How does Facebook choose your potential friends?

[kerry]

I've got a Facebook account and it provides potential friends. Sometimes those potential friends are people I know but whom I have never made any connection to on Facebook. How is Facebook figuring out that we have a connection? Some of the people are people I have never e-mailed or contacted on the internet but only know in real life.

[Oracle12345]

by networks you joined.

[Jorn]

By your email address; most likely when you signed up you let Facebook go through your email/address book to search for people/friends that are also on FB.

They also look for connections, multiple friends that have the same friends. So they conclude that there is a very likely change you know that person as well.

They got it down to a science...

[iwrock]

It will also guggest someone as a friend if they have viewed your profile or tried to view to view it.

[The Clk Man]

I'm starting a new site called facePlant. it will be for drunks who fall down and go boom.

[kerry]

It must be thru other people's e-mail address books because I did not allow Facebook to look in mine.

[MTI]

The more info you feed FB, the more refined the match becomes. Consider becoming a fan of the MB Classic Center, there's usually some good articles every week.

[jplinville]

The matches are chosen in conjunction with an ancient Chinese system consisting of partaking of a psychedelic stew made from pigs feet, rooster crowns, eye of newt, and Big Mac secret sauce. After consuming this stew, it offers the participant the opportunity to throw up. Then the splattered vomit is speculated for hours by Hindu priests that then decide who are worthy enough to be your friend.

It's a messy system but one that works well.

I caution anyone thinking of changing this system, as the Ninja rabbits will come to your house and chop you into little pieces and feed you to the local dogs.

[The Clk Man]

Originally Posted by jplinville

The matches are chosen in conjunction with an ancient Chinese system consisting of partaking of a psychedelic stew made from pigs feet, rooster crowns, eye of newt, and Big Mac secret sauce. After consuming this stew, it offers the participant the opportunity to throw up. Then the splattered vomit is speculated for hours by Hindu priests that then decide who are worthy enough to be your friend.

It's a messy system but one that works well.

I caution anyone thinking of changing this system, as the Ninja rabbits will come to your house and chop you into little pieces and feed you to the local dogs.

Please forgive, I made a mistake. what do ya say old friend?

[jplinville]

Originally Posted by The Clk Man

Please forgive, I made a mistake. what do ya say old friend?

No need to ask...it was always forgiven

[The Clk Man]

Originally Posted by jplinville

No need to ask...it was always forgiven

party on the jpness, ooooh that sounded gay didn't it?

[SwampYankee]

Originally Posted by kerry

I've got a Facebook account and it provides potential friends. Sometimes those potential friends are people I know but whom I have never made any connection to on Facebook. How is Facebook figuring out that we have a connection? Some of the people are people I have never e-mailed or contacted on the internet but only know in real life.

It's a big pyramid matching friends, mutual friends and networks belonged to. If you're a friend of someone it goes through their friends to see if you have any friends that might be mutual friends, have friends with mutual friends, or from the same network; and then checks the mutual friends' friends and so on. Simple, no? The more friends you have the thinner the connection to many of those suggested gets.

It is possible to upload your email list and have FB find any addresses that have accounts but it doesn't do it automatically, you have to initiate it. I've tried but AT&T U-verse doesn't currently work with FB's system.