Using Social Psychology to Motivate Contributions to Online Communities
Publication Type  Conference Paper
Year of Publication  2004
Authors  Beenen, G.; Ling, K.; Wang, X.; Chang, K.; Frankowski, D.; Resnick, P.; Kraut, R.
Conference Name  ACM CSCW 2004 Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work
Conference Location  Chicago IL
Pagination  212-221
Conference Start Date  06-11-2004
Publisher  ACM
ISBN Number  1-58113-810-5
Abstract  Under-contribution is a problem for many online communities. Social psychology theories of social loafing and goal-setting can provide mid-level design principles to address this problem. We tested the design principles in two field experiments. In one, members of an online movie recommender community were reminded of the uniqueness of their contributions and the benefits that follow from them. In the second, they were given a range of individual or group goals for contribution. As predicted by theory, individuals contributed when they were reminded of their uniqueness and when they were given specific and challenging goals, but other predictions were not borne out. The paper ends with suggestions and challenges for mining social science theories as well as implications for design.
URL  Click Here
DOI  1031607.1031642