Why Help Others? A Study of Consumers’ Participation in Online Communities for Customer Support

This paper provides an extended approach to online communities for customer support by addressing how consumers participate, why they participate, and what companies can do to encourage participation. Based on a literature review, four forms of participation are identified: help seeking, help giving, participating in reflective reframing, and conducting reinforcing activities. An exploratory study enables the identification of items measuring the four forms of participation. The items are statistically validated by running confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) in Lisrel 9.10. By performing structural equation modeling (SEM) in Lisrel 9.10 based on survey data, it is revealed that four antecedents influence participation: hedonic benefits, learning benefits, social integrative benefits, and personal integrative benefits. Furthermore, it is found that these antecedents influence the four forms of participation differently. Finally, the study shows how companies can facilitate social integrative benefits and personal integrative benefits and thereby indirectly stimulate participation in the community. In order not to miss out on important insights, researchers should include all four forms of participation as these are influenced by different antecedents. Scales and items for measuring participation are provided. Companies are advised to determine what form(s) of participation they want from the consumers, and try to motivate them accordingly. Recommendations on how that can be done are given.