An examination of individual factors that lead to the sustainability of virtual communities.

Transcription

1 University of Tennessee, Knoxville Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange University of Tennessee Honors Thesis Projects University of Tennessee Honors Program Spring 5- An examination of individual factors that lead to the sustainability of virtual communities. Bryant Neal Coker University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: Recommended Citation Coker, Bryant Neal, "An examination of individual factors that lead to " (). University of Tennessee Honors Thesis Projects. This is brought to you for free and open access by the University of Tennessee Honors Program at Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Tennessee Honors Thesis Projects by an authorized administrator of Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact trace@utk.edu.

2 An examination of individual factors that lead to the sustainability of virtual communities. Honors Senior Project By Bryant Coker under the supervision of Dr. Robert Fuller 5/1/

3 Contents I. Introduction... 4 The Motivation - Communities... 4 The Research Question - Sustainability... 5 Purpose... 6 II. Theory basis... 7 Communities... 7 Sustainability... 9 Overall Framework III. A Model of Virtual Community Sustainability Relatedness & Perceived Usefulness Image & Perceived Usefulness Visibility & Perceived Usefulness CSE & PEOU Compatibility & PEOU Perceived Usefulness & PEOU Perceived Usefulness & BI PEOU & BI IPLOC & Perceived Usefulness IPLOC & PEOU IPLOC & BI EPLOC & PEOU EPLOC & Perceived Usefulness EPLOC & BI BI & Behaviors IV. Research Method Method Participants Introduction 2

4 Measures V. Results and Analysis Measurement Model Structural Model VI. Discussion of Results Limitations VII. Conclusion Works Cited Introduction 3

5 I. Introduction The Motivation - Communities Communities are a big part of everyday life for individuals. Communities are groups of people bonded together by related interests or goals and can occur physically face to face or virtually on the internet or other nonphysical mediums. Communities are formed with a purpose of existence, either task focus with an objective/end point to pursue or a social focus to gain social satisfaction (Cicognani, Pirini, Keyes, Joshanloo, Rostami, & Nosratabadi, 2008). Businesses are pouring substantial money and time into projects to launch virtual communities, and knowing how to make a virtual community successful can conserve both resources (Reid & Gray, 2007). Clearly, virtual communities show signs of potential for companies. Virtual communities (VCs) are self- sustaining social systems or networks in which members engage and connect with each other in a non physical medium, meaning two people not in the same room or space looking at each other (Blanchard, 2008). Virtual communities are among a wave of Web 2.0 technologies that have the potential to allow members of a business to collaborate across geographies, which can save time and money and office space (Gold, 2008). Popular VCs, to name a few, include Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Orkut, Xanga, WordPress, and BlogSpot. Some businesses are providing incentives for employees to participate in social communities in order to increase the companies visibility with clients (Gold, ). For example, Ernst & Young bridged the virtual community frontier by creating a company sponsored page on Facebook to enhance recruiting efforts and expand the firm s name recognition. The accounting firm TravisWolff is exploring Introduction 4

6 Twitter, a social community based on status updates, by notifying clients of news impacting them and the client s industry. LinkedIn is being used by many businesses because it is considered a business networking site, not a social/non- business related virtual community (Gold, ). Companies are finding that they are able to connect with clients on LinkedIn which not only strengthens visibility with clientele but also with potential employees. Obviously, anything that has the potential to move forward can fail to move at all. The same virtual communities that can allow productivity to thrive is actually holding itself back in many companies. WebCPA reported that 23% of companies block access to social networks entirely (Gold, ). A social network is a social structure comprised of individuals or organizations that are connected by one or more specific types of relation (Lai & Turban, 2008). Social networks are the basis in which virtual communities are built around. Some companies are blocking access because they see the potential for a productivity drain due to workers wasting time on such networks as Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn. However, this blocking may be due to a lack of corporate policy on the subject of social network usage (Gold, ). The Research Question - Sustainability While VCs seemed to have sprung up overnight as a phenomenon, they are really just a progression of what message boards, chat rooms, instant messages, and file- sharing applications began. Regardless of the technology or what the goals of the technologies were, VCs need members. After all, members are the life force of communities. Sustainability is crucial for successful communities. We define sustainability as the ability of the community to maintain membership and participation and promote consistent growth. A sustainable VC has members that actively participate and encourage growth. VCs that are not sustainable lose Introduction 5

