Google paid 1.65bn for the acquisition of Youtube, Rupert Murdochs's News Corp. bought Myspace for 580m, and Holzbrinck fully took over Studivz.net for about 85m, to give just a few examples of recent Web 2.0 deals. What makes these so-called online communities so valuable? The answer to this question may be surprising: The deployed technologies are more or less the same as 6 years ago, but what all these new sites share is a new approach to creating things: "user-generated content", in the jargon. The Internet is no longer about corporations telling users what to do, think or buy; it is about the content people create themselves. Participation, not publishing, is the keyword. This development is particularly interesting for corporations which have noticed the importance and potential of the "do-it-yourself Web" as both a strategic marketing tool and a source of valuable information about consumer preferences and opinions. Tomorrow's consumers will no longer be interested in what companies say about their products and services, they will rely on opinions of other "normal" people.
Chris Anderson, chief editor of Wired Magazine, states: "Your brand is what Google says about it. Not what you say about it". Corporations which have spent huge amounts of money on questionable market research projects in the past can get even better information for free in the future, as consumers and interested users exchange experiences and opinions about brands and products in online discussion forums anyway. As a result, marketing activities and product offers can be customized by gathering, processing and analyzing information about consumer preferences - it remains to be seen which companies will exploit these new opportunities and which will not. Very little is known about the factors that influence the content production.Often online communities fail because participation drops to zero - and nobody knows why. In order to maximize the participation level and, thereby, the benefits that can be drawn from their contributions, it is important to examine what drives people to produce content. Therefore, this thesis aims to identify the most important factors that influence the level of user-generated content production in online communities.
More specifically, a comprehensive framework of the relevant determinants will be proposed and tested on an empirical basis. The results are supposed to serve as a guideline for researchers and community operators in the future.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Online Communities
- Introduction
- What Is an Online Community?
- A Typology of Online Communities
- Features of Online Communities
- Discussion Forums and Sub-Groups
- User Profiles
- Conclusion
- User-Generated Content
- Introduction
- What Is User-Generated Content?
- Why Is User-Generated Content Important?
- Determinants of User-Generated Content Production
- Group Size
- Topic and Purpose
- Usability
- Member Characteristics
- Trust and Security
- Membership Life Cycle and the Factor Time
- Incentives
- Participation Inequalities and Lurkers
- Conclusion
- The Study
- Introduction
- Defining and Measuring Activity
- Methodology
- Data Collection
- Period of Observation
- Objects of Investigation
- Results of the Empirical Study
- Discussion of the Results
- Limitations
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This bachelor's thesis analyzes the determinants of user-generated content production in online communities. The study aims to understand the factors influencing user participation and contribution within these digital spaces.
- The role of group size and dynamics in content creation.
- The impact of topic relevance, purpose, and usability on user participation.
- The influence of user characteristics, trust, and security on content generation.
- The effects of incentives and the membership lifecycle on user activity.
- The phenomenon of participation inequalities and the presence of lurkers.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
Introduction: This chapter sets the stage for the thesis by introducing the concept of user-generated content and its significance in the context of the rapidly evolving digital landscape. It highlights the growing importance of understanding user behavior and participation within online communities. The chapter provides context for the research question and briefly outlines the structure of the thesis. The quote from Lanchester (2006) emphasizes the burgeoning economic and social implications of user-generated content, effectively framing the importance of the research.
Online Communities: This chapter delves into the definition and characteristics of online communities. It explores various typologies of these communities, highlighting their diverse forms and structures. Key features such as discussion forums, sub-groups, and user profiles are examined in detail, providing a framework for understanding how online communities function and how they facilitate user interaction and content generation. The chapter lays a crucial foundation for understanding the context within which user-generated content is produced.
User-Generated Content: This chapter provides a thorough examination of user-generated content (UGC), defining it and exploring its significance. It discusses the various factors that influence the production of UGC, including group size (analyzing critical mass, information overload, social loafing, and the importance of common ground), topic and purpose, usability, member characteristics, trust and security, the membership life cycle, and the role of incentives. The chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the key determinants that this thesis seeks to investigate empirically, laying the groundwork for the methodology and analysis to follow.
The Study: This chapter details the methodology employed in the empirical study. It outlines the approach to defining and measuring user activity within online communities. The chapter describes the data collection methods, the duration of the observation period, and the specific online communities selected for investigation. The chapter then presents the results of the empirical study, followed by a detailed discussion of these results in relation to the hypotheses. Limitations of the study are also acknowledged, contributing to the overall academic rigor of the thesis.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
User-Generated Content, Online Communities, Participation, Incentives, Group Dynamics, Information Overload, Social Loafing, Usability, Trust, Security, Empirical Study, Online Forums.
Frequently Asked Questions: Analysis of User-Generated Content in Online Communities
What is the main topic of this thesis?
This bachelor's thesis analyzes the determinants of user-generated content (UGC) production in online communities. It aims to understand the factors influencing user participation and contribution within these digital spaces.
What are the key themes explored in the thesis?
The thesis explores several key themes, including the role of group size and dynamics in content creation; the impact of topic relevance, purpose, and usability on user participation; the influence of user characteristics, trust, and security on content generation; the effects of incentives and the membership lifecycle on user activity; and the phenomenon of participation inequalities and the presence of lurkers.
What is covered in the "Online Communities" chapter?
This chapter defines and characterizes online communities, exploring their various typologies and key features such as discussion forums, sub-groups, and user profiles. It provides a framework for understanding how online communities function and facilitate user interaction and content generation.
What does the chapter on "User-Generated Content" discuss?
This chapter thoroughly examines user-generated content (UGC), defining it and exploring its significance. It discusses factors influencing UGC production, including group size, topic and purpose, usability, member characteristics, trust and security, the membership life cycle, and incentives. It lays the groundwork for the empirical study.
How is user activity defined and measured in the study?
The "The Study" chapter details the methodology, including defining and measuring user activity. It describes data collection methods, the observation period, and the chosen online communities. It presents the empirical study's results, discusses them in relation to hypotheses, and acknowledges limitations.
What methodology was used in the empirical study?
The thesis outlines the methodology used in the empirical study, including data collection methods, the period of observation, and the objects of investigation. Specific details regarding the data collection techniques and the selection of online communities are provided within the chapter.
What are the key findings of the empirical study?
The results of the empirical study, along with a detailed discussion of these results and their implications, are presented in the "The Study" chapter. The discussion relates the findings back to the initial hypotheses and provides an interpretation of the data collected.
What are the limitations of the study?
The limitations of the study are acknowledged in the "The Study" chapter, contributing to the overall academic rigor of the thesis. This section addresses potential biases or constraints that might affect the interpretation of the findings.
What are the keywords associated with this thesis?
Keywords include User-Generated Content, Online Communities, Participation, Incentives, Group Dynamics, Information Overload, Social Loafing, Usability, Trust, Security, Empirical Study, and Online Forums.
What is the overall structure of the thesis?
The thesis follows a logical structure: Introduction, Online Communities, User-Generated Content, The Study, and a concluding section (implied). Each chapter builds upon the previous one, providing a comprehensive analysis of user-generated content in online communities.
- Citar trabajo
- Timo Beck (Autor), 2007, Web 2.0: User-Generated Content in Online Communities, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/140974
