Miro (2) --- Public/Private Debate

Miro is also a non-profit organization. That means this software was not developed to make profit for a corporation. It was created as a "public service." For now, it's free ... kind of like PBS or Public Radio.

Miro's currently running a fund-raising campaign to help support the costs of operation. On their blog, one of the founders asks users to donate.

What really drove me to post this (besides wanting to show the way video content is being distributed nowadays) is the really interesting conversation is developing in the comments thread of the fundraiser page. Basically, it's a heated but intelligent debate about the differences between a proprietary/capitalist model of society versus an open-source/public model.

Three arguments being made:
- the leech: "I can download everything for free so why should I donate"
- the communitarian: "you should contribute because it supports a good cause"
- the capitalist: "the non-profit cause is a losing proposition, go corporate"

One final point: Miro is in a similar position as "traditional" public broadcasting (including public television and public radio). Indeed, they argue they are providing a public service that the corporate "new" media doesn't. Granted, they do not have the educational mandate that PBS had at its inception and they do not produce content like PBS stations do, but it does raise the question: should we start thinking about forming a "Corporation for Public Internet Broadcasting"? And/or what will the role of the CPB and PBS be in a convergent world, particularly vis-a-vis the emerging educational content that's out there?