Online Information Review

Jenine Beekhuyzen; Liisa von Hellens; Sue Nielsen

2011 Online Information Review

doi: 10.1108/14684521111176453

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the rules and rituals for joining and operating within underground music file sharing communities as well as the members' motivations for joining. Design/methodology/approach – Actor‐network theory is combined with an ethnographic methodology to explore the structure, technology and rules of these communities from an actor‐oriented, member perspective. Empirical data include in‐depth interviews with three file sharers, and participant‐observations for 120 days within an online community. Findings – The paper provides an increased understanding of the structured and orderly nature of underground music file sharing communities and the perceived importance of strong rules and rituals for membership. Many communities use the same open‐source software. Research limitations/implications – Only a small number of file sharers (three) were interviewed. However they provide rich insights into this under‐researched topic. Practical implications – An understanding of these sophisticated underground file sharing communities assists the further development of legitimate online music systems to appeal to the large number of individuals involved in music file sharing communities. Social implications – This paper provides an understanding of the practices within a subculture that is currently regarded as deviant and illegal, and contributes to the discussion and policy formulation on file sharing. Originality/value – This study is the only known ethnography investigating underground music file sharing communities. These communities have not been systematically studied previously and the paper addresses this lack of research literature. This study is also novel as it applies actor‐network theory to a context to which it has not previously been applied.

Dongwon Lee; Jaimie Yejean Park; Junha Kim; Jaejeung Kim; Junghoon Moon

2011 Online Information Review

doi: 10.1108/14684521111176462

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand music sharing behaviour on social networking services (SNS). This study suggests and examines a research model which focuses on the influences of user motivations, such as self‐expression, ingratiation, altruism, and interactivity, on music sharing behaviour in SNS through social motivation factors. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 153 Korean SNS (i.e. Cyworld, Naver Blog, Daum Blog, and Tistory) users, who have experience in purchasing music and legally sharing it on SNS. The partial least squares method was used to analyse the measurement and structural models. Findings – The study shows that interactivity, perceived ease of use, self‐expression, social presence, and social identity are significant positive predictors of music sharing intention on SNS. Research limitations/implications – This research is significant in light of recent interest in user activities in SNS. Better understanding of the music sharing behaviour on SNS can be prompted by reflecting cultural differences in selecting the SNS for validation with a larger sample size. Practical implications – The findings emphasise the importance of providing users with interactive, self‐expressive, and easily manageable services in order to increase their intention to share music through SNS. Service providers need to focus on improving the user experience of the systems. Originality/value – SNS based online music services have been increasing and are a new business model of music content distribution. However no academic research has examined music related services on SNS. This study is the first empirical study analysing music sharing behaviour on SNS.

Nan Zhang

2011 Online Information Review

doi: 10.1108/14684521111176471

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the roles Web 2.0 applications play in niche cultures such as rock music diffusion. Design/methodology/approach – This paper aims to examine the influence of online forums on fans of rock music and to validate the intermediating roles of the cognitive variables. Findings – The results show that the three factors associated with innovation diffusion theory play different intermediating roles in the relationship between the stickiness of online forums (their ability to make users stay longer and return) and the levels of appreciation displayed by fans of rock music. While stickiness shows a significant positive impact on an individual's perception and image of a rock band, visibility has a significant negative influence on the individual's level of enthusiasm for the band. Research limitations/implications – Additional data and measures are required for in‐depth investigations of other cultural contexts. Practical implications – The study could be helpful for determining the influence of online forums on rock music diffusion and for planning innovative promotions and sales strategies for rock bands. Moreover the findings could be applicable to the marketing and promotion of other niche culture items. Originality/value – This study's originality lies in confirming the intermediating roles of the cognitive variables based on innovation diffusion theory between online forums' stickiness and appreciation of rock bands by using a mixed qualitative and quantitative approach and then by showing the opportunities and challenges provided by networking to rock music.

Nai‐Ching Yeh; Judy Chuan‐Chuan Lin; Hsi‐Peng Lu

2011 Online Information Review

doi: 10.1108/14684521111176480

Purpose – Virtual worlds are a typical form of social network syndication. Although the future of the virtual world phenomenon seems bright, not all efforts have succeeded. Therefore knowing how to motivate users and keep them continually engaged and visiting is an important challenge for those who create and manage virtual world websites. This paper aims to address these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The present study proposes a conceptual model from technological, entertainment and social perspectives to examine the determinants affecting users' intentions in their virtual worlds usage. Recognising that human behaviour varies according to different social roles, this study investigated four social roles (habitual, active, personal and lurker), and 729 valid data samples were collected from the Chinese virtual world, i‐Partment. Partial least square and multi‐group analysis were performed to measure the research model. Findings – The results of this study indicate that ease of use, usefulness, social presence and enjoyment are important factors of virtual worlds usage. This study also confirms that social presence and enjoyment are influenced by platform‐based and sociability‐based interactive quality, with sociability‐based interactive quality having a much higher impact on social presence than platform‐based quality. Moreover the proposed model demonstrates different intensities of explanatory power for users' usage intentions according to four social roles, and the results of this study indicate different but insightful findings for each of the four social roles. Practical implications – The virtual worlds practitioners should strive to launch creative and new recreational information or functions on a regular basis to make users' experiences enjoyable. In addition practitioners should initiate special activities or festivals to promote social interaction and devise rules to encourage users to spend more time on the virtual world websites. Moreover virtual world websites must be easy to use – with a user‐friendly interface, smooth moving lines and clear and understandable information – and provide useful functions. Originality/value – This paper is one of the few studies that compares and analyses the behavioural models of different social roles, and suggests that virtual world website practitioners should make use of these findings and provide flexible services to fulfil different users' special needs.