7 members, lack participation, and are eventually forgotten by those who leave. Knowing how to achieve sustainability will help in planning a successful VC. Substantial money and time are poured into projects to launch VCs, and knowing how to make it successful can conserve both resources. How communities develop and thrive can seem to be a mystery primarily because who joins and why he or she joins depends on the individual and his or her interests. On an atomic level, the interests of the individual are what motivate them to participate in a community. But how do we go from a person who enjoys watching the Office to the President of the American chapter of the Office Fan Club or from a concerned citizen to the President of the United States? Obviously this process may take some time, but to even call it a process indicates that going from an individual to a community requires certain steps and events to be successful. The real question is what factors motivate individuals to join and continue to participate in a virtual community? Knowing this at the atomic level will help to create an understanding of which individual motivators may influence larger VC sustainability. Purpose To answer the research question, individual motivations to join and participate in virtual communities were examined. By conducting surveys to various age groups in a university, we identified how members of VCs decide to join a VC and what influences them contribute and remain a member. Certain motivators were identified that at an individual level may continue to develop a successful and sustainable virtual community, and characteristics were identified that may hinder this development in VCs. Understanding these motivators and characteristics, sufficient time and money can be saved while adding a task or social value to the organization using the virtual community. Introduction 6

8 II. Theory basis Communities As previously defined, a community is a group of individuals that share similar interests on any level and participate as a larger unit (Cicognani, Pirini, Keyes, Joshanloo, Rostami, & Nosratabadi, 2008). Certain characteristics must develop in the individual to motivate them to develop interests, much less join a community. An individual must have the three basic needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness (Deci & Ryan, 2000). Autonomy is the will to self- organize experience and behavior and to have activity that conforms to one s sense of self; while, competence is the ability to function successfully and perform those activities. Autonomy and competence lead to relatedness, which is the desire to feel connected and related to or identified with others, the motivation to become part of a community. When an individual exhibits these three characteristics, they can adequately pursue interests due to intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation concerns active engagement with tasks that people find interesting and that, in turn, promote growth (Deci & Ryan, 2000). Behaviors that stem from this motivation require satisfaction of the needs for autonomy and competence. These needs along with relatedness link directly to well- being. An individual achieves well- being when they detect the presence or absence of vitality, psychological flexibility, and a deep inner sense of wellness (Deci & Ryan, 2000). From an individual with needs, one s motivation has sparked the goal of well- being and growth by having interests and developing them. The need of relatedness causes the individual to want to develop relationships with other individuals (Deci & Ryan, 2000). The interests that were developed now are the staging ground for satisfying relatedness by seeking those individuals that share common interests. This is the first step toward community. Theory basis 7

9 Moreover, the need of relatedness causes the individual to desire a sense of community with those that share common interests. Albeit a broad term, Sense of Community (SoC) is used to describe feelings of belonging to kinds of communities (Cicognani, Pirini, Keyes, Joshanloo, Rostami, & Nosratabadi, 2008). A community can be a formal or informal social organization bounded by a physical or geographical location or exist virtually through electronic or various media outlets to connect members with each other. Regardless of type, communities are social or professional entities based on common interests, goals or needs. SoC contains the following components: Membership, influence, integration and fulfillment of needs, and shared emotion connection (Cicognani, Pirini, Keyes, Joshanloo, Rostami, & Nosratabadi, 2008). An individual experiences membership when he or she has the feeling of being part of a community. When a member participates in the community by contributing in a reciprocal relationship with other members, the member achieves influence. Members are integrated and fulfill their needs by deriving benefits from their membership within the community. Seeking out individuals with common goals requires social interaction with one another. Successful attempts allow bonds to be developed over time as members develop shared emotional connections with other members (Cicognani, Pirini, Keyes, Joshanloo, Rostami, & Nosratabadi, 2008). Neighboring develops as a behavioral variable due to this interaction (Pendola & Gen, 2008). As members exchange their life experiences and get the opportunity to display their beliefs, preferences, feelings, values, and goals, they create a place identity or a relationship to the environment that enables such opportunities (Manzo & Perkins, 2006). Place attachment is formed by the bonds created by the members in this place or medium (Manzo & Perkins, 2006). With neighboring and place attachment established, social participation may be conducted. Social participation is really a process in which members take part in decision making in the communities that affect them (Cicognani, Pirini, Keyes, Joshanloo, Rostami, & Nosratabadi, 2008). Now the individuals that have become Theory basis 8

