How to Suggest A Friend On Facebook

Suggest Friends On Facebook



I have sometimes received 'invites' from people, the majority of whom I recognize just vaguely, to join them on Facebook. I have actually no desire to join Facebook, so simply overlook these. The other day, nevertheless, I received yet an additional invitation, from somebody that runs art classes I once checked. Beneath, Facebook provides three other individuals who have actually welcomed me in the past. As well as, listed below that, there is a checklist of 9 other people 'whom you might know'-- none of whom have ever welcomed me, and three of whom I have actually had just really basic contact with-- eg a solitary enquiry made to an archivist.

This actually worries me-- how does Facebook understand that I have ever before had any contact with these individuals? Can Facebook access their e-mails, see where they are all going to, and also cross-reference them with people who have obtained an invitation from somewhere else? Or can they, having actually once been provided my e-mail address, in some way gain access to my Sent messages, see where they are being sent out to, and cross-reference them versus their existing Facebook membership ??

This actually frets me-- it simply seems such an intrusion of my privacy, as well as problems me that they may be able to gain access to all type of personal info and discussions.

Can you describe just how this can be occurring, and suggest any way to block it, please??

I'm not privy to all the information of just how Facebook works. That being claimed, I can hazard a guess as to exactly how Facebook (or any kind of social media with comparable capabilities) may be making these suggestions.

No, Facebook is not looking at any individual's email (outside of messages sent on Facebook itself).

Facebook good friend suggestions and also invites to join Facebook-- whether emailed, or ideas when checked in to Facebook-- are nothing greater than what I 'd define as really informed assumptions.

Tom and Cock, meet Harry

Here's one method I assume this takes place:

  • Your pal "Tom" sends you a close friend request, which you overlook. Nevertheless, Facebook keeps in mind that he did so.

  • An additional pal, "Penis", also sends you a pal request, which you also disregard. Once again, Facebook bears in mind.

  • " Tom" and "Penis" have a good friend in common-- I'll call him "Harry". Both Tom and Penis invited Harry to be pals, and also Harry approved.


So, below's what Facebook recognizes:

  • Tom claims to know you.

  • Penis asserts to understand you.

  • Tom as well as Cock both understand Harry.


The enlightened assumption is: because Tom and Dick both claim to know you as well as Harry, probably you understand Harry. For this reason, Harry comes to be an "various other person you might understand".

As well as you might. Or you could not.

Mutual rate of interests

An additional scenario plays out based not on mutual friends, yet mutual interests.

  • As previously, your friend "Tom" sends you a good friend demand, which you ignore and also Facebook keeps in mind.

  • " Cock" also sends you a friend request, which you additionally neglect and also Facebook bears in mind.

  • " Tom" as well as "Dick" both occur to have actually "Suched as" a page on Corgis.


So, below's what Facebook recognizes:

  • Tom claims to know you.

  • Dick claims to understand you.

  • Tom as well as Prick both like a Corgi web page.


A different educated guess is that since Tom and also Dick both understand you, and they share a liking of Corgis, you might likewise like Corgis. As a matter of fact, you could like to be good friends with other people that also suched as the Corgi web page. So Facebook picks someone at random that additionally suches as the Corgi web page and also recommends that you may like to be good friends.

Obviously, if there's even more overlap-- more shared rate of interests Facebook learns about-- it might choose individuals who have one of the most in common with Tom and also Cock, and therefore ideally you.

If you are already on Facebook

This type of shared-connections-and-interests evaluation goes on in considerably more detail if you currently have a Facebook account. Facebook after that can toss into the calculation the pages you suched as, the pals you accepted, the messages you clicked, suched as, as well as shared, as well as even your location and also other information you have actually offered it.

The result is that they may suggest complete unfamiliar people as possible pals.

I locate about 50% of Facebook's preliminary suggestions are people I don't recognize, and also regarding fifty percent of the rest are individuals I might know yet don't intend to get in touch with anyway.

It's not something I fret about

Currently, as I stated, I don't understand exactly just how Facebook-- or any type of social media-- actually works. In fact, I 'd be willing to wager that the details are substantially much more intricate. If nothing else, they are privy to numerous relationship connections, interests, and activities to make these inferences.

Yet I agree to wager it's simply that: nothing greater than Facebook examining all the information its members have given to presume that might know who-- even for individuals that are not yet participants.

I obtain that it may appear a little creepy, but I do not think it's as invasive as you are afraid. It's merely making use of the social partnerships its participants supply to make a few well-read assumptions.

Unfortunately, to address your last inquiry, I'm not knowledgeable about a way to actually obstruct Facebook's emailed invites, apart from to possibly report them as spam.