Trust, Conflict Resolution, and Norms

Although the TOMB doesn't operate like a traditional citizen media site, it does exhibit some characteristics inherent in sites defined as such. One of those qualities is the sense of trust that develops around certain members, based on the quality and veracity of their posts. Trusted members become sought after voices of reason and opinion, especially in the most highly read forums such as Gear Talk. Interestingly, it appears that the most highly trusted members of the online community are not always those who seem to be the most trusted in the hard copy Tape Op magazine letters column. This could be do in part to the fact that the editors of the magazine refer certain correspondence to specific, established experts, whereas the TOMB caters more towards unsung heroes and amateurs answering each others questions and responding to each others comments. Conflicts are kept at a minimum, not through rigorous moderation of the forums, but rather through the congenial spirit and self-policing attitude of the members themselves. One example of this I stumbled upon was where one member referred to a previous poster as "flaky" for not staying in the production game for longer before getting discouraged by lack of steady income. Another member posted soon thereafter that the other poster sounded awfully judgmental. The first poster then apologized for his use of the term "flaky" and offered a more balanced comment.

Unlike how many visitors to citizen media sites are willing to contribute visual but not verbal material, members of the Tap Op community typically don't post photos of their gear or of microphone setups, for instance, and seem quicker to rely on descriptive text. I guess recording enthusiasts are more verbal creatures...or perhaps they think in musical and verbal terms but don't choose to communicate visually as often.