To wonder how FB makes it's suggestions?

[hippoherostandinghere]

In the people you may know section?

The headmaster at my DC'S school has come up in that list for me. From looking at his profile he has very few friends and no mutual friends. He lives in a different town so there is nothing obvious to link us. So even though there is a link there is no way for Facebook in theory to make the connection. Do they track your location maybe to make the suggestions?

[MrsJamin]

Yes they track your location. It's pretty scary.

[Trills]

They have teams of people working on it.

It's complicated.

Anyone who KNOWS probably isn't allowed to tell you.

It could involve location, if you have the app on your phone.

Have you interacted with any pages or groups relating to the school?

[hippoherostandinghere]

No there's no school page or any groups.

[gobbynorthernbird]

He has looked you up. I don't care what they say, if you search someone then they appear in your suggested list.

[gobbynorthernbird]

Or they appear in the searchees, more to the point.

[NewStartNewName]

They use your email address that you log on with, if he's in there or something to do with school - that'll be how. Oh and your phone contacts.

[toohardtothinkofaname]

Facebook tracks what websites you visit after you have left their site.

[hippoherostandinghere]

I have the school app on my phone, maybe they can tell from that?

[Dutchess61]

I thought it was anyone that you've ever made contact with on whatever device you have that Facebook is also on. My eyes practically fall out when I these sometimes. NO I don't want to friend my dentist.

[MrsJamin]

It's most likely to be to do with you both going to the same location multiple time, but yes I think if you look someone up, your face will be a suggestion to them in the future. There are lots of complicated alogarithms they use.

[Mousefinkle]

Sometimes it happens if they're a mutual friend of someone you've simply searched for in the past... It's creepy to the max.

[poisonedbypen]

It also looks though your email address contacts & phone numbers. I have on I don't understand. Someone I worked for years & years ago (before the internet) has popped up on my suggestions. We have no friends in common, I do not have his email address or phone number. I do drive past his business often, but I drive past lots of other businesses in the same parade of shops & don't get any of those suggested.