10 members and participate can help plan how the community runs. Social interaction between members creates behavior norms that are acceptable by the community. Members who wish to participate in the community will begin to conform to these norms in order to better participate. As conformity increases, the bonds increase. These norms are believed to be the precursor to achieving SoC. Once SoC is adequately obtained, participation should continue to increase (Blanchard, 2008). As more people share this interest, the community will grow. If the interests that bond the members remain of interest, the community will become more sustainable. A sustainable, growing community is a successful community. Sustainability First, consider the typical face to face community, say a subdivision. It has members, the residents. It has rules in the charter. It might even have a board of directors or some other group that leads and makes decisions. For this kind of community to be sustainable, it just has to have people stay and participate in the community. Virtual communities, on the other hand, require more than just attendance in presence, they require participation. This is the fundamental difference between face to face and virtual communities. The other differences are negligible at best. After all, both types require a location, either in a physical location like a building or a location on the internet like a website address, to go and meet with other members. They also both require members at the meeting locations. How they develop sustainability, however, is where we can distinguish physical and virtual communities. Sustainability is homeostasis, the ability to maintain a stable and certain state (homeostasis). Sustainability is the end goal with no expiration date. To reach sustainability is to have created a successful, thriving community capable of maintaining and meeting the needs and future needs of current and future members. So the question then becomes: how does a VC achieve homeostasis? Theory basis 9

11 Sustainability in a face to face community is found in the existence of membership; while, in a virtual community sustainability is directly linked with the continued participation of its members. And with a virtual community, sustainability gets personal. Overall Framework This research is grounded in Davis s technology acceptance model (TAM) (1989), Malhotra, Halletta, and Kirsch s model of perceived locus of causality (2008), and Deci and Ryan s (2000)as well as Reis, Sheldon, Gable, Roscoe, and Ryan s (2000) research on needs motivation. Davis s TAM specifies a link between the beliefs of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use while taking into consideration the member s behavioral intentions with resulting behaviors and innovation adoption behavior (1989). TAM was central to our research because it provided measures of the relationships between perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness as well as perceived usefulness and behavioral intention. This establishes that a member is likely to use a technology if they have they find the technology useful and easy to use. Malhotra, Halletta, and Kirsch s model of perceived locus of causality relates to the self and how the self perceives influence from internally and/or externally and incorporates Davis s TAM (2008). The model of perceived locus of causality (PLOC) provided measures of the positive relationships between internal PLOC and perceived usefulness, internal PLOC and behavioral intention, internal PLOC and perceived ease of use, external PLOC and perceived ease of use, external PLOC and perceived usefulness, and external PLOC and behavioral intention. This research establishes that a member will participate if they have internal and external pressures to find the utility useful, find the utility easy to use, and use the utility. Deci and Ryan s research model (2000) as well as Reis, Sheldon, Gable, Roscoe, and Ryan s research model (2000) identifies the role of autonomy, competence, and relatedness and the impact on well- being. This research establishes the fulfillment of needs as critical for members to participate in a VC. Theory basis 10

12 III. A Model of Virtual Community Sustainability Presented below is a model depicting sustaining qualities and behaviors. Figure 1. Research Model of Virtual Community Sustainability The following sections explain the relationships between the objects in the model which are supported by hypotheses based on the model. A Model of Virtual Community Sustainability 11

13 Relatedness & Perceived Usefulness Relatedness, as defined by Reis, Sheldon, Gable, Roscoe, and Ryan (2000), is a need that pertains to the feeling of being close and connected to significant others. Relatedness is the basis and the motivation to become part of a VC; after all, the claim of VCs like Facebook is that they connect people. Perceived usefulness is the degree to which an individual believes that using a particular system would enhance his or her [task] performance (Moore & Benbasat, 1991). Because the stronger the need that one has for relatedness the more likely one is to perceive a VC as useful for the purpose of forming connections with others who share similar interests, we hypothesize that: Hypothesis 1: relatedness will be positively related to perceived usefulness. Image & Perceived Usefulness According to Moore and Benbasat image is the degree to which use of an innovation is perceived to enhance one s image or status in one s social system, namely a VC (1991). Because we believe that a VC will be perceived as useful for helping members gain approval from peers, we hypothesize that: Hypothesis 2: the need to enhance one s image will be positively related to perceived usefulness. Visibility & Perceived Usefulness Moore and Benbasat also test visibility by how much exposure an innovation has in the surroundings of the member (1991). This could explain why Facebook is popular on college campuses due to the many students that can be viewed using it while in class and why LinkedIn can be seen on A Model of Virtual Community Sustainability 12

