Somebody explain the Facebook Friend stalker thing that is going viral?

I have a feeling it is the order people come up in, in chat. Just went through the first 5, and they are all people who are online and at the top in chat ie not in the "Other Friends" section. And I think chat is ordered by who you are most likely to talk to, so people you talk to a lot, although other factors could affect this I suppose.

(If it is to do with chat, it would also explain why it is available on every page on facebook, because chat is.)

Reply 6

Historicity

OP

Original post by Genocidal

I can't see how that would ever work.

The page source is simply the coding on the page. And since Facebook doesn't track your information through the page like that it's not going to be registered like that. Although I'll happily admit I'm wrong if someone can convince me otherwise.

But it does appear to have some logical pattern to it though. Most people find their most contacted people, most interacted, people they stalk the most etc among the first people.

Original post by Dusty12

Oh dear. I FB-stalk so much when I'm bored. I'm probably #1 for about half my friends list. :erm:

Time to delete Facebook I think. :colonhash:

Hahaha don't worry, I tihnk most people conclude it's not solely based on view count alone :P

Original post by hamijack

I reckon it could be the people who interact with you the most. Mine were the two people I chat to most on fb because we're working on the same project and the third person was my brother who lives at home and I use fb to keep in contact with him.

Many of the websites I've been on, people have conlcuded that some quite high in their list they have never spoken to through facebook but are people likely to go to a lot of same events as them and they are likely to check their profile a lot.

Reply 7

Historicity

OP

Original post by iCiaran

I have a feeling it is the order people come up in, in chat. Just went through the first 5, and they are all people who are online and at the top in chat ie not in the "Other Friends" section. And I think chat is ordered by who you are most likely to talk to, so people you talk to a lot, although other factors could affect this I suppose.

(If it is to do with chat, it would also explain why it is available on every page on facebook, because chat is.)

Again from many of the threads on other sites I've seen and also on my own I don't have chat in use, other people have commented that it is in fact people not on their chat list but you're right, a common theory is that whilst it is not the chat order, it is in order of people you are most likely to chat with.

Reply 8

tehforum

Original post by Genocidal

I can't see how that would ever work.

The page source is simply the coding on the page. And since Facebook doesn't track your information through the page like that it's not going to be registered like that. Although I'll happily admit I'm wrong if someone can convince me otherwise.

I'm not sure, I think it may have some truth in it?

Reply 9

NutterFrutter

Original post by Historicity

Basically there is supposed to be this new way to check how people stalk your profile amongst other factors.

I found this:
>Go on facebook
>Right click anywhere
>Click "view page source"
>Ctrl + F "orderedfriends"
>Copy first # below
>add in number on Facebook URL

There is no way this could be true? Apparently it lists who viewed your profile the most in conjunction with some other factors which skews the results.

Any tech/coding wizards clear this explain?

It's the order of the people who you stalk the most.

Reply 10

tehforum

Original post by Historicity

Again from many of the threads on other sites I've seen and also on my own I don't have chat in use, other people have commented that it is in fact people not on their chat list but you're right, a common theory is that whilst it is not the chat order, it is in order of people you are most likely to chat with.

Not true for my list

Reply 11

Historicity

OP

Original post by NutterFrutter

It's the order of the people who you stalk the most.

Check the top 20 results, some of mine are people I forgot I even had on FB and I've never really visited their profile.

Original post by tehforum

Not true for my list

Is yours exactly right?

I'm not saying I know anything or discrediting anything just throwing out what I know.

Reply 12

Hellz_Bellz!

2

Thank god I deleted my ex from Facebook then...

Reply 13

desdemonata

19

Original post by Historicity

Check the top 20 results, some of mine are people I forgot I even had on FB and I've never really visited their profile.

My first one is someone whose profile I've never been on :confused:

Reply 14

A Mysterious Lord

EDIT: I've cracked it!

Basically, it's an ordered log of whose profile you've viewed, with the most recent first in the list, which explains I copy/pasted the fifth one, went to their profile, went back to mine and viewed source, it went to the profile I just viewed.

Number of views don't seem to be logged, but the fact that you HAVE viewed it is.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 15

Original post by A Mysterious Lord

EDIT: I've cracked it!

Basically, it's an ordered log of whose profile you've viewed, with the most recent first in the list, which explains I copy/pasted the fifth one, went to their profile, went back to mine and viewed source, it went to the profile I just viewed.

Number of views don't seem to be logged, but the fact that you HAVE viewed it is.

Some of the people near the top on mine were people I haven't looked at their profile for a long time...

Reply 16

A Mysterious Lord

Original post by iCiaran

Some of the people near the top on mine were people I haven't looked at their profile for a long time...

In that case there's one simple explanation for the whole thing.

It's bull****.

Reply 17

Original post by A Mysterious Lord

In that case there's one simple explanation for the whole thing.

It's bull****.

It could just mean nothing, just Mr Zuckerberg messing with us... :tongue:

Reply 18