[blackdog]

With the current primitives, it'd be pretty hard to do. You can get a list of your friends, but you can't do get a list of their friends - the best you can do is ask if two people are connected. you'd basically have to keep an offline list of the facebook web of connections.

[ratsbane]

I think that would violate the TOS ( http://www.facebook.com/terms.php ) "In addition, you agree not to use the Service or the Site to: ...use automated scripts to collect information from or otherwise interact with the Service or the Site;"

The developer TOS don't, as far as I can tell, provide exceptions to this. In fact, the following seems to quash the whole idea of crawling:

"4) You may not store any Facebook Properties in any Data Repository which enables any third party (other than the Applicable Facebook User for such Facebook Properties) to access or share the Facebook Properties without our prior written consent."

But perhaps they would be willing to consent if you asked?

I think it's a good idea.

[cellis]

I'm going to the whiteboard!

[cellis]

wow, very interesting. I guess I'll have to read up on NP-hard problems then, no?