The most bizarre offline coincidence…

Just had the strangest moment when catching the London Underground on my way home, and thought it was odd enough to share – and perhaps show the weird way the world works offline for a change.

Bearing in mind I’d only just bumped into @simoncollister on the train today after 3 months of commuting, and we both use the same line to get to work every day, it made it even more surprising.

I left work later than planned for various reasons, jumped on the Tube, and was stood deep in thought about various work-related projects when I suddenly heard my name just before I was due to get off the train.

Not only was it a former colleague and old friend that had spotted me in the same carriage, but the fact that I hadn’t seen him for about 3 years after he left to work abroad, and the fact he’s only in the UK for a couple of weeks just shows how weird life works sometimes.

Google RSS Reader finally allows social bookmarking

One of my guilty confessions is that I’ve been doing less linking and sharing of other sites on places like Stumbleupon recently than in the past.

A major reason for that is that I’m generally going through my reading on the train in Google RSS reader, and not actually visiting sites. Combine the slow speed of the onboard wifi with the hassle of coming out of my RSS feed to recommend things on a regular basis, and you might be sympathetic as to why it’s a bit of a hassle.

But no longer – in addition to the places which allow me to import my RSS shared items (Friendfeed, Publish 2 etc), Google’s Matt Cutts revealed today that Google Reader now has a ‘send to’ option for Twitter, Stumbleupon, Digg etc from within the feedreader, and that you can also set it up for sites which aren’t currently listed.

Like him, it’s a feature I’ve wanted since I started using Google for RSS reading, and combined with the improved social tools for sharing and following with other Google RSS readers (And with an 84% share in one example, there’s quite a few!), and RSS is back in the game alongside sharing links on Twitter etc.

(Incidentally, to enable it, just go to settings, and it’s under the ‘Send To’ tab.)

Paying followers on Twitter – Ellen offers $1000

If you’re thinking about paying to increase your number of Twitter followers, you may have to increase your offer after Ellen DeGeneres announced she would randomly reward one follower with $1000.

The offer came as part of winning ‘Choice Twit’ in the Teen Choice Awards, and was not only hinted at on Twitter, but was also broadcast on air and confirmed on her blog.

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Only one thing springs to mind in the rush to add @TheEllenShow and joining the 2,784,700 potential winners – was it a conscious decision to avoid using a hashtag and going for a trending topic to attract new followers?

Paying followers on Twitter – Ellen offers $1000

If you’re thinking about paying to increase your number of Twitter followers, you may have to increase your offer after Ellen DeGeneres announced she would randomly reward one follower with $1000.

The offer came as part of winning ‘Choice Twit’ in the Teen Choice Awards, and was not only hinted at on Twitter, but was also broadcast on air and confirmed on her blog.

image

Only one thing springs to mind in the rush to add @TheEllenShow and joining the 2,784,700 potential winners – was it a conscious decision to avoid using a hashtag and going for a trending topic to attract new followers?