People You May Know

[ImLostAgain]

A little while ago I was dragged kicking and screaming into joining Facebook. I'm not on it very much but as it was my birthday recently my offspring told me to have a look. It was very nice seeing all those who had given me their best wishes.
Now then, the part that says 'people you may know' is full of people I don't know. I've read that it may be people who know people you know!
The thing is they are people with names I cannot read, ie what looks like Arabic or some such. Some of the accompanying photos are of people in military uniform. In itself I have no problem with that but why is there nobody I do know?
I kept clicking the little cross in the corner of the photo and the picture was replaced with some of the same until that photo(box) closed. I did that until there were no photos left at all but on closing the site down and re-opening it, they were all back again. I have now closed all of that section as it no longer seems relevant to me.
Does this happen regularly in Facebook?

[andy-hughes]

I don't use Facebook, I have no time for any social media apart from this site, which was going long before 'social media' existed.

I would suggest that the site's computers link anyone with whom you have had contact, and then links to all their contacts , and their contacts, and so on and so on, until you have 'friends' you no idea existed.

It is this slightly creepy way of linking strangers together that puts me off the entire concept.

[ummmm]

What are your security setting like?

[ImLostAgain]

Hm, yes it's strange, indeed I find it slightly creepy. Nevertheless it is odd to my mind that there isn't a more eclectic mix. Maybe they change every so often?

[ummmm]

When 'people you may know' pops up on mine I usually either know them or a have friends in common. I usually just scroll pass.

[ImLostAgain]

Um, as far as I can see it is set for friends only. Kicking and screaming remember :)

[ummmm]

I don't worry about it. If someone sends me a friend request and I didn't know them or had mutual friends I delete the request. If we have mutual friends then I look at who they are before deciding.

[ImLostAgain]

Ok. Thanks for that.

[Ninefingers]

It's driven by Facebook's internal spybots (they are not harmful) it'll link you to people you may know through family members, sport anything that can link one tiny part of your info to someone else, it's how social networking works. If you're not interested then just ignore them, they will keep cropping up.

[hellywelly4]

I have great pleasure belonging to Facebook. I keep in touch with friends on the other side of the world and friends from school - 60 years ago. I never put anything on which could be misinterpreted or is private, and never make offensive comments (like on here, really). I think your Privacy settings are not set correctly if you are getting all these people contacting you. Get the family to have a look and sort you out!!

[ImLostAgain]

Are they contacting me though when it is just the line of 5 or 6 boxes with PYMK. If I ignore them there doesn't seem to be any harm done. It's just that before this started I would see different people. Some of which I knew vaguely and some I didn't have a clue about.
It's the fact that 100% of them are now foreign enough for me not to be able to read their names and that they have started arriving all of a sudden and all at the same time.
Yes it was distant family that got me to join so I will get them to help sort it out.
Thanks all.

[ummmm]

They aren't contacting you. Facebook is just pointing them out to you.