What Does Friend Suggestion on Facebook Mean?
By David Nield
When you log into Facebook you may see a list of friend suggestions. The people listed here are other users of the network that Facebook thinks you might know. These suggestions are based on the number of mutual friends you have, your education and employment information, contacts you've imported into the social network, and various other factors. For each suggestion you have the option to add the individual as a friend or prevent the user from appearing in this section in the future.
Step 1
Log into Facebook to see a list of automatically generated friend suggestions. Click on any username to see more information about the individual, including any mutual friends.
Step 2
Click "Add Friend" to accept the friend suggestion and send the person in question a friend request. This request may be accepted or ignored, just like any other friend request.
Step 3
Click the small cross by the side of a friend suggestion to remove the entry and prevent the user appearing in this section again. If you block all of Facebook's suggestions, this feature may not appear in the future.
Step 4
Open your timeline by clicking on your username anywhere on Facebook and click the "Friends" box. Select "Find Friends" to see more suggestions of people you might know on the social network.
Step 5
Tick any of the criterion boxes, such as location or mutual friend, to filter the list of suggestions. It's also possible to create filters of your own using the blank fields provided. Click the "Add Friend" button by anyone you'd like to send a friend request to.
References
- Facebook: Help Center: What Is "People You May Know?"
- Facebook: Help Center: How Do I Block Someone From Appearing in Suggestions?
- Facebook: Help Center: How Do I Suggest a Friend to Someone?
- Facebook: Help Center: How Does Facebook Suggest People I May Know in Email Invitations and Reminders When I Don't Have an Account?
Tips
- The Facebook users who appear in your Friend Suggestions box are not notified of their appearance there, nor do they know if you've hidden them. If you choose to add any of the suggested users as friends, these individuals receive friend requests as normal.
- You can make friend suggestions for any of your contacts on Facebook. Visit the contact's timeline, click the cog icon to open a drop-down menu, then choose "Suggest Friends" from the list.
- If you are not signed up for Facebook and are receiving emails including friend suggestions, these suggestions are based on the network of the contact who has tagged or invited you. Use the link provided at the bottom of the message to opt out of any future emails.
Writer Bio
An information technology journalist since 2002, David Nield writes about the Web, technology, hardware and software. He is an experienced editor, proofreader and copywriter for online publications such as CNET, TechRadar and Gizmodo. Nield holds a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and lives in Manchester, England.