More than 3,000 Digg fans, bloggers, media and music enthusiasts crowded Webster Hall on Thursday for the Digg Meetup and live Diggnation show. For those of you who don’t already know, Digg (www.digg.com) is the leading destination for people to discover and share the best content from anywhere on the Web, and also the biggest online news site, by traffic This was a special occasion, as it was a part of Internet Week here in New York. The Access team helped out with event logistics, welcoming attendees and hooking VIP guests up with their all access passes. We also got to enjoy great music from bands such as Fort Knox Five and Ursula 1000 as well as catch the live Diggnation show hosted by Digg founder Kevin Rose and his Diggnation co-host, Alex Albrecht.
What I found most fascinating was how much this event resembled a rock concert. Granted, some of the event was comprised of music, but the majority of it was technology talk - delivered by two total geeks in a legendary NYC venue with screaming fans…but tech talk nonetheless! I found it amazing how electrified the crowd got when Digg CEO Jay Adelson got on stage to give an update on Digg happenings and throw some swag out into the crowd -- they literally screamed and waved their hands like he was a rock God. They were begging for Digg t-shirts and other giveaways. Actually, I was pretty glad I was upstairs in the VIP section, as I was afraid I’d be squished down below in what was quickly turning into a mosh pit (although the crowd was definitely better behaved than a rock concert – no one wanted to sprain a wrist or break a finger and keep themselves from tweeting or Digging the latest story!).
For those of us who have grown up loving both rock music and the latest, coolest technology, the cultural implication that’s most compelling here is that tech gurus and geek elite like Jay Adelson and Kevin Rose at Digg are quickly turning into the next rock stars. Being a recent Bay Area transplant, I’m happy to report that it’s not only happening in Silicon Valley, the trend is also moving east, to Silicon Alley.
- Meagan McCrystle
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