Understanding participation in company social networks

Abstract

Purpose -This article seeks to contribute to a better understanding of company social networks (CSNs), which constitute people connected to a company or brand through a social networking site. To this end, the research addresses both participation goals and CSN attributes that drive participation in CSNs. Design/methodology/approach -With a grounded theory approach, this research begins with an exploratory study of the page maintained by a large retailer for six months, followed by a qualitative study featuring in-depth individual interviews and focus groups with 26 members of the CSN. Findings -The results highlight differences between CSNs and other types of online communities (OCs). Members rely on the company to help them achieve their goals; few count on their CSN peers, with whom they maintain weak ties. Unlike in brand communities (BCs), most members are not enthusiasts but instead engage in a pragmatic relationship with the brand. Practical implications -CSNs can create value for both the host company and its members; active management is necessary to unlock that potential. The implications for CSN management include strategies to foster participation and increase value for companies and members. Originality/value -Although the previous research has studied OCs, specific research on CSNs is scarce. This study characterizes CSNs and provides details regarding participation factors in this new context, as well as relevant implications for CSN management and service research.

An integrative typology of relational benefits and costs in social media brand pages

“…Consumers increasingly use social media platforms to interact with the firms they love and purchase from, as well as with other consumers who may have insights about these firms (Kabadayi and Price, 2014). Concurrently, due to the popularity and the interactive nature of social media (SM), companies are increasingly building their own brand communities or brand pages (De Vries et al, 2012;Jahn and Kunz, 2012;Martins and Patricio, 2013) on popular social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to spread messages about their brand, drive engagement and awareness and create and enhance relationships with customers (Kabadayi and Price, 2014;Kang et al, 2014;Rohm et al, 2013;Valos et al, 2016). For a long-term consumer-brand relationship to develop and last, consumers must perceive the relationship to be valuable enough to stay.…”

What Online User Innovation Communities Can Teach Us about Capturing the Experiences of Patients Living with Chronic Health Conditions. A Scoping Review

“…Studies also examined different user characteristics and roles, investigating ways to identify different user types (such as user innovators and community leaders) based on contribution behavior and roles taken on within the community [ 48 , 80 , 106 – 109 ]. The key inference drawn with respect to user interaction and community structure was that despite the size of an online community, usually a small core community of active participants was responsible for the majority of contributions within the platform [ 110 ] as there was often a lack of highly involved members who stayed active over longer periods of time [ 111 ]. Martins and colleagues suggested that this may be in part due to the fact that members viewed platforms as interactive company web sites where they can get information, rather than as a collective of people with a common interest or passion [ 111 ].…”

“…The key inference drawn with respect to user interaction and community structure was that despite the size of an online community, usually a small core community of active participants was responsible for the majority of contributions within the platform [ 110 ] as there was often a lack of highly involved members who stayed active over longer periods of time [ 111 ]. Martins and colleagues suggested that this may be in part due to the fact that members viewed platforms as interactive company web sites where they can get information, rather than as a collective of people with a common interest or passion [ 111 ]. So despite constantly observing the platform activity, they tended not to contribute much.…”

Social networks in cultural industries

“…This finding rises the conclusion using a poor profile and a weak strategy in social networks is as negative as being completely absent from these platforms. Participation in social networks definitely 15 involves desingning a clear strategy with specific objectives and to maintain profiles, which is impossible to achieve at zero cost (Martins & Patricio, 2013).…”