Factors influencing knowledge contribution: An empirical investigation of social networking website users

摘要

Purpose:In the Web 2.0 era,leveraging the collective power of user knowledge contributions has become an important part of the study of collective intelligence.This research aims to investigate the factors which influence knowledge contribution behavior of social networking sites (SNS) users.Design/methodology/approach:The data were obtained from an online survey of 251 social networking sites users.Structural equation modeling analysis was used to validate the proposed model.Findings:Our survey shows that the individuals' motivation for knowledge contribution,their capability of contributing knowledge,interpersonal trust and their own habits positively influence their knowledge contribution behavior,but reward does not significantly influence knowledge contribution in the online virtual community.Research limitations:Respondents of our online survey are mainly undergraduate and graduate students.A limited sample group cannot represent all of the population.A larger survey involving morn SNS users may be useful.Practical implications:The results have provided some theoretical basis for promoting knowledge contribution and user viscosity.Originality/value:Few studies have investigated the impact of social influence and user habits on knowledge contribution behavior of SNS users.This study can make a theoretical contribution by examining how the social influence processes and habits affect one's knowledge contribution behavior using online communities.