A study on the factors affecting knowledge sharing of computer and 3C virtual communities

Besides communicating and sharing information, people on the virtual communities share knowledge as well. However, comparing with the communities in a real world, the motive, structure and level of sharing knowledge are different. From the standpoints of personal motivations, social capital, and organizational rewards, this study examines the factors affecting knowledge-sharing among members in the 3C & computer-related virtual communities. From the factor analysis and multiple regression analysis of 519 questionnaires collected by online survey system, 8 factors are found to be crucial. The ."helping others for a long term.", ."cohesion of inter-personal relationship.", ."commitment to the community.", and ."organizational rewards." factors have positive impacts on knowledge-sharing; while ."reputation." factor has negative impact; though ."professional capability.", ."intensity of interaction.", and ."equivalence." factors are relevant, they are not statistically significant. From the T test and one-way ANOVA analysis, the results show that demographic attributes and participation experience have impacts on the above factors.