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The effect of community identification on attitude and intention toward a blogging community

Chung‐Chi Shen (Department of Business Administration, National Chiayi University, Chiayi City, Taiwan, ROC)
Jyh‐Shen Chiou (College of Commerce, National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)

Internet Research

ISSN: 1066-2243

Article publication date: 14 August 2009

3707

Abstract

Purpose

Internet portals have long been providing free services (e.g. e‐mail, blog) to attract new users and retain existing customers. However, it is uncertain whether the users will continue to use the present free service over time. Blog enables people to interact with others extensively and the population of blog users has been skyrocketing in recent years. This paper aims to investigate the impacts of virtual community on a user's attitude and intention to continually use the current blog service.

Design/methodology/approach

The conceptual empirical model has been developed on the foundation of social psychology, relationship marketing, and transaction cost analysis (TCA). Users of blogging communities who have frequent experience of interacting with other members were the objects for this study. In total, 243 valid samples were obtained for empirical testing by employing structural equation model.

Findings

Results show that asset specificity and community pressure play mediating roles in the relationship between community identification and attitude toward using blog services, which in turn affects intention to stay with a blogging community. Perceived usefulness is successful in determining the attitude of using blogging community.

Originality/value

This paper is believed to be the first that uses a sociology view of community and asset specificity to investigate its impacts on online consumer loyalty. The study advances the relationship marketing literature in explaining user's new service adoption behavior by adding community identity and community pressure generated through the process of using web‐based services. The paper concludes with implications for web‐based service providers, and additional extended research relevant to the study of virtual community and asset specificity is also provided.

Keywords

Citation

Shen, C. and Chiou, J. (2009), "The effect of community identification on attitude and intention toward a blogging community", Internet Research, Vol. 19 No. 4, pp. 393-407. https://doi.org/10.1108/10662240910981362

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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