Kuo‐Lun Hsiao

2011 Online Information Review

doi: 10.1108/14684521111176499

Purpose – In recent years more and more users have begun to use social networking sites (SNSs). Visiting these sites has become a regular habit of many users. However most of the users only use the free services of the sites and are unwilling to pay for services. Therefore, in order to understand what factors affect users' intention to continue to pay for services, this study proposes a research model based on value theory and the academic literature on switching barriers. Design/methodology/approach – An online questionnaire was developed and used to collect research data. The responses of 211 SNS members who pay subscription fees for advanced services were used to test the hypotheses in the research model. Findings – All of the seven study hypotheses were supported. The results indicated that perceived value and service degradation barriers are the main factors which directly influence the intention to pay. Together they account for 37.4 per cent of the variance in intention. Additionally the results demonstrated that sunk costs and lost performance costs both had significant impact on service degradation barriers while enjoyment, social value, and perceived fees were the main determinants of the intention to pay. Practical implications – SNS managers could raise users' perceived value by enhancing the social value and enjoyment of SNSs. In addition they can provide paid members with exclusive member services to increase the barrier. To sum up, in order to increase customers' perceived value, SNS service providers need to understand the real needs of their major customers. These users will be more willing to pay for the services they prefer and feel they need and then recommend that other users use or pay for the services. Originality/value – This study provides a comprehensive framework of the influence of perceived value and service degradation barriers on users' intention to continue to pay for SNSs. The research results could be generalised to other social Web 2.0 services.

Shengli Deng; Yong Liu; Yuanyuan Qi

2011 Online Information Review

doi: 10.1108/14684521111176507

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the driving factors of web based question‐answer services (WBQAS) adoption. As an emerging knowledge acquisition method and service there are currently few studies addressing the antecedents of the service's acceptance, in particular concerning Chinese users. Design/methodology/approach – This paper employs the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology as its theoretical background and applies it to the field of WBQAS. A survey was conducted. Findings – Based on 169 useful questionnaires the results show that both performance expectancy and effort expectancy are significant predictors of the intention to use WBQAS. Additionally behavioural intention, together with facilitating intention, significantly influences the actual use of WBQAS. Social influence has no significant impact on the intention to use the service. Originality/value – As research on WBQAS is in its infancy this paper is among the first in the field, in particular regarding Chinese users. In addition the research applied the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model to the context of WBQAS and validated the adoption model using structural equation modelling.

Wei‐Tsong Wang; Zu‐Hao Wei

2011 Online Information Review

doi: 10.1108/14684521111176516

Purpose – Prior research indicates that the success of a virtual community relies on its ability to allow community members to share knowledge interactively. Wiki applications are web‐based hypertext applications that facilitate collaborative authoring, and have been widely adopted by virtual communities to facilitate knowledge sharing and accumulation. Nevertheless very few studies have empirically investigated the dynamics of how these applications contribute to the development and continuity of virtual communities by enhancing the knowledge sharing intentions of community members. This paper aims to address these issues. Design/methodology/approach – A theoretical model was developed to explain and predict the knowledge sharing intentions of virtual community members. Survey data collected from 232 wiki community members were examined using structural equation modelling to verify the theoretical model. Findings – The research results confirm the positive influence of the use of wiki applications on knowledge sharing intention through the mediating effects of member interactions, community participation, and community promotion. However it was found that community trust and community identification had no significant effect on knowledge sharing intention. Originality/value – Very few studies have empirically investigated the relationships among the characteristics of wiki applications, virtual community outcomes (participation, promotion, trust, and identification), and the knowledge sharing intentions of virtual community members. The research findings can enrich our understanding of how wiki or other similar technologies affect the sharing of knowledge within virtual communities. This can, in turn, provide both virtual community administrators and managers of organisations with guidelines for creating successful knowledge sharing practices.

Péter Jacsó

2011 Online Information Review

doi: 10.1108/14684521111176525

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the new version of the Web of Science (WoS) software. Design/methodology/approach – This paper discusses the new version of the Web of Science (WoS) software. Findings – The new version of the Web of Science (WoS) software released in mid‐2011 eliminated the 100,000‐record limit in the search results. This, in turn, makes it possible to study the bibliometric profile of the entire WoS database (which consists of 50 million unique records), and/or any subset licensed by a library. In addition the maximum record set for the automatic production of the informative citation report was doubled from 5,000 to 10,000 records. These are important developments for getting a realistic picture of WoS, and gauging the most widely used gauge. It also helps in comparing WoS with the Scopus database using traceable and reproducible quantitative measures, including the h‐index and its variants, the citation rate of the documents making up the h‐core (the set of records that contribute to the h‐index), and computing additional bibliometric indicators that can be used as proxies in evaluating the research performance of individuals, research groups, educational and research institutions as well as serial publications for the broadest subject areas and time span – although with some limitations and reservations. Originality/value – This paper, which attempts to describe some of the bibliometric traits of WoS in three different configurations (in terms of the composition and time span of the components licensed), complements the one published in a previous issue of Online Information Review profiling the Scopus database.