"People You May Know" in Facebook

Indonesia
May 16, 2012 2:56am CST
When you have quite a few friend, facebook seems really good at featuring other people in "People You May Know". It a feature that inform us that this person might be people that we know. Although it is not always exactly people that i knew, but the "People You May Know" features in facebook actually quite accurate. It suggest me many friend that i know. Do you use this "People You May Know" feautures. Did it help you? Did it accurate? Also, do you know what kind of algorithm that facebook use to decide how a person is categorize to the "People You May Know"? Thanks for the respond
1 person likes this
16 responses
@varier (5685)
• Indonesia
21 May 12
Yep, I have to say that it is quiet accurate. I found lots of old friends (that I don't really remember at first :p) from that "People You May Know" feature. Quite useful, eh. But sometimes they just show me a total stranger..
• Indonesia
22 May 12
Well thanks varier. For some people, "people you may know" might show many accurate introduction. Off course, some actually receive "people you may know" for people that they actually never see and have no idea about who they are. I wonder why it works fine for some, and broken for other.
• Indonesia
23 May 12
Well yes varier, like you said, it is algorithm created by human, so there is no way it is always work 100 %. Even suggest a friend that facebook have, can make us recommendation a wrong person to our friend. I remeber a few person recommended me a complete stranger in the past.
@varier (5685)
• Indonesia
22 May 12
Well I believe that list of people appeared based on a kind of algorithm. And since human connection between each other is complex, then I guess it's hard to find an algorithm that work 100% accurate..
@jdyrj777 (6530)
• United States
16 May 12
Yes. thats ture. Another thing you can do is go look at your friends freinds list.
@jdyrj777 (6530)
• United States
22 May 12
Re-read i said check "YOUR FRIENDS"-friendlist. I believe that is where they get the people they suggest to you. If you have ever noticed the people they are suggesting are on the friend list of your friends. I have actually looked for relatives by going into the relatives friend list and found more relatives. I live 1,00 miles from my home town so contacting through internet is very important to me.
• Indonesia
23 May 12
Well sorry for that jdyrj777, i owe you an apologize. It seems there is something wrong with my eyes yesterday :p. Well yes, for people that live far far away from home town, contacting people using internet is important, because it is easy, instant and way more cheaper. Thanks again.
• Indonesia
22 May 12
Well what do you mean by checking our friend list? isn't it by checking our friendlist we check all the person that we already have on our facebooK? Or do you meant to check all of our friendlist friend? If that the case it might be possible to do that, off course it will give extra energy since it is kinda hard to do that.
@bing28 (3795)
• Philippines
20 May 12
Actually they are my friends' friends or I know few from our province but I don't feel like adding them unless they are close to me as question comes to my mind why are they not adding me too except for those who have no way to add me. Though I agree with you it's a nice feature at fb...
• Indonesia
22 May 12
Well thanks bing28. I think since you get yourself "people you may know" showing their account, it doesn't meant they also get "people you may know" of your account. Or since "people you may know" usually change from time to time, they might also miss your self. At least that is one of many theory to explain why they not add you first.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
20 May 12
For me, I have to say that a lot of the people that facebook suggests that I might know are people that I went to school with. I think that the vast majority of the algorithm that facebook uses has to do with how many mutual friends that you have with someone. So, some of the people that it suggests for me are people that I was in high school with because I'm already friends with many of those people. Other are more distant family members. Occasionally, however, there are people that are friends of friends, but not people that I have ever known.
• Indonesia
22 May 12
Well thanks for sharing downnwin. Yes i agree with you, "people you may know" might use algorithm where they use mutual friend. Off course they also use many other factor, especially thing from our profile. Anyway, thanks for sharing what you think about "people you may know" in facebook.
@ardoy0731 (7308)
• Philippines
17 May 12
Not at all.I used to add a friend that I personally know and request to be a friend.Some are as suggested by friends cause I am too lazy to search friend in Facebook hehe.
• Indonesia
22 May 12
Well yes, suggest a friend to a friend is also a great function. I think the function is much better and usually more right since it is a recommendation from friend. Off course it also used for people to introduce their friend to us ( not people that we know ).
@peferble (149)
• Bangladesh
21 May 12
People You May Know- Its about you friends friend. or People from same area or those people like fan pages which you liked.
• Indonesia
22 May 12
Well yes peferble, "people you may know" might use mutual friend, our friend's friend. Off course it also use other factor, like city, school, workplace, university and many other information that we put on our profile. What do you think about "people you may know"? Is it been helpful for you?
@adforme (2114)
17 May 12
The "people you may know" list appears on my facebook page. I have seen relatives of the people I chose to "friend" on it. I really don't always know people in that list. Quite simply, I think that selection of people are just friends of your friends. It does not always help or hurt to have. I do not really know of any algorithms involved in the "People you may know" feature. I just think it's a part of a virtual minimal degree of separation formula.
