]

Wait a minute, so am i getting suggested all those people i spy on on facebook

 

[Speck]

Wtf!

Just saw a former employer of mine come up as a suggested friend. Don't have any connections with them in any way (quit the job long ago). No mutual friends. May have looked them up once like 3 months ago but I can't even remember doing so.

How on earth did it suggest them? Freaking scary.

 

[lyall]

Wtf!

Just saw a former employer of mine come up as a suggested friend. Don't have any connections with them in any way (quit the job long ago). No mutual friends. May have looked them up once like 3 months ago but I can't even remember doing so.

How on earth did it suggest them? Freaking scary.

Oddly I had the same thing happen to me. Except it was for a future employer, who I never thought would have facebook in the first place, as he's about 60 years old

 

[footyman]

It's based on mutual friends isn't it?

Although I have to admit some of the people that Facebook has suggested I add are only mutual friends with three or four friends of mine, so perhaps they do use some other information as well.

 

[lifelike_]

It's definitely got something to do with MSN contacts.

A random contact I have from the UK just popped up, despite us having no mutual friends.

 

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

It's definitely got something to do with MSN contacts.

A random contact I have from the UK just popped up, despite us having no mutual friends.

I got proof too!

Logged onto MSN for the first time in a while, to have an offline message, one of those virus ad spamming messages sent to me from a kid I deleted maybe 2 years ago. Noted down his email and typed it into facebook search. And it was the guy I mentioned in my first post that I have no mutual friends with.

I reckon 1. number of mutual friends, 2. msn contacts you havent added, 3. random names pulled from your network lol