So how does this wo...
 

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[Closed] So how does this work, then? Online mystery content

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I just went on my Twitter account, and saw in the "people you might want to follow" box, the name of a well-known comedian who was being followed by one of the members of this very forum.

Now, I have had no contact with said member, and I am wondering how on earth my Twitter feed connected me with an STW member I have never had any sort of contact with, nor with whom I share any other mutual Twitter feeds.

On a similar note, a suggestion on my LinkedIn was that I might know someone who posted one of the most hilarious-yet-confounding threads this forum has known, in spite of the fact that the only knowledge I have of him is that he kicked off that thread a few years back.

So tell me: how did two different sites make these connections?


 
Posted : 05/09/2012 10:08 pm
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Voodoo, innit.


 
Posted : 05/09/2012 10:10 pm
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Email addresses automatically saved in your email account linked to LinkedIn and twitter, probably if you had dealings through classifieds or something


 
Posted : 05/09/2012 10:11 pm
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Data harvesting from your Internet browser. Far more knowledgable people will be able to give you a better explanation but I've seen some of those sites do all sorts. Especially LinkedIn. I've noticed it recommends that I should be friends with people I have only been in touch with by email (clients etc..) and have absolutely no connection with.


 
Posted : 05/09/2012 10:14 pm
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@iain1775

But that's just it. I have never had any dealings with these people other than also using this forum.

And to actually suggest that I might want to follow a comedian on Twitter on the off-chance that I would recognise a screen name used by someone on an entirely unrelated forum, well... I'm bound to agree with CountZero.


 
Posted : 05/09/2012 10:14 pm
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Do you both say you like bikes in your profiles?

It will be at that fundamental level where Twitter and linkedin find a similar key word in your profiles and assume since you both like bikes you'll both like Frankie Boyle and each other.


 
Posted : 06/09/2012 7:20 am
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i had a bunch of folk appear on my linkedin whos only link to me was the fact that i had been on the same oil rig as them. never emailed them and never put the fact i was on that rig online ..... scary


 
Posted : 06/09/2012 8:06 am