A Preliminary Study to Identify the Differences Between Possible Joiners and Non-Joiners of Online Communities

Converting first-time visitors into members is crucial for online community development. Without physical cues, potential participants’ joining intentions are mainly influenced by any available cues in that environment. Following atmospherics in environmental psychology, this study considers design cues, social cues, individual affects and personal traits to be the effective discriminators in distinguishing possible joiners from non-joiners. A discriminant analysis of 218 respondents from various mobile, food, gaming and travel online communities shows that informativeness and community involvement are the most crucial discriminators. In addition, the proposed discriminant functions are also demonstrated to correctly classify the respondents into joiners and non-joiners.

Citation:

Pei-Yu Pai, David C. Arnott, Scott G. Dacko, and Eric H. T. Tsai (2011) ,"A Preliminary Study to Identify the Differences Between Possible Joiners and Non-Joiners of Online Communities", in AP - Asia-Pacific Advances in Consumer Research Volume 9, eds. Zhihong Yi, Jing Jian Xiao, and June Cotte and Linda Price, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 63-64.