Delgrads unite online
Tyler Mayforth
Issue date: 3/21/06 Section: News
Darren "Digger" Kane always wanted to start a Web site as a way to reconnect with his college friends. Inspiration to finally go through with the idea did not strike until he was procrastinating on his computer at work.
Kane, a 1995 graduate of the university, came across the homepage of fellow alumnus Jeff Kuhn. Kuhn said he began a site two months after his graduation in 1999, dedicated to his group of friends who lived on Wilbur Street. Kuhn's site is aptly named Wilburstreet.com.
After contacting Kuhn several times through e-mail, Kane said he learned the basics of configuring an online domain, and a couple of days later, he purchased the rights to Delaware95.com.
Although Kane said he felt it was important to reconvene with his core group, he felt something was missing.
"After a while, I thought it would be better to connect a larger group of alumni on a bigger scale," he said.
Being a comedy writer working in New York City, the 32-year-old Kane came into contact with many stand-up comedians, including fellow university graduate Craig Baldo. Kane said Baldo introduced a foreign concept to him in the form of MySpace.com.
"Baldo told me that many comedians, most notably Dane Cook, use MySpace to connect with fans," Kane said. "I thought 'what self-respecting 32-year-old man would join MySpace?' "
A few days later, Kane joined the phenomena. Four months after launch, Kane said he saw how deep the MySpace roots extended.
"It was amazing," he said. "I figured out how to search for people who graduated from Delaware, and I began to add them. MySpace really fucking works."
Kane said as his friend base grew stronger, so did his interest in starting his own Web site. To test how successful the venture would be, Kane began a group on MySpace called "Delgrads."
When Kuhn joined a week after the group's creation, he estimated 200 people had already latched onto the idea. As of last Tuesday, five weeks after its conception, membership reached 1,667.
Kane, a 1995 graduate of the university, came across the homepage of fellow alumnus Jeff Kuhn. Kuhn said he began a site two months after his graduation in 1999, dedicated to his group of friends who lived on Wilbur Street. Kuhn's site is aptly named Wilburstreet.com.
After contacting Kuhn several times through e-mail, Kane said he learned the basics of configuring an online domain, and a couple of days later, he purchased the rights to Delaware95.com.
Although Kane said he felt it was important to reconvene with his core group, he felt something was missing.
"After a while, I thought it would be better to connect a larger group of alumni on a bigger scale," he said.
Being a comedy writer working in New York City, the 32-year-old Kane came into contact with many stand-up comedians, including fellow university graduate Craig Baldo. Kane said Baldo introduced a foreign concept to him in the form of MySpace.com.
"Baldo told me that many comedians, most notably Dane Cook, use MySpace to connect with fans," Kane said. "I thought 'what self-respecting 32-year-old man would join MySpace?' "
A few days later, Kane joined the phenomena. Four months after launch, Kane said he saw how deep the MySpace roots extended.
"It was amazing," he said. "I figured out how to search for people who graduated from Delaware, and I began to add them. MySpace really fucking works."
Kane said as his friend base grew stronger, so did his interest in starting his own Web site. To test how successful the venture would be, Kane began a group on MySpace called "Delgrads."
When Kuhn joined a week after the group's creation, he estimated 200 people had already latched onto the idea. As of last Tuesday, five weeks after its conception, membership reached 1,667.
