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Contributing high quantity and quality knowledge to online Q&A communities

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  • Jie Lou
  • Yulin Fang
  • Kai H. Lim
  • Jerry Zeyu Peng

Abstract

This study investigates the motivational factors affecting the quantity and quality of voluntary knowledge contribution in online Q&A communities. Although previous studies focus on knowledge contribution quantity, this study regards quantity and quality as two important, yet distinct, aspects of knowledge contribution. Drawing on self‐determination theory, this study proposes that five motivational factors, categorized along the extrinsic‐intrinsic spectrum of motivation, have differential effects on knowledge contribution quantity versus quality in the context of online Q&A communities. An online survey with 367 participants was conducted in a leading online Q&A community to test the research model. Results show that rewards in the reputation system, learning, knowledge self‐efficacy, and enjoy helping stand out as important motivations. Furthermore, rewards in the reputation system, as a manifestation of the external regulation, is more effective in facilitating the knowledge contribution quantity than quality. Knowledge self‐efficacy, as a manifestation of intrinsic motivation, is more strongly related to knowledge contribution quality, whereas the other intrinsic motivation, enjoy helping, is more strongly associated with knowledge contribution quantity. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Jie Lou & Yulin Fang & Kai H. Lim & Jerry Zeyu Peng, 2013. "Contributing high quantity and quality knowledge to online Q&A communities," Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 64(2), pages 356-371, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jamist:v:64:y:2013:i:2:p:356-371
    DOI: 10.1002/asi.22750
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    Cited by:

    1. Suhada, Thontowi A. & Ford, Jerad A. & Verreynne, Martie-Louise & Indulska, Marta, 2021. "Motivating individuals to contribute to firms’ non-pecuniary open innovation goals," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    2. Jing Wang & Gen Li & Kai-Lung Hui, 2022. "Monetary Incentives and Knowledge Spillover: Evidence from a Natural Experiment," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(5), pages 3549-3572, May.
    3. Chih-Hung Peng & Dezhi Yin & Han Zhang, 2020. "More than Words in Medical Question-and-Answer Sites: A Content-Context Congruence Perspective," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 31(3), pages 913-928, September.
    4. Minhyung Kang, 2022. "Motivational affordances and survival of new askers on social Q&A sites: The case of Stack Exchange network," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 73(1), pages 90-103, January.
    5. Yuan Jin & Ho Cheung Brian Lee & Sulin Ba & Jan Stallaert, 2021. "Winning by Learning? Effect of Knowledge Sharing in Crowdsourcing Contests," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 32(3), pages 836-859, September.
    6. Wang, Nan & Sun, Yongqiang & Shen, Xiao-Liang & Zhang, Xi, 2018. "A value-justice model of knowledge integration in wikis: The moderating role of knowledge equivocality," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 64-75.
    7. Shan, Wei & Qiao, Tong & Zhang, Mingli, 2020. "Getting more resources for better performance: The effect of user-owned resources on the value of user-generated content," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    8. Xiaozhe Yang & Pei-Yu Cheng & Yueh-Min Huang, 2021. "Understanding Teacher Learning Through Teacher-Created Knowledge Products and Transactions," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(3), pages 21582440211, August.
    9. Wang, Changyu & Zuo, Meiyun & An, Xiaomi, 2017. "Differential influences of perceived organizational factors on younger employees’ participation in offline and online intergenerational knowledge transfer," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 37(6), pages 650-663.
    10. Warut Khern-am-nuai & Hossein Ghasemkhani & Dandan Qiao & Karthik Kannan, 2024. "The Impact of Online Q&As on Product Sales: The Case of Amazon Answer," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 35(2), pages 747-765, June.
    11. Xuhui Wang & Shengtai Zhang & Luyi Qiu & Guoquan Zhang & Na Liu, 2024. "What Factors Influence Users’ Willingness to Share Knowledge in Online Groups and How?," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(1), pages 1-18, March.
    12. Muddassar Sarfraz & Ghulam Hussain & Muhammad Shahid & Amir Riaz & Muhammad Muavia & Yahya Saleem Fahed & Faiza Azam & Mohammad Tallal Abdullah, 2022. "Medical Students’ Online Learning Perceptions, Online Learning Readiness, and Learning Outcomes during COVID-19: The Moderating Role of Teacher’s Readiness to Teach Online," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-20, March.

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