Abstract:

The continuance to share knowledge of individuals in virtual community is the key to sustain a virtual community. As the two basic components of knowledge sharing,knowledge contribution and seeking are inseparable and indispensable. From the perspectives of knowledge contribution and knowledge seeking, a theoretical model was constructed to explore the pattern that how the proposed variables impact users’ continuance intentions of knowledge contribution and seeking. The questionnaire survey was conducted in this study, and Structural Equation Model (SEM) was subsequently employed to exam the model and hypotheses. The results prove that both knowledge growth and flow can significantly influence the satisfaction of users from knowledge contribution and seeking behaviors, which further have effects on users’ continual intention to contribute and seek knowledge. The study also reveals that considering reciprocity, when individuals decide to continue seeking knowledgein virtual communities, they are likely to be willing to contributing knowledge continuously.Lastly, the sample will be expanded in the subsequent study, and the objective contents that users generate in virtual communities will seriously be under consideration.

Key words: Virtual community, Continuance intention to knowledge sharing, Knowledge contribution, Knowledge seeking, Structural Equation Model(SEM)