Open Source at the State Department: Loud, Timely, Not Your Parents’ State Department

Last Friday, I was in Washington, D.C., for Tech@State’s Open Source Conference . Tech@State is an inspiring step by the State Department, connecting technologists to targeted goals of the U.S. diplomacy and development agenda via networking events as part of Secretary Clinton's 21 st  Century Statecraft initiative . Tech@State   connects leaders, innovators, government personnel, and others to work together on technology solutions to improve the education, health, and welfare of the world's population. To date they have held events on Haiti, Mobile Money, and Civil Society 2.0.

It was my second visit to the United States Department of State. The first time I visited was to attend TED@State , a first-of-its-kind conference bringing great ideas from TEDTalks (this was pre TEDx ) to Washington. Ted@State featured Clay Shirky , Paul Collier, Jacqueline Novogratz , Stewart Brand, and Hans Rosling and the music of Zap Mama .

This time, like the last, I found it was loud; it was timely; and it was not your parents’ State Department. There seemed to be equal excitement on the part of the State Department staff, the organizers, the speakers and the audience, all aware that this was a new kind of hybrid, maybe a new kind of government, and a time for more cross-cutting collaboration and engagement around innovative, impactful ideas, partnerships and initiatives.