How To: Become a "Popular Kid" on Facebook
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Weber used the example of "that guy I barely know from the 10th grade" that keeps popping up in his news feed to pose numerous questions including "Why do some friends seem to pop up constantly, while others are seldom seen?" and "How much do the clicks of other friends in your network affect what you're shown?"
Weber's experimentation using "virtual tests" is very interesting, and I encourage all of you to read the complete article at.
At the end of his data gathering, Weber arised with a set of 10 "rules" that Facebook's algorithm seems to follow:
1. "Facebook's Bias Against Newcomers." Weber says that if you are a "newbie," your activity on Facebook won't show up in people's news feeds.
2. "Facebook's Catch-22: To get exposure on Facebook, you need friends to interact with your updates in certain ways."
3. The Velvet Rope: "Top News": It's difficult to get into someones Top News feed. Facebook is selective about who appears in people's news feeds because they don't want users to become over-whelmed with too much information.
4. "Most Recent"News is Censored, Too. This is for the same reason as above.
5. "Stalking" Your Friends Won't Get You Noticed. If you're like me, you breathed out a sigh of relief after reading this discovery.
6. Having Friends Who Stalk You WILL Help Your Popularity.
7. Link Trump Status Updates
8. Photos and Videos Trump Links
9. The Power of Comments. When a person commented on the test subject's post, or continually commented, the subject appeared in more people's news feeds.
10. Why Facebook Really is Like High School. Who your friends are will determine how often you appear in news feeds.
If you are only friends with the "popular kids," or "users of Facebook with 600 or more friends," you are less likely to appear in news feeds. Having friends with less friends leads to more posts in news feeds. This leads to more friends commenting or clicking on your links. This, of course, leads to you becoming more popular and being in more people's news feeds.
Facebook's algorithm can't be changed by users. However, users still have some choices for what is shown in their news feeds. Being comfortable with all of Facebook's settings is key.
By understanding how Facebook works, users can have a more fulfilled experience each time they log in.
Whether you are trying to "get your name out there" through Facebook, or are simply curious why Susie keeps appearing in your news feed, Weber's story gives readers valuable answers.
Furthermore, with Weber's references to "Facebook Stalking" and the "popular kids" in High School, you can't help but chuckle while reading.
1 comments:
This was very interesting to read, so thank you for writing it.
I find it amazing how systems like this work in computing who gets to be seen and who doesn't.
The having more friends with less friends makes sense. It would get you noticed because in that circle, the person with the most friends would be the most popular.
Post a Comment