Everything we do is driven by our mission.
Participatory Culture Foundation is the non-profit organization that makes Miro. Our mission is to build a more open and diverse world of online video.
As television moves online, we face a crucial decision. Will it be open like the internet? Or will it be controlled by a small number of gatekeepers like cable and broadcast television? We think the answer should be obvious: let's make television more open and exciting than it's ever been.
Three principles of openness.
A truly open and accessible online video system depends on the following.
A. Open Access
Anyone who wants to create, should be able to create. With the decentralized structure of the internet, there is no reason to have gatekeepers that limit who gets to show their videos to the world. Miro is built to connect with any online publisher that has video RSS feeds, whether they are individuals or video hosting companies. If a creator isn't being well served by their video publishing system, they can switch to another and still reach their audience in Miro.
B. Open Standards
Any web browser can view any website because the web was designed with specific standards that are open for anyone to use. This openness is what makes the web so much more vibrant than the 'online' systems that it replaced (Compuserve, AOL, Prodigy, etc.). Miro is built on several open standards, including HTTP, HTML, BitTorrent, and RSS.
C. Open Source
The source code that makes Miro work is open for anyone to read, change, and build upon. Just as the open-source Firefox has revolutionized web browsing, we hope that Miro will move online video in a better direction. Anyone who wants to make Miro better can do so.
What we're working on.
As you probably know, Miro is our core project. We are working to improve the software, expand our user base, and push online video in a more open direction.
Though it may sound a little technical, video RSS feeds are central to our mission. Quite simply, a video RSS feed is how Miro talks to video publishers to see when a new video is available to download. It's an open technology that anyone can use. We believe that video RSS should be at the center of internet video, whether you are watching in Miro or another application that supports RSS. Our goal isn't to dominate online video-- our goal is to push the industry towards openness.
As Miro develops, you'll see it improve in many ways that a typical product improves-- more features, updated interfaces, better performance-- but you'll also see more and more openness-- a plug-in system, alternate channel guides, and more ways to put our users in control.
If you care about the future of online videos, there's lots of ways you can get involved.Join In.