This paper examines motivations of workers to contribute to online expertise-sharing communities in the workplace, and presents the findings of a survey and experimental study. Results indicate that younger workers, and those new to the organization, are motivated more by selfinterest, such as gaining name recognition and impressing management, while older workers, and those with a longer tenure, are motivated by more altruistic factors such as sharing and mentoring. Results suggest that HCI designers include aspects that emphasize ‘belongingness’, and that bring newcomers into the community fold as quickly as possible since a sense of community results in greater participation and contribution.
By: David Huffaker; Jennifer Lai
Published in: RC24114 in 2006
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