How Does Facebook Determine Friend Suggestions or “Friends You May Know?”
Facebook People You May Know
Just recently I was asked by one of my best friends, why Facebook would suggest friends of which she had no mutual friends. We discussed it for a moment looking for similarities in her profile in comparison to the suggested friend and although they lived in the same city there was no congruence’s that would be cause for the friend suggestion. The person in question did not even have their city listed in their profile. So I did some research and found a few blogs and learned that Facebook saves your imported contact lists and based on the email addresses you have uploaded it suggest friends… even those friends you chose not to add or “skip”… Not only it use your email contacts, it also uses the synced Facebook list on your smartphone to determine friends to suggest as well. Not Cool Right?
Not only does Facebook save your contact list to suggest friends to you… it uses other peoples contact lists and figures out possible relationships based on mutual contacts from their email lists as well… Now it made so much sense. My friend did not use Friend Finder but I did and the email address of the person in question was in my list. Now that is just creepy.
So what does Facebook say about Friend Suggestion?
People You May Know helps you find people you are likely to know. We show you people based on mutual friends, work and education information, networks you’re part of, contacts you’ve imported using friend finder and many other factors.
Since our formula is automatic, you might occasionally see people you don’t know or don’t want to be friends with. …..Via the Facebook Help Center
I have 1600 plus Facebook friends and could care less about friend suggestions. If you request to be my friend, I’ll add you; as internet marketer exposing people to my personal brand can only help me and my business. But what about those people who value their privacy and would rather not see friend suggestions of ex boyfriends or their boyfriends ex girlfriends. Facebook does allow users to delete the contacts uploaded with the Friend Finder but this only deletes your contacts… it does nothing for the other possible people you know on Facebook who have your email address in their contact list.
You can also keep people from seeing you as a suggested friend on other peoples profile by following the directions below.
- Choose the “Privacy Settings” option in the Account drop-down menu at the top of any Facebook page.
- Select “View settings” in the “Connecting on Facebook” section.
- Change the settings for “Search for you on Facebook” and “Send you friend requests” to “Friends of Friends”.
It is important to note that I did not find any official Facebook blog stating they are actually harvesting users email contact lists & comparing them against others to determine your friend suggestions. Below is what they do say.
I do not want “People You May Know” to find people based on contacts I have imported using the friend finder.
If you have ever used friend finder, the People You May Know feature may show people who have your email address in their address book and/or contacts that you have in your address book. If you would like Facebook to remove these contacts, please follow the instructions found here. …..Via the Facebook Help Center
If the above suggestions aren’t enough to make you feel comfortable about friends being suggested to you or even whose profile you may show up on as a friend suggestion, maybe you should just delete your Facebook profile all together. Facebook and privacy are two words that don’t mesh very well. Your digital fingerprint is already on the Internet and chances are if someone wants to find you… they will.
Tami Highbaugh-Abdullah Creative Marketing Director Aries – Graphic Design & Internet Marketing http://ariesgdim.com Indianapolis, IN tami@ariesgdim.com
857 Edgemont Ave Indianapolis, IN, 46208 USA
tami@ariesgraphicdesign.com • 3173454182
Add an Email Signature and Boost Your Brand
Did you know that something as simple as adding an email signature to the end of your emails could help you promote your brand? Yup, it sure can. By adding a simple signature with links back to your website and social networks you can increase brand recognition, traffic to your website & increase followers on Twitter & Facebook.
I suggest you make your email signatures eye catching by using color and a font style that matches your brand. I don’t send very many emails anymore because Twitter and Facebook have taken over most of my communications but when I do this is what it looks like.
Aries – Graphic Design & Internet Marketing / AriesGDIM
Tami Highbaugh-Abdullah
Creative Marketing Director
317.345.4182
AriesGDIM.com / AriesGraphicDesign.com
@ariesgdim – Twitter
AriesGDIM Facebook
“Stand OUT from your Competitors”
You should include the following in your email signature:
- Branded Logo
- Name
- Title
- Contact numbers
- Links to your websites
- Links to your social networks
- Tag line
- Condensed mission statement
Depending on the information you are sending in your email you have no idea of the possible reach of your communication. You never want to miss out on an opportunity to put your company information in front of a potential client.
Simple right? You would be amazed how many companies don’t take advantage of this easy brand booster.
Do it today!
Why Flat Fee Graphic Design Company’s Suck
Today I received a call from a potential client asking me to give him a quote for a CD cover. When I told him we should schedule a time to discuss the full scope of expectations for his CD cover he asked me if I just had flat rates for design…. when I said…. No the caller seemed surprised so I explained why I give design quotes instead using flat fees.
Why your graphic designer should give you an estimate for your design instead of a flat fee
When a potential client calls asking for a design I ask them what their design vision is… sometimes I have them sketch out their design or send me example images that convey the feeling or message they want to communicate to their users. We normally discuss the importance of color psychology, I explain the level of difficulty or ease of the design and then give them an estimate based on the time I think it would take to create their vision. Each customers needs are a different and designing something to convey your brand message versus someone else’s may take more or less time than the next customer.
Goodness & Mercy Business Card - Side 1
Goodness & Mercy Business Card - Side 2
A perfect example can be shown in these two Brand’s business card designs. Goodness & Mercy, Inc. needed something simple with just their logo and employees name, title and contact information. They new exactly what they wanted and where they wanted it and design time was under an hour.
On the other hand Living Spaces, Inc. wanted a great deal of detail in their business cards. They wanted their business cards to stand out, to make
a good first impression and to be a conversation piece. Their business card conveys that Living Spaces is a company offering home construction & home renovation. Living Spaces, Inc. had me design several different versions of their business card with varying color combinations, font styles, varying styles of the “S” before they decided on one that best fit their Branding needs.
