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The DNC in pictures

CNET's Marguerite Reardon gives you an on-the-ground look at her time covering last week's Democratic National Convention.

Marguerite Reardon
Marguerite Reardon started as a CNET News reporter in 2004, covering cellphone services, broadband, citywide Wi-Fi, the Net neutrality debate and the consolidation of the phone companies.
Marguerite Reardon
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Welcome to Philly

More than 50,000 people made their way to the City of Brotherly Love for last week's Democratic National Convention. Though most of the action seen on TV happened at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia, more than 500 convention-related events happened throughout the city, according to Dem's List. Restaurants, like this one, throughout Center City Philadelphia were booked all week for events.

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Michelle Obama steals the show

On the first night of the convention, the first lady made the most inspiring speech of the whole show. She stirred the emotions with her reflections on raising her two African-American daughters in the White House, which had been built by slaves, and her thoughts on what it would mean for her girls to elect the first woman president. Her remarks captivated the crowd, as well as Twitter, which poured on the praise. I sat with the Ohio delegation on that first night and watched around me as people whipped out their cell phones to capture the moment.

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Bernie or Bust protests

In spite of Bernie Sanders' endorsement of Hillary Clinton, his supporters had a hard time letting go. Wikileaks' release, days before the convention, of 20,000 emails from DNC officials disparaging Sanders only fueled the fire. Some Sanders delegates protested throughout the week, including walking out of the convention and storming the press center on the second night, after Clinton formally won the nomination.

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Roll call for Hillary

On the second night of the convention, Democrats formally nominated Hillary Clinton during a roll call of votes from each state. In this picture, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo casts his state's votes to nominate Clinton. At around 6:40 p.m., South Dakota cast its 15 votes, putting Clinton over the threshold of the needed 2,382 delegates required to win the nomination.

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America

Each night of the convention, dozens of volunteers hauled garbage bags full of signs up and down the aisles in the arena and handed them out to the crowd between speakers. On the second night, right before former President Bill Clinton was about to take the stage, they handed out these "America" signs.

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Goodnight, Philly

Walking back to my car, which was parked in center city Philadelphia, after midnight every night of the convention, I passed the Pennsylvania Convention Center lit up to look like the American flag.

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The Democratic National Convention digital war room

Witnessing history and rubbing elbows with delegates was a thrill. But I was there for the tech. Here's a look at the DNC's digital war room. This is where volunteers working for the DNC wrote blogs for the website, edited videos, and posted photos and videos to social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Meet the Democratic National Convention Committee’s digital director

Kelli Klein led the party's digital effort at the convention. One of three paid staffers, Klein was responsible for overseeing the DNCC's website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat accounts. She enlisted more than 120 volunteers with a background in digital tech to help with her efforts.

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Democat

What political convention would be complete without a few souvenir buttons? Sharon Young, owner of the website Politicalship.com, traveled to Philadelphia from Kansas City to sell T-shirts and buttons to tourists and delegates alike looking to take home a souvenir. Young said buttons are especially popular with collectors.

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Clinton Crunch

Looking to show your support in a less conventional way? How about buying a commemorative cereal box? New Jersey-native Darrin Maconi created the political cereal boxes Clinton Crunch and Trump Flakes to help his two friends earn money for college tuition. At $40 a pop or $60 for the pair, the boxes are a different kind of memorabilia.

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Obama from the nosebleed seats

Unlike a big tech event, such as the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which sees its biggest headliners and news in the first day or two, a political convention grows in intensity each night, culminating in the coronation of a candidate on the last night. Things heated up on the the third night of the DNC with speeches from vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine, as well as current Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama. As the crowds grew and security tightened, I found myself lucky to snag a seat in the upper tier of the Wells Fargo Center.

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Got a charge?

Forget about waiting in line for the bathroom, people at the DNC need power. All that tweeting and Instagram picture posting eats up valuable battery life. Kiosks, like this one, were placed throughout the arena to keep everyone's devices charged.

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Mass media still rules the roost

For all the focus on social media in the campaigns this year, political conventions are still a made-for-TV event. Major broadcast and cable news stations took over corporate suites in the arena, which are usually reserved for watching Philly's pro basketball and hockey teams. In this photo, CNN's Anderson Cooper looks on during Chelsea Clinton's speech introducing her mother on the final night of the convention.

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Hillary Clinton makes history

It was the moment that the delegates and press attending the convention all week had waited for: Hillary Clinton's acceptance speech. To ensure I had a seat to witness this historic moment, I went to the press viewing area in the Wells Fargo Center at 4:30 p.m., six hours before Clinton was set to speak.

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Balloon drop

As a kid, one of my most vivid memories of watching the political conventions on TV was the balloon drop at the end. And the DNC 2016's balloon drop didn't disappoint in real life. Following Clinton's speech, 1,000 pounds of confetti and 100,000 balloons, including some giant ones 36-inches in diameter, rained down from the ceiling of the Wells Fargo Center.

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That’s a wrap; the campaign begins

The Clinton-Kaine campaign made its first campaign stop at Temple University in Philadelphia. Former president and current campaign spouse Bill Clinton joined the stage with his wife to greet a gymnasium filled with enthusiastic supporters. And with that, my coverage of the DNC was a wrap.

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