This weekend Des Moines hosted Sarah Lacy, Silicon Valley journalist and author of Once You’re Lucky, Twice You’re Good, for a stop on her User-Generated Book Tour. Sarah chose her UGBT stops largely based on enthusiasm from fans and readers within the communities, and we (and our good friends to the west in Omaha) were fortunate enough to reel her in.

Above is an interview I did with Sarah on Friday evening — we discussed Google’s rumored Digg.com aquisition and $200 million valuation, a possible monetization strategy for Twitter, and the “Human Router” concept. (Watch for a cameo appearance by her husband Geoff near the end!)

Beyond the business side of tech, Sarah is also incredibly well-versed on the topic of emerging cities and the various ingredients they need in order to foster growth of their creative class. Her insight is invaluable — there’s no way I could put a dollar figure to what I (and the Des Moines community) absorbed this weekend.

On a personal, one-to-one level, Sarah is extremely gracious and geniunely interested in what everyone has to say. She even took time to help paint the walls at Des Moines’ first co-working environment, Impromptu Studio. (Photo set on Flickr here.) I also noticed this quality in Gary Vaynerchuk when he came through Des Moines in June — it might be a consistent trait among those who have built up their personal brands via social mediums. Unlike “manufactured” celebrities and public figures, people like Sarah and Gary realize that — above all else — it’s about connecting with the readers, viewers, fans and community.

My main takeaway from the weekend is that our city’s entrepreneurial spirit hasn’t quite “hatched” yet. The excitement and passion are there, and the proper foundation is in place, but we need more and more people taking risks and making that jump. More killer ideas and tight executions like SmartyPig, more entrepreneurs with niche expertise like Liza Kindred, Mike Sansone and Andy Brudtkuhl. More people leading specific movements, like those who have picked up the torch already with 80/35, co-working and Barcamps. At Lava Row we are going back to the drawing board and re-thinking what else we can do, individually and as a company, to support the emergence of Des Moines as a culturally relevant city.

The pieces are in place, now let’s assemble them.

Please join me in thanking Sarah for coming to Des Moines! You can reach out to her on Twitter at @sarahcuda or by leaving a comment on her blog, SarahLacy.com.