Year: 2017
Type: conference-paper
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: For online communities to be successful, they must retain an adequate number of members who contribute to the community. The amount and type of communication members receive can play an important role in generating and sustaining members' commitment to it. However, the communication that members find valuable may change with their tenure in the community. This paper examines how the communication members receive in an health-support community influences their commitment and how this influence changes with their tenure in the community. Commitment was operationalized with three measures: self-reported attachment, continued participation in the community, and responding to others. Results show that receiving communication was generally associated with increased commitment across the three measures, with its impact increasing with members' tenure. However, the average amount of informational and emotional support members received per message was associated with decreased commitment. Results have implications for interventions to encourage members' commitment to their communities throughout their history in the community.
Authors: Diyi Yang, Robert Kraut, John M. Levine
Institutions: Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh
Language: English
Subfield: General Health Professions
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2610548719