Building Social Capital Pt.2

Another interesting aspect of the TOMB is that it truly personifies what Rheingold, Wellman, and others have come to understand, that thriving virtual communities often benefit from a mixture of interactions that occur in both cyberspace and physical space. There exist two separate and distinct indicators of this as related to the TOMB. First, one of the message board forums is called, "Hookups - Regional activities, job openings, studio searches, local beer nights." This forum exemplifies a real-world carryover of activity, discussion, and community building. It also plays on Granovetter's strength of weak ties theory by facilitating job connections between TOMB members who might know each other only by user name or reputation but not through any sort of close relationship. A home recording enthusiast in Portland, Oregon who's ready to make the leap into a more professional role may connect with a studio owner outside his immediate network and land a job based on the social capital he's managed to accrue by posting intelligently within the TOMB.

The second indicator is the creation and huge success of the annual Tape Op Convention. This event began humbly enough in 2002, organized entirely by Tape Op editor/founder, Larry Crane, and his publisher, John Baccigaluppi. That year's keynote speaker was Steve Albini, the very highly-revered recordist/musician, whose work with Nirvana, Big Black, Shellac, and countless others bands had already made him something of a Godfather figure in the TOMB community. His very presence lent considerable credibility and draw to that first Tape Op Con, which was lightly attended compared to later years but received rave reviews from the hundred or so people who did attend. This buzz coursed through the message boards and created great anticipation for the annual conventions that followed. Relationships formed online were reinforced and strengthened through face-to-face interactions at the Tape Op Cons.