Living Spaces business Card - Side 2
Living Spaces business Card - Side 1
The important point to understand, by looking at the difference in these card designs, is that if I set a flat fee for design I would have to ensure that I allow time for a very involved design with several different components to safeguard I don’t cut myself short. It’s also important to understand that if a graphic design company gives flat rates for design you will be dealing with a designer that is more concerned about staying with the allotted time parameters for design than to ensure you get the design you need. No one likes to work for free and I guarantee you your designer with the flat rate… will cut you short in a heartbeat. Flat rates also cut out the creative process because the focus is not on the customers needs but on the time constraints. What if your design took less than an hour and the flat rate was to cover 3 hours of time? Do you really think they will say… hey let me give you some of this money back? Not!
Receiving an estimate on design instead of a flat rate ensures that your designer has thought through your design needs, included the design time it will take to give you several different variations of your design, and that they have estimated in time for feedback from you to make the changes and revisions you need so that in the end you have a finished product you can be happy with. My advice to you is to Beware of any company offering you a Flat Fee to complete your branded design.
Tami Highbaugh-Abdullah Creative Marketing Director Aries – Graphic Design & Internet Marketing Indianapolis, IN http://ariesgdim.com
Want to Kill Your Brand? Keep Ignoring Your Online Presence!
If you are in business, if you have customers, if you have been networking, if you have mentioned your business to a family member, friend, or colleague, if you have partners….. Somewhere online there is a conversation going on about you and your brand. Did you know that 89% of people research brands online before making a purchase? That’s right! That means there is a really good chance your new client already looked up you up on the Internet, not just once but a few times, before they even contacted you to work for them. This means that even if you don’t have a website, even if you aren’t engaging with users on social media platforms about your brand…. Someone else is….
Do you really want to leave the information being created online about your brand to chance? No! It is much better to be proactive by creating your own brand presence online before somebody creates one for you. People like to complain and whether a clients complaint is justified or not, negative conversations can generate very easily and be very damaging when there is nothing in place to help a customer resolve their issues.
Do not ignore the importance of creating an online presence via a company website and engaging on social networking platforms. Ignoring social media is a huge no no. By ignoring social media you miss the opportunity to engage with your users and find out what they think of your brand. You miss the opportunity to find out what your users interests are. You miss the opportunity to share with your users the type of brand your company is by sharing pictures and articles of interest. You miss out on the opportunity to make your users feel important by tagging them in a Facebook comment or mentioning them in a Tweet. Most importantly you miss the opportunity to listen, not only to your customer base but to potential customers as well.
Social media is not going away and your brand cannot afford to ignore it any longer. It is time to create an Internet Marketing Plan and implement it as huge part of your Brand Marketing Strategy. It’s “do or die” time so get on board people.
Tami Highbaugh-Abdullah Creative Marketing Director Aries – Graphic Design & Internet Marketing / AriesGDIM Indianapolis, IN http://ariesgdim.com Tami@ariesgdim.comCan Your Business Benefit from Marketing in Virtual Worlds?
Marketing trends state that the future of marketing will soon include virtual worlds… Actually they already do… if you’re a gamer, you have already experienced advertising in games like Madden Football, Gran Tourismo, World of Warcraft, & Second Life… maybe you didn’t pay too much attention to it but major brands are all already there. They know how important it is to reach their Target Audience by examining your habits and making sure their Brand is right there with you making their presence known every where you are and with everything you do.
Can your brand benefit from marketing in virtual worlds? The market is still wide open… It benefits your brand/company to be ahead of the game and start marketing in virtual worlds, establishing your presence before your competitors do.
Virtual items/goods in social games have been huge source of income for many companies for the last 4 years.
Don’t think your clients are spending money in virtual worlds… think again. Income from virtual gaming hit the $2 billion dollar mark in 2010 and it’s continuing to grow as we speak.
Do you think your small business can benefit from marketing in virtual worlds?
Aries – Graphic Design & Internet Marketing has a virtual location in Second Life as a Graphic Design studio displaying work of current and former clients. AriesGDIM has been set up in Second Life for more than two years now. The AriesGDIM Second Life location has several touch points that offer links to our Real World website and Social Media locations.
Anise Smith also has a Second Life Location where she offers QR Code Marketing assistance for businesses. She also offers touch points at her Second Life location that not only connect you to her real world website and social media platforms…. Anise Smith has also set up vendors in Second Life that allow you to purchase her real world services by simply touching a sign.
Still not sure about social gaming and marketing in virtual worlds and need a little more convincing… well check out what Well Fargo is doing. Wells Fargo has gone as far as creating an island in Second Life where they offer financial literacy games along with other activities:
“…such as sky diving and paintball, other experiences require money and can be earned by attending a Virtual Learning Lounge and answering basic banking questions. The topics covered in these sessions include budgeting, saving, managing money and were derived from a Well’s Fargo signature program called “Hands on Banking”®. By creating a hip and fun setting, Well’s Fargo engages this younger generation by interacting with their services (Well’s Fargo ATM machine) while associating their brand with banking services.” Bill Nissim – Virtual Worlds the Next Realm in Advertising
What is the advantage of marketing in these virtual worlds? It is an opportunity to connect with your users in an environment they are already using for entertainment. It is an opportunity to increase your brand awareness beyond their normal boarders and it allows customers to experience your company a 3D world on their own terms when and how they want to.
Tami Highbaugh-Abdullah Creative Marketing Director Aries – Graphic Design & Internet Marketing Indianapolis, IN Tami@ariesgdim.com http://ariesgdim.com
