Picture this: You've been trying to get time to visit with a doctor in his office to speak with him about the newest offering from your pharmaceutical company. He's busy. He gives you the run-around. The whole time you're talking, he's thinking about other things. He quite possibly resents that you're there, which means he resents *you*.
Not exactly the best way to make a pitch.

But what if you could become someone who:

a) Could easily fit into his schedule, even to the point of being invited to his *home*

b) Had his undivided attention while you made your pitch

c) Moved the needle closer to "friend" status

To quote Ray Kinsella in the movie "Field of Dreams," "There is a place where things like that happen. And if you want to go there, I can take you."

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Pringles are to ________ as puppies are to __________. Discuss.

I had a slew of client-related work to do this week, and was unable to attend the excellent Mashable Media Summit in NYC yesterday. How do I know it was good? Because I watched/listened to much of the streaming and then saw a slew of amazing aha moments in tweets from the day-long event. There's a lot of insights / commentary on the state of the web and technology in those tweets.

However, curating and distilling it was another matter. Fortunately there are re-tweets. And interns. And thus spawned a team approach to pulling together a collection of good tweets from the event.

Thanks to our intern Amy Lord for separately going through tweets during the conference and highlighting ones that jumped out at her. Thanks also to those twitter curators who happily re-tweet and expand the audience of great ideas that get sent through this medium.

These are in no particular order, however, we think that at least a couple of these will prove valuable to you. If they don't feel free to tell us what we missed or why you didn't like any of these in the comments. Of course, you're also welcome to expound upon any of the tweets below the video.

3bdullah: RT @cnntech: "I first learned Michael Jackson died on Twitter, but I also learned Justin Bieber died on Twitter." - Pete Cashmore. #mashablesummit

Constance_D: RT @datarockit: It doesnt matter if US Weekly is professional. Teen girls want to go where they're comfortable (Perez Hilton) #MashableSummit #iwny

bonarrdo: RT @dasme: Ricky Van Veen "What works for the web is also badly needed on tv." #MashableSummit

yamdelacruz: RT @WhoisJohnLai: @hilaraz for the sake of traditional tv surviving , TV should learn from web content to compete and get back viewers

ASHAHRENS I agree 100% - IF follow the right ppl. /RT @bethebutterfly: "No way I can get the news Faster than on Twitter" - Len Berman #mashablesummit

thirdpro: RT @definition6: Viral Video Myth #3: "People Will Find My Content". Faith-based marketing doesn't work. - Ricky Van Veen #mashablesummit

zarzecks: RT @joeciarallo: "Internet week is like fashion week without the attractive people" @rickyvanveen at #mashablesummit

PubliGestion: RT @skiergrrl: 3 types of PR/marketing: bought, owned & earned. @bsimi spends extra time, personal touch for SM guests. #mashablesummit

Shanan_S: RT @toekneelive: It's not about "moving the needle" — it's meeting and getting to know the people #mashablesummit

josephcolon: RT @db: I'll take the title Sucking in Social Media as long as we're great in the people business -@bsimi re: @RSHotel #MashableSummit

Digitas_Health: RT @db: If you can give the Bored at Work Network something to do for 5 mins theyll do social science for you for free #MashableSummit #iwny

KarenRedShoesPR: RT @AS16: I would rather listen to Ricky Van Veen CEO of College Humor than most ad execs. #mashablesummit

bevisible: RT @db: Search reflects user intent. Can search volume predict real-world outcomes? Yes it can #MashableSummit #iwny #mashablesummit

mahuq2005 amazing! RT @SoulBizNus: 99% of tweets go no where and do nothing via Ducan Watts of Yahoo #mashablesummit

karllong: RT @tinylevers the "bored at work network" is a big part of @cshirky's available cognative surplus /via @djw2451 #mashablesummit

josephcolon: RT @MelissaKondak: "Tra-digital" journalists are the future @lavrusik #mashablesummit

peterknox: RT @chrispitre: Just announced: World Cup badges on FourSquare in partnership with CNN. Dennis Crowley on stage now. #MashableSummit

lightyoruichi: RT @executivemoms: The Foursquare vision: improving the experience beyond check-ins, to forging interactions. #MashableSummit #iwny

KarenRedShoesPR: RT @garylombardo: @dens Need to build self-service branding and badge tools. Again, a matter of prioritization. #mashablesummit

bithacker: RT @ckieff: #MashableSummit new 4sq app coming- watches your fab places and tells you when guy/girl ratio is good. Lol - FINALLY USEFUL TECH

dave_link: RT @davekerpen: CEO @dens: #Foursquare is building self-service branding and badge tools for small business. #mashablesummit

ckieff: RT @katskoberne: People should be able to follow brands on @foursquare- @dens #mashablesummit http://bit.ly/921EEF

ckieff: RT @garylombardo: @dens Combat "Badge Fatigue" by making the badges provide rewards to users who unlock badges. #mashablesummit

karenlevine: RT @Ben_Kaplan: Badges = Virtual candy. Foursquare sets a goal & rewards you for it. Basic incentive psychology. Not surprising why success #mashablesummit

