Facebook. How do they find "People you may know"?

[Earl Smith]

On my Facebook wall I have recently found under the "People you might know" section, some old friends. One I emailed via yahoo about 8 years ago and last saw about 25 years ago and the other I havent even seen for 45 years and I have never searched for , emailed or written their name.
So how does Facebook find them and suggest I might be interested in befriending them?

Earl

[mags1892]

on your phone it trawls your contact list and email, on your pc it does the same and looks at people who have also looked at you.

[Earl Smith]

One, I have looked for, 8 years ago, but the other from 45 years ago , I havent even thought about.
Maybe they searched for me and thats how they came to be on my list.

[pisquee]

For friends, common/mutual friends are usually a good indicator

but then it's a lot more complex than just analysing your phone's contact list ... http://snip.ly/8akha#https://www.was...et-ads-to-you/

[ManicMonday]

on your phone it trawls your contact list and email, on your pc it does the same and looks at people who have also looked at you.

Ummm that's not the whole story. They take all of the information that you have put in: where you went to school, clubs that you have been a part of, where you have worked, and your friend's list and they match all of that data together. Through an algorithm, they estimate the possibility factor that you know these people. So anyone that puts into their Facebook profile info section that they went to the same high school as you can show up in the "people you may know" section. Also any friends of friends. If you and another person have a certain amount of contacts in common, the Facebook algorithm takes that also into account that you might also know each other. This is why sometimes it's right and sometimes it's wrong.

Also, you need to submit your number and I believe click accept (don't quote me on that) to allow Facebook to have any reach on your phone. I'm not saying Facebook can't scan your phone contacts, I'm sure it can and does, but only when you opt in. I don't think Facebook is trolling through your phone willy-nilly and spying on you.

[brightday83]

Yep, it's like ManicMonday has said, they use an algorithm (like an equation, by gatherings lots of information, and deducing a probability).

If people view you, there's a good chance their face will pop up under a 'do you know this person list'. But also if you have exchanged emails, or pm'd at some point, or if you have a 'mutual friend', or have gone to the same school, or worked in the same place. That type of thing.

Facebook are pretty invasive. I'll give you an example: those little emoticons you see under posts (smile, sad face, in love, angry, etc), those are essentially feedback buttons, for Facebook to record your emotions to various different kinds of posts. The more you respond to, the clearer a picture Facebook has of you as a person.

Imagine that, everyone has their own little personality profile stored on a database somewhere .

On the plus side, it's great for advertising purposes, for targetting ads at people.

[pisquee]

FB will also track the websites you visit, but they are also known to purchase mailing lists/databases etc, to add real world info to the info they already have on people in the site, so if you have a loyalty cards for supermarkets through to airlines, it's likely FB have bought that info if it's available too.

From the perspective of a person, it can seem quite invasive, but from the point of view of being a business, you can use their advertsiing tools to very specifically target advertising at the right people/market/demographic/locality etc to get them to buy your product/come to your shop, - it's a lot more cost effective than taking an ad in the local paper, or printing a few 1000 flyers.

[brightday83]

FB will also track the websites you visit, but they are also known to purchase mailing lists/databases etc, to add real world info to the info they already have on people in the site, so if you have a loyalty cards for supermarkets through to airlines, it's likely FB have bought that info if it's available too.

From the perspective of a person, it can seem quite invasive, but from the point of view of being a business, you can use their advertsiing tools to very specifically target advertising at the right people/market/demographic/locality etc to get them to buy your product/come to your shop, - it's a lot more cost effective than taking an ad in the local paper, or printing a few 1000 flyers.

Yep, this is true. It's invasive, but it's good from a business perspective.

[arthur.daley]

Yep, this is true. It's invasive, but it's good from a business perspective.

judging by the number of inappropriate ads I get popping up all over the place i would say it isn't so great from a business perspective.

It may just be me but I suspect that if you really want to annoy people one of the best ways to do so is to splatter their screen with adverts for something they have already just purchased or looked at with a view to purchasing or something totally unrelated

- ie you have just purchased a floggle pin remover on line and now you get a dozen adverts asking if you want to buy a floggle pin remover or telling you that someone else who purchased a floggle pin remover also went on to purchase some wet look leather underwear and a gimp cage and woudln't you like to do so as well? NO!! I don't want a gimp cage and the trust me leather underwear chafes like you wouldn't believe. Worse still is when you look at some jewellery or other high ticket price item for the wifes birthday or christmas prezzie and the decide you can't afford it - what pops up all over the family computer - then she thinks shes getting a £100 pashmena for her birthday when a hand knitted scarf from the blind shop, lovingly crafted by someone who has no idea what colour wool they are using, is nearer the mark :o(


Arthur

[Quinsfan]

judging by the number of inappropriate ads I get popping up all over the place i would say it isn't so great from a business perspective.

It may just be me but I suspect that if you really want to annoy people one of the best ways to do so is to splatter their screen with adverts for something they have already just purchased or looked at with a view to purchasing or something totally unrelated

- ie you have just purchased a floggle pin remover on line and now you get a dozen adverts asking if you want to buy a floggle pin remover or telling you that someone else who purchased a floggle pin remover also went on to purchase some wet look leather underwear and a gimp cage and woudln't you like to do so as well? NO!! I don't want a gimp cage and the trust me leather underwear chafes like you wouldn't believe. Worse still is when you look at some jewellery or other high ticket price item for the wifes birthday or christmas prezzie and the decide you can't afford it - what pops up all over the family computer - then she thinks shes getting a £100 pashmena for her birthday when a hand knitted scarf from the blind shop, lovingly crafted by someone who has no idea what colour wool they are using, is nearer the mark :o(


Arthur

Brilliant But I am to scarred to Google " what is a floggle pin remover" now!!!!!!"