• Indonesia
22 May 12
Well yes adforme, it use certain formula and not psycic ability, so it is not always right. Off course, it still quite a useful feature, "people you may know" is. Also i think it is not only depend on the mutual friend, but it might take other information from our profile data.
@much2say (53909)
• Los Angeles, California
16 May 12
I've used it and have found some people I did know. Well, it says "may" - so that means you might or you might not know any of these people. There are some people I see on the list that I know, but not well enough that'd I'd want to keep in contact with them on Facebook - and most others I totally do not know who they are. I have no idea how they figure this out - maybe it's about the mutual friends on Facebook you have with them? Because I think they relate it to the friends you already have - somehow.
• Indonesia
22 May 12
Well thanks for sharing much 2 say. Yes, since it is only a system / algorithm, it might not found all the people that you really know, and even if it did find people that you know, they will have no idea that the person is a person you want ( or you do not want ) to have in your facebook.
@Devilova (5392)
• Indonesia
17 May 12
People You May Know was suggested by Facebook from the friends of the friends on your friendlist. Thats why sometime its match. Yes, sometime I use it when I know the one that suggested to me.
• Indonesia
22 May 12
thanks devi lova for your information here. Like before, i think mutual friend is not the only factor. The data that you entry in your profile information might also become one of the factor how facebook decide if a person show be categorize into "people you may know". Especially highschool and college, since people in the same school in the same year usually know each other ( at least they know the face ).
@hestylim (1210)
• Indonesia
17 May 12
Hi Lord, I found some people I know on "people you may know" but I haven't added as friend, too. But I rarely use that features. I think facebook just see the mutual friends we and that people have.. so, the system put it in "people you may know" page
• Indonesia
22 May 12
Well after some few talk with the other comment, i think they decide "people you may know" not only from mutual friend, but from other factor as well, like city, college, high school, etc. Off course mutual friend is one of the factor how they decide people you may know.
@lady1993 (27225)
• Philippines
16 May 12
Oh yes, it is 70 percent accurate.. since they really d know the "people i may know". I rarely add them though since there is a reason that i may know them personally but still do not add them on facebook.
• Indonesia
22 May 12
Well off course that is the case. Some people like to add all the people they know ( and people that they don't know ) in their facebook. Other prefer to have people that they know only in their facebook. Some actually only want close friend only in their facebook account. Off course in this case, people that you may know will not really effective since you usually know your close friend facebook.
• Philippines
16 May 12
hi there. well yeah, that "people you may know" kinda' helped me a lot since i really do not browse or find friends manually on facebook. i don't know how the site does that, maybe they use your friends' friends and they assess the similarity of your profile with your friends' friends' profile. LOL. i guess that's how facebook does it. seems magical but nothing's magical nowadays, everything's possible. cool thing! cheers!
• Indonesia
22 May 12
Well yes, they might have algorithm like that to decide who is our friend. Off course there is nothing magical about them. Facebook is technology, and with technology there will be thing that seem magical, that actually can be explain by technology.
@sayo13 (414)
• India
16 May 12
hello friend, well for me this feature have worked wonders at times and many a times it was really upsetting. many a times it happens that you are searching for some one long ago and some how this thing vanish from your mind, then this feature of facebook helps to remind you that you are searching for this person or that person. But many a times it also show the profile of people you hate to look at and you hate to remember.many a times this feature has shown the name and profile of those whom i want to forget forever, and i hate to get connected to them again. well every thing has an advantage and disadvantage.
• Indonesia
22 May 12
Well yes, i help us found people that we actually forgotten. Although i never found a case where i could remind to the people i hate. Actually i don't really have a people that i hate so much, just by remember that person, it awaking the hatred inside. I do have people that i don't want to meet or add there, but it is not really a problem to me.
@GajaGamini (1065)
• India
16 May 12
"people you ay know is very good feature and we can see our friends in it. I see my a lot of friends in this feature. i think, it works on our mutual friends, may be they scan our information like college, city, university, etc and specially mutual friends then they show us a list of friends we may know in "people you may know".
• Indonesia
22 May 12
Well yes, it might be true. Location, city, university, common friend, the more we have the same factor with other, the more likely we and that person is a friend. It might be using that kind of algorithm in people you may know. Off course i cannot be sure since there is no explanation from facebook.
@chymez_me (186)
• Philippines
16 May 12
Not really.. I haven't tried using that cause if i'm on facebook, i just play games then maybe chat with those friends online..but don't really like finding people on it.. :)
• Indonesia
22 May 12
Oh i see, well yes, facebook was use for many thing. Some people using it for find people, some people for chat, some people using it for playing games. You must be a person that play facebook for playing games. What kind of games do you played? Also, i think most game on facebook require you to have a lot of friend to have the advantage. Do you play a game like that?
@stlouis (103)
• United States
24 May 12
It rarely helps me!