Using Reputation System to Motivate Knowledge Contribution Behavior in Online Community

In this study, we present a theoretical model of motivations explaining the relationship between reputation system and knowledge contribution in online communities. Knowledge contribution is modeled as a response to varied motivations (base on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs). These motivations are proposed to be influenced by the availability of reputation systems. We test this model in an experiment. Given the importance of global knowledge sharing in today’s world, we expect our findings will be useful to inform the design of online knowledge-sharing communities

Incentive Mechanisms for Participatory Sensing: Survey and Research Challenges

Participatory sensing is a powerful paradigm which takes advantage of smartphones to collect and analyze data beyond the scale of what was previously possible. Given that participatory sensing systems rely completely on the users' willingness to submit up-to-date and accurate information, it is paramount to effectively incentivize users' active and reliable participation. In this paper, we survey existing literature on incentive mechanisms for participatory sensing systems. In particular, we present a taxonomy of existing incentive mechanisms for participatory sensing systems, which are subsequently discussed in depth by comparing and contrasting different approaches. Finally, we discuss an agenda of open research challenges in incentivizing users in participatory sensing.Comment: Updated version, 4/25/201

Designing Adaptive Engagement Approaches for Audience-bounded Online Communities

Audience-bounded online communities require innovative user engagement techniques. Without special efforts focus- ing on engagement, the contribution volume will likely to be insufficient to maintain a sustainable community-driven sys- tem. This paper presents an adaptive approach for user en- gagement that aims to apply alternative engagement strate- gies to users with different behavior in the online community. We report the results of the first experiments testing the fea- sibility of such approach. We discuss further design options that can be explored and the implications of the approach

Understanding the Motivations of Consumer Knowledge Sharing in Online Community

Today’s advanced web-based technologies create expanded opportunities for collaboration and customer knowledge sharing. However, research on customer knowledge sharing in web-based communication remains new. This study aims at proposing a theoretical framework for understanding customer sharing behaviors, which we define as voluntary acts of contributions by providing information or sharing experiences, from a motivational perspective. Our focus is on why people are motivated to make contributions in online community where contributions occur primarily through internet and communication technologies. We apply Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (the motivation theory) to explore how individual motivations influence customer knowledge sharing in online community. Particularly, customer knowledge sharing is modeled as a response to varied motivations. These motivations are proposed to be influenced by the availability of reputation systems. Given the importance of global knowledge sharing in today’s world, we expect the research findings can be useful for outlining some generic guidelines for promoting customer knowledge sharing in online community

Incentive-Centered Design for User-Contributed Content

We review incentive-centered design for user-contributed content (UCC) on the Internet. UCC systems, produced (in part) through voluntary contributions made by non-employees, face fundamental incentives problems. In particular, to succeed, users need to be motivated to contribute in the first place ("getting stuff in"). Further, given heterogeneity in content quality and variety, the degree of success will depend on incentives to contribute a desirable mix of quality and variety ("getting \emph{good} stuff in"). Third, because UCC systems generally function as open-access publishing platforms, there is a need to prevent or reduce the amount of negative value (polluting or manipulating) content. The work to date on incentives problems facing UCC is limited and uneven in coverage. Much of the empirical research concerns specific settings and does not provide readily generalizable results. And, although there are well-developed theoretical literatures on, for example, the private provision of public goods (the "getting stuff in" problem), this literature is only applicable to UCC in a limited way because it focuses on contributions of (homogeneous) money, and thus does not address the many problems associated with heterogeneous information content contributions (the "getting \emph{good} stuff in" problem). We believe that our review of the literature has identified more open questions for research than it has pointed to known results.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/100229/1/icd4ucc.pdf7