The Intentional Media Manifesto

Principles

1. Originals are sacred
   Captured media is immutable. We do not rewrite history to suit tools.

2. Order is authorship
   The sequence of media is a creative act, not a byproduct of time or code.

3. Tools serve taste
   Software exists to support human judgment, not replace it.

4. Files must remain legible
   A person with a text editor should be able to understand the system.

5. Formats should outlive software
   Choose structures that degrade gracefully and survive abandonment.

6. Publishing is a transformation, not a mutation
   Outputs are derived artifacts. Inputs remain untouched.

7. Metadata is narrative, not exhaust
   Captions, names, and notes are part of the work.

8. Static is a feature
   If it can be rendered without a server, it can endure.

9. Portability beats optimization
   Systems should move easily across machines, hosts, and decades.

10. Care scales better than automation
    Intentional limits preserve meaning.

In Practice

• Filesystems are the source of truth
• Text is the primary interface
• Ordering is explicit
• Transformation is repeatable
• Hosting is replaceable
• Viewing is optional

Closing

This manifesto is not anti-cloud, anti-tool, or anti-automation.
It is pro-agency, pro-memory, and pro-longevity.

We choose systems that respect time — including our future selves. Reliability above all. Built to Last.

Acknowledgements: Inspired by the Agile Manifesto, with respect to its principles and enduring ethos.