Last week's Blockchain In Government conference that I hosted in Washington was great fun. Thanks to Jane Dysart and Information Today for taking the leap and organising it. We managed to pull together a really smart bunch of people directly involved in implementing blockchain in a number of interesting ways.
It yet again reinforced my impression that once you get past the crypto currency hype there is much to be excited about with the advent of this new technology. As is so often the case, people's ability to grasp what is possible, practical, and sensible, is often compromised by the overselling and almost deliberate obfuscation that goes on around anything new. I am frequently reminded of Clay Shirky's aphorism that any new technology only becomes interesting once it has become boring.
Something else that became apparent was the need for people to have the opportunity that we gave them to work with each other, understand things that other people are doing, and get a sense of what is possible. This was very different from so many conferences where people end up being talked at rather the furthering their understanding. Many of the participants commented that it being a smaller group enabled them to be more open in their conversations and therefore to learn more.
This model seems to work really well and I said to the attendees that I believe that it also has prospects for being effective inside organisations, helping the various groups, Technology, HR, Comms, and the business management to fully come to grips with their challenges in the face of disruptive technologies.
So if you know anybody who could do with this sort of intervention and event you know where to find me.
The Obvious? 