For many of our producers, not much has changed or maybe even changed for the worse. We have the same old camcorders and the same old editing equipment with more people interested in using them. I would like to argue that the effective communication has less to do with the equipment and more to do with the sense of community. A good idea can transcend the most primitive equipment. Good equipment attracts people interested in equipment.
Good community attracts people with an interest in community.
Hopefully there is some overlap there because good tools accompanied by folks who know how to use them will definitely not hurt a message. But tools without the community are just tools. The programming is getting better and more diverse and there seems to be more of it in general. And now that the building project is wrapping up, look for some new and better media making tools at your disposal in the near future. In the mean time, come and enjoy the magic that is already here.