MitchKapler: RT @ischafer: If Zuckerberg had the stage presence of @dens, he'd be dangerous. #mashablesummit

MrShri Wow RT @topbananas: The data usage from android droid was 8x normal user / device #MashableSummit

jacobLpeck: RT @davekerpen: 22 million US users/day access mobile internet - top activities are search and social #mashablesummit

karenlevine: RT @ckieff: #mashablesummit mobile users use Internet 6X more with smartphones than before. They also use net more with desktop pc.

shandrab: RT @LoriMoreno: Mobile devices aren't meant to be computers, they are meant to be CONNECTIVITY devices #MashableSummit

KarenRedShoesPR: RT @Jacob: Motorola just "Oprah'd" the #MashableSummit by giving us all MotoBlur devices. Sah-weeeet.

Ash333: RT @RandiBrant: Another notch in the downfall of the iPhone? Motorola may have just converted me. Free phones for everyone here! #mashablesummit #IWNY

jarehart: RT @jakrose: "We get 100 emails a day about biz dev and most of them are people asking for a badge" via @Dens at #mashablesummit h/t @triout

jeremyporter: RT @karenlevine: "ambient awareness of what your friends are doing" - I like that - @dens #iwny #mashablesummit #foursquare

becbury: RT @SmartBitches: We could substitue language and make 'How I found social media" into "How I found religion" #mashablesummit

krobertory: RT @cnntech: From @dens - Foursquare considering way to acknowledge people with lots of check-ins who can't pass a mayor. #mashablesummit

JessDennis: RT @63studio: RT @SmartBitches: "How I found social media" is new gen equivalent of "where were you when JFK was shot" #mashablesummit

tracysheridan: RT @whatsnext: Hugely disappointed with #mashablesummit talking heads format n NO audience questions! [whaaa?] #participatory #fail

MattHurst: RT @Perazza: Good thing about the #mashablesummit is that it's not being handled like "Social Media 101"

josephcolon: RT @JessicaKia: Just tried to quit iTunes and apparently someone in the #mashablesummit is listening to my music, keeping open -you're welcome random weirdo

shellyspoeth: RT @sueanstiss: Loving urdb.org. Brilliant Open source platform for world records. Move over Guinness. Great opportunity for PR! #mashablesummit

alina_popescu: RT @ckieff: #mashablesummit URDB everyone has a world record inside them. Invent a world record and then set it. @wharman #mashablesummit

TinaHui: RT @sloane: RT @db It's not just about being a mayor. It's about the passionate customers who frequent your business. #MashableSummit #iwny

jacobLpeck: RT @PR_Gal: VP of Online Brand Content 4 @Starbucks says everything they do online will define brand, use it 4 global good. #MashableSummit

ckieff: RT @RobinZucker: Chris Bruzzo @starbucks joined do social and now runs brand. A sign of the future? #mashablesummit

cbaccus: RT @tinylevers: Starbuck has had over 80,000 ideas submitted in the last 2 years to mystarvuckideas, they have 40 moderators #mashablesummit

daniegomezo: RT @Perazza: You know what else? @starbucks isn't afraid of big ideas. Maybe they work, maybe not but they don't seem to back down. #mashablesummit

justsweetangel: RT @LoriMoreno: We're only as strong as the networks that we have.

alexcapehart: RT @kyork20: Truly connect. Pull at the heart strings. That is how you grow brand and market share. #mashablesummit

MicroSteph: RT @ckieff #mashablesummit #IWNY tracking facebook traffic is much easier than tracking Twitter traffic. Bc Twitter is so distributed vs FB

OakInteractive: RT @garylombardo: Free pastry day at Starbucks delivered via social media resulted in 1million transactions in their stores. Social media ROI. #mashablesummit

lborden33: RT @toekneelive: Television is broad, Internet is passion-based - KC Estenson, CNN #mashablesummit

digitalfprint: RT @nwjerseyliz: Random observation: Higher than average # of suits/jackets than typical social media event. #mashablesummit // fun?!

leskatz: RT @equinox: If someone steals away your hard earned mayorship it stings. -Dennis Crowley (Foursquare co-founder) #MashableSummit #iwny

KathFinney: RT @db "If we can't put something out that we're not really proud of then we'll wait." KC Estenson CNN #MashableSummit <-- sound advice

