Who are the 10 people on my Facebook Profile Friends List?
With the introduction of new Facebook profile, Facebook implemented new algorithm to show your friends on your profile page. In the past, it was a bunch of random people, many of whom you’ve never met. So, it is natural that Facebook chose to show relevant people on your Facebook. The problem is, how to decide who are your close friends? In other words, how do they choose those ten people?
The official position of Facebook is that they show people that had public interaction on Facebook. So, if you leave comments on their photos, etc., they will show up on your profile page. We all know that it is not true. Look at your own profile. With some of them you almost never have any Facebook interaction. But, they are not just a group of random friend. They are somehow meaningful, but how does Facebook know?
Anna Leach of Shinyshiny.tv theorizes that at least some of the people on the friend list are the ones that visit your profile often. Many others who left comments on them share the same opinion. I also suspect there is some truth to it, even though I don’t think that is the only criterion.
I think Facebook mixes several elements to find out who are the closest to us, then also add a few random people, just to give it an air of randomness. If they only use one criterion, for example the number of their visit to your profile, then you will see a list of people who stalk you, which will be embarrassing for them, and disturbing for you. Facebook will never do it. So, number of visit is one aspect they consider, definitely, but not everything.
I think another important element is if you live in the same location with them. It is very easy for Facebook to find out, by checking the IP address. For example, several people who appear regularly on my friends list are the ones that used to live in a same building. We used to share same Internet connection, so Facebook know that we live(or work) together. They can also check if we visit some of them. For example, I visited some of my friends in Berlin, and before I go there, I arrange a meeting with them. So, exchange of messages then all of sudden I access Facebook in the same location, that can only mean that I visit them. That’s how Facebook knows that we are close friends, I assume.
Of course, there are other elements, like whether you are tagged in many photos, or share same employment information. I think Facebook combines all those information and quite accurately predict who are our closes friends.
Then, there are some people whom we do not know very well, but who show up on friends list. They might be visiting our profile often, or they might be randomly selected by Facebook, or you might have visited their profile often. I visited a not-so-close friend’s profile, and I found my picture and name on her friends list, even though it was first time I visited her profile. Does it means that she visited my profile often? I don’t know, and I think that’s how Facebook wants to keep it.
By the way, there is another list of friends that you can see when you move your mouse over your own name on your profile. The list seems to be quite stable and do not change much. If you click your own name, and move your mouse over your name again, you see another bunch of names, but they do not change much, because most of them reappear again eventually. They are different than the 10 people listed on profile page, and I think those “mouse-over” friends are really special people, but I don’t know how Facebook know that. Maybe they use different algorithm to select them, because they are not shown to others, and only you can see them, so they can be more bold in showing who are your true friends.
But, what I wrote so far is mostly speculation, and there is no way to prove or disprove anything, unless Facebook reveal their friends-choosing algorithm. My advice is, don’t take anything too seriously, because they may mean something, but at the same time, they may mean nothing, and you cannot tell which is true.
If you have any idea about the meaning of the friends list on the profile, and those mouse over friends list, please leave your comments. Maybe we can learn from each other.
P.S. I found two more interesting lists. First one is the list of friends that appears when you go to friends list, and choose tile view, instead of list view. The first 10-15 people seem to be somehow close to me, even though the rest of the list seem to be random. Can some of them be visiting my profile often?
Another list can be accessed when you choose account tap on top right, then Privacy Setting, and then Customize settings. Under Things others share, there is Suggest photos of me to friends. Click Edit settings. Do those 10 people look significant to you?
