
This script shows you how Facebook ranks all your friends - sethbannon
http://thenextweb.com/facebook/2013/11/10/script-shows-facebook-ranks-friends/
======
phwd
This is _slightly_ incorrect, it's more how Facebook ranks for searching.
Those numbers are for search bar ranking of objects (users,groups,etc) you
recently and/or most interact with. You can check yourself by typing the first
letter of any of those names and that name is probably the first selection in
your Facebook search bar.

A better ranking would be to look at communication_rank and observation_rank
in FQL ([https://developers.facebook.com/docs/technical-
guides/fql/](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/technical-guides/fql/))

SELECT uid2, communication_rank, observation_rank FROM friend WHERE uid1=me()
ORDER BY communication_rank

~~~
prezjordan
Are these fields still valid? The reference for the friend table[0] doesn't
listen anything but uid1 and uid2.

[0]:[https://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/fql/friend](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/fql/friend)

~~~
phwd
These are hidden fields available only through whitelisted applications like
Facebook for iOS.

[http://i.imgur.com/4FdUJ1u.png](http://i.imgur.com/4FdUJ1u.png)

------
davej
Does anybody know if the ranking is bi-directional? Is the rank just
calculated on your activity (e.g.: visiting a friends profile) or does it
include the activity of your friends (e.g.: when a friend visits _your_
profile)

~~~
gergles
There's no way it's bi-directional, as some of my lowest-ranked (i.e., best)
edges are people with whom I am not friends.

~~~
davej
Maybe the people who you are FB stalking are also FB stalking you!

~~~
leot
I've suspected for a while that fb tries to play matchmaker by showing to you
more often those of your connections that have demonstrated interest in you.

------
LukeWalsh
I would be interested to see exactly where this script came from.

It seems approximately correct just based on the posts I generally see in my
newsfeed, but is this just someone's guess as to how Facebook could be doing
things?

~~~
sntran
Facebook used to have an algorithm called EdgeRank
([http://www.whatisedgerank.com/](http://www.whatisedgerank.com/)) that sorts
these relationship. Pretty sure they have changed this over time, but it is a
start.

~~~
LukeWalsh
Crazy that there is a whole market for optimizing Facebook's edge rank
calculations ([http://edgerankchecker.com](http://edgerankchecker.com)).

Could this be the new SEO?

------
jacobwg
I wrote a similar script with a word cloud visualization here:
[https://jacobwg.com/facebook-friends](https://jacobwg.com/facebook-friends)

It was fun...

------
Artemis2
Here is the id of this script for Backtick
([http://www.backtick.io/](http://www.backtick.io/)): 7403858

------
StudyAnimal
Hmm weird, there are a lot of people fairly high up on the list that are not
my friends, some have 1 mutual friend, most are total strangers...