LindsayBreann: RT @KarenRedShoesPR Develop great content and then give it to the people who are excited by your brand. #mashablesummit

ckieff: RT @YoungsterBetts: RT @toekneelive "I think there's a difference between slant and angle.. It's easier to play the slant" - KC Estenson, CNN

ckieff: RT @davekerpen: CNN: It's still REALLY early in multi-platform media era (traditional, online, mobile) #mashablesummit

TheLashPro: RT @Perazza: Interesting that @CNN won't delay web content waiting for TV. Going early with web INCREASES TV viewing. #mashablesummit

kfriedson: RT @joeciarallo: "Internet week is like fashion week without the attractive people" @rickyvanveen at #mashablesummit

Dillon_S: RT @SmartBitches: I think there's a new word, available in all languages: "Facebookntwitter." #mashablesummit

Alakea: RT @CasparSch: Fascinated that it took till almost 5pm for someone to mention LinkedIn at the mashable summit #mashablesummit

rileycentral: RT @schmutzie: via @Shanan_S We have 2.2 million Twitter followers. We follow no one. No one. No one. - @TheOnion #MashableSummit #iwny

lsmiranda: RT @Jcasano: The Onion on Foursquare badges "Like what boys scouts earned but for no accomplishment whatsoever" #mashablesummit

rjenbarr: RT @CauseGlobal: we wanted to take the best of why people participate on #socmedia and bring it to #philanthropy-Ed Norton re Crowdrise #mashablesummit

geeknet_inc: RT @candidcomments: "Social network experimentation leads to an authentic enhancement to our lives.." - Edward Norton #mashablesummit #iwny

rjenbarr: RT @CauseGlobal "Mobile and #socmedia is disrupting philanthropy" - Alex Ross of State Dept at #mashablesummit - understatement of the day!

aprilteybrown: RT @davekerpen: If Paul Revere were alive today, he wouldn't have gone on a midnight ride. He would've just tweeted #mashablesummit

justweb: RT @SilkCharm: AJ Bombers sold 30% more burgers by running a special on Foursquare #4square #mashablesummit

dasme: RT @garylombardo: Quote of the day "Don't outsource your voice" @cbruzzo #mashablesummit

jonathanmast: RT @Starbucks: Consumers are so smart, savvy & engaged they can smell it a mile away when it's not authentic. #MashableSummit

cullenfamily: RT @josephcolon: "If Paul Revere was around today, he would have tweeted that the British were coming" - @alecjross #mashablesummit

diachrony: RT @SmartBitches: We could substitue language and make 'How I found social media" into "How I found religion" #mashablesummit

CBJDLA: RT @LoriMoreno: If you don't give back, no one will like you via @EdwardNorton at #mashablesummit

One of my favorite things about attending We Media, is going in consecutive years. I love catching up with familiar faces and hearing about what they’ve been up to in the past year. I learn about new technologies, new functionality on existing products, and even entirely new companies being created out of the ashes or on the shoulders of what I previously associated with the people who attend.

This year, I caught up with Ben Berkowitz, founder of SeeClickFix, which won the for-profit category of last year’s PitchIt! competition and empowers anyone to report and track non-emergency issues online. The service is having an effect on many local governments as it enables ordinary citizens to easily and efficiently hold them accountable.

As a believer in the opportunities provided by Twitter, I quickly registered the account @SeeClickFix while Ben was up on stage accepting the prize with his team. I apparently startled him a few minutes later when I told him that I grabbed it for him and - well perhaps we should just let him tell the rest of the story.

During a break between sessions last week, and the morning after a sleepless night of helping this year’s finalists refine their pitches, Ben talked about how they’ve been able to use Twitter to help their site grow, where branding fits in and the importance of being genuine.

Ben Berkowitz on Twitter, branding and the importance of being genuine from Genuine Interactive on Vimeo.

GENUINE INTERACTIVE: So a year ago you just won the PitchIt! competition and you had no idea about Twitter? Is that right?

BEN BERKOWITZ: Haha ya, I had no idea. But really I knew what Twitter was, I just didn’t know the purpose of it. So we won, we got off stage to visit the restroom and when I came out there was an eager gentleman by the name of Chad. "I got your Twitter tag!" I thought "Holy shit this guy is holding this thing for ransom." But he was kind enough to give us the SeeClickFix Twitter tag and our presence in the Twitter- sphere was born and it’s been really valuable using Twitter since.

In the last year we have been able to assess the potential competition and our position in the market place, and we have been able to put our stake in the ground to let people know we are here who would not have known that we were in their network. Most recently we used Twitter to send messages to the city of San Francisco 311 department, so we are actually using it as form of communication for generating service requests and they tweet back at us on those issues.

So Twitter has had many implications. It was interesting to see there has been much less tweeting this year (at We Media), I think there are changes happening, last year there was certainly more back channel, but maybe more people are paying attention in real life, so that’s good that more people have their heads up off the computers than last year.

