Abstract
This study examines the factors that influence the willingness to contribute information to online communities from the perspectives of the discretionary database and expectancy theory. The study identified four groups of variables and tested their predictive value on the willingness to contribute information to online communities. The findings confirmed the effect of the perceived value of contributing and the likelihood of getting a reward for the willingness to contribute. Cost of contribution was not a significant predictor of the willingness to contribute information. Benefit from, and interest in, the community were significant predictors, but community affinity was not. Among the four groups of variables, social approval was the strongest predictor of the willingness to contribute.
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