The "People You May Know" tool on Facebook is a
program that uses a number of factors to suggest possible links between users.
This tool is meant to help people find and connect with people they may know
through shared friends or hobbies.
Mutual links are one of the main things that the
"People You May Know" tool looks at. Facebook's system looks at your
current list of friends and finds people who have several friends in common
with you. This could be people you know from school, work, or other places.
Facebook also looks at the networks that two people share
when offering possible links. If you and another person go to the same school,
work together, or belong to the same group, the program may suggest them as
someone you might know. This makes it easier for people to connect within
certain groups or affiliations.
The "People You May Know" tool looks at your
hobbies, the pages you've liked, the groups you've joined, and the events
you've been to. If another person has hobbies that are similar to yours, the
program may suggest that you connect with them.
When making friend suggestions, Facebook's system also takes
location and closeness into account. If you and another person are close to
each other or have both checked in at the same place, the program may think
that you may know them. This can make it easier to get to know people in your
neighborhood.
Facebook may be able to suggest links by integrating
contacts. If you've given Facebook access to your contacts, the program can
look through your phone's address book to find similar phone numbers or email
names and suggest links. This helps you find possible links among the people
you already know in real life.
Facebook's system takes into account how often people look
at profiles and interact with them. If you've looked at someone's biography or
liked or commented on their posts, the system may suggest that you connect with
them. This helps you get closer to people who have already caught your attention.
It's important to know that privacy choices affect the
"People You May Know" tool. If a person has limited who can see their
biography or how many friend requests they can get, they may not show up in the
suggestions. Facebook cares about user privacy and makes sure that each user's
settings are taken into account when making suggestions.
Even though the "People You May Know" tool tries
to find links that make sense, it's not always right. The program works based
on data and trends, but it may sometimes give you ideas that aren't helpful or
interesting to you. Users can decide on their own whether or not to accept the
suggestions for friends.