GENUINE INTERACTIVE: I wanted to ask you a question about the growth and the evolution of SeeClickFix, I’m guessing it kind of went from building, building, building with your head down, to looking at a much more branding focus. Is that a fair assessment?

BEN BERKOWITZ: I would say that would be a fair assessment of the next piece. We did a redesign in August and we got a user group and focus group and it really, really helped us. I think there are still a ton of things with the UI that could improve and so we have tackled a lot of the engineering fees like translation and smart phone applications and across most of the smart phone platforms. Now I think there is a battle of these big things and then you have to simplify all the big things and then add more big things and then simply. At least that has been our experience and process so far. I think the next couple of months of SeeClickFix we will be simplifying and making changes to the content we have out there and making the tools more accessible.

GENUINE INTERACTIVE: In terms of your audience, is being genuine important to maintaining your audience?

BEN BERKOWITZ: Yes absolutely. I personally have been an evangelist for the open government space as well as a participatory media and community web 2.0. to use a cheesy term. I think if you don’t believe in your world, and sing it from the roof tops or be celebratory every time it happens, you know it’s not going to be genuine. You absolutely need to be genuine and I think that there are people that have thought about participating in our space and it was clear they were not genuine and it has affected their potential reputation.

GENUINE INTERACTIVE: What has been your biggest accomplishment in the last year?

BEN BERKOWITZ: God, there have been so many. I think collectively, if you look, I sent a tweet out when we were about to be on stage of the SeeClickFix challenge month with IBM smarter cities, it was about 40 posts of people who have used the site SeeClickFix and have had some very positive experiences where some part of their life or community was improved because of the site. It’s a really nice testimonial section, really representative, there have been a ton of specific moments. For example a neighborhood in New Haven that addressed a mugging situation, not by freaking out and running away but by forming on SeeClickFix over the concern of muggings, then forming neighborhood groups in real life and then rallying around SeeClickFix in real life to get the mayor to implement better lighting in the neighborhood. I think those are the kind of stories and it’s what keeps us waking up in the morning.

GENUINE INTERACTIVE: Great!

BEN BERKOWITZ: It has been really exciting!

I caught up with Steve Rosenbaum, founder of Magnify.net before the Thursday session of We Media Miami last week.

Prior to his work with Magnify, Steve was the creator of MTV News UNfiltered. Magnify.net, in many ways, follows the spirit of the groundbreaking MTV program which gave viewers the tools to tell stories that were not being covered by mainstream media. The transcript, typed up by our super-helpful intern Kathryn Ryan, is below the video.

Magnify.net founder Steve Rosenbaum talks branding, curation, and the technology he's following from Genuine Interactive on Vimeo.

Genuine Interactive: You have grown your brand and have been growing your company, and in the process you have also been facilitating other people to do different things to grow their own brand. What insights have you gained and what advice have you given?

Steve Rosenbaum: So the biggest thing I have learned in the last 18 months is that there used to be a big war between professional content, user generated content and consumer content and you had to pick a side. The word that comes up forty times a day now is curation. Curation basically says whatever your brand is, no matter how much content you make, you’re not going to have enough to tell your story in full. So curation basically says make media, tell your story and then gather media from your customer, or user or community and repeat that and share that and then look at the wider web and gather content that speaks to your brand and put that on your website, TV channel or newspaper. This idea of Curation turns out to be very powerful because it’s slightly elitist, high polluted and that makes it sound like quality, but it also says inclusion and let people in. So Curation is the word of 2010.

Genuine Interactive: Probably 2011?

Steve Rosenbaum: I think it will probably be the word for awhile. I’ll put it to you this way, I was just talking to the guys and they called themselves curators, well of course they are, because they put together conferences, and a conference is about gathering things together and people and ideas. I think curation, it’s a positive word, it’s not about winning or losing, it’s about lots of different things coming together.

Genuine Interactive: What types of technology or new toys are you playing with online these days?

Steve Rosenbaum: So we spend a lot of time trying to integrate multiple sets of tools, social media tools for sure, twitter for sure, flicker absolutely, video from lots and lots of sources, and we are now spending a little time on HTML5, because we think that it's now a real thing, and we have obviously paid a lot of attention to the iphone and iPad.

But really at the end of the day what we are really trying to do is build consumer tools that are simple, easy to use and publisher friendly, and what that means is everything is drag and drop, there is as little real code as possible and as much as the customer facing fun stuff. Because what we have learned about editors and magazine people is, if it’s not fun they don’t use it, even if they say they are going to use it, if it’s not fun they aren’t going to use it or play with it. It’s like software that

isn’t fun, it will just sit on your hardware. So fun is a critical measure. Social media and Fun.