14 more computers at the workplace. Twitter is now being utilized by news organizations as a way to connect to their listeners and companies as a way to connect with their customers and suppliers (Gold, ).Because people who witness VCs used at work, school, home, etc. are more likely to want to be identified with their peers and will perceive a VC as more useful than someone who has a substantially lower level of visibility, we hypothesize that: Hypothesis 3: the need for visibility will be positively related to perceived usefulness CSE & PEOU Marakas, Yi, and Johnson s construct of computer self- efficacy (CSE) is an individual judgment of one s capability to use a computer or in our case, a VC (1998). The member s perceived ease of use (PEOU) is, according to Moore & Benbasat, the degree to which an individual believes that using a particular system would be free of physical and mental effort (1991). If a member knows how to use the tools that help him or her participate, then member is more likely to participate. Because we believe that if the member perceives that they have the ability to participate in VCs, for example posting on profiles, uploading pictures, etc., we hypothesize that: Hypothesis 4: CSE will be positively related to PEOU. Compatibility & PEOU Compatibility is the degree to which an innovation is perceived as being consistent with the existing values, needs, and past experiences of potential adopters (Moore & Benbasat, 1991). The connection is made between compatibility and PEOU because if the member has a history of participating in VCs or other Web technologies, especially Web 2.0, then the member will have a higher likely hood of perceiving the use of a VC as easy because it fits easier into the lifestyle and needs of the A Model of Virtual Community Sustainability 13

15 member. The ideology is that I m familiar with like technologies so I m more likely to adapt to a VC. Because we believe that if the member uses like technologies then they will perceives that they have the ability to easily use VCs, we hypothesize that: Hypothesis 5: compatibility will be positively related to PEOU. Perceived Usefulness & PEOU Logically, the more you perceive a VC as easier to use, the more likely you are to perceive it as useful. Based upon Davis s TAM (1989) and Malhotra, Halletta, and Kirsch s PLOC model (2008), we hypothesize that: Hypothesis 6: Perceived ease of use will be positively related to perceived usefulness. Perceived Usefulness & BI Davis et al. define behavioral intention (BI) is a measure of the strength of one s intention to perform a specified behavior (1989). The connection between perceived usefulness and BI is made because of the assumption that the less useful a VC is to the member for social or professional tasks, the less likely it is that the member will spend time using it. Based on the model and research that are found within Davis s TAM (1989) and Malhotra, Halletta, and Kirsch s PLOC model (2008), we hypothesize that: Hypothesis 7: Perceived usefulness will be positively related to BI. PEOU & BI Prior theory tells us that if it is harder to use a VC such as LinkedIn, then it is less likely that a member will fulfill their behavioral intentions with it through participation. Therefore we hypothesize that: A Model of Virtual Community Sustainability 14

16 Hypothesis 8: perceived ease of use will be positively related to behavior intentions. IPLOC & Perceived Usefulness According to Malhotra, Halletta, and Kirsch, the perceived locus of causality (PLOC) pertains to the self; the degree to which action is initiated from and endorsed by the self describes the relative autonomy of the act (2008). Malhotra et al. continue to write that an individual who perceives themselves as the source of their behavior is experiencing internal PLOC (IPLOC) (2008). Members who experience high internal PLOC when using a virtual community will most likely participate because they enjoy learning how to use the technology and finding out all of its capabilities. We see a connection in IPLOC with a strengthened perceived usefulness due to how the sense of well being plays into IPLOC. Motivation is the propensity to have an effect on the environment as well as to attain valued outcomes within it (Deci & Ryan, 2000). Motivation is required to act on the needs of relatedness. Motivation causes individuals to pursue growth and the sense of well- being. If a sense of well- being increases IPLOC and relatedness, prior theory tells us that it will also increase perceived usefulness. The research of Malhotra et al. goes onto say that those having an IPLOC tend to not only perceive what they are doing as useful but also perform better (2008). With this research, we hypothesize that: Hypothesis 9: IPLOC will be positively related to perceived usefulness. IPLOC & PEOU IPLOC also relates to PEOU because of the association of volition and autonomy. Autonomy is the will to self- organize experience and behavior and to have activity that conforms to one s sense of self (Deci & Ryan, 2000). Deci and Ryan go on to state that Intrinsic motivation concerns active engagement with tasks that people find interesting and that, in turn, promote growth (2000). If a VC or A Model of Virtual Community Sustainability 15

17 the applications of a VC is something that a person with a higher IPLOC finds interesting, then we assume that the PEOU positively correlates. Hence, Hypothesis 10: IPLOC will be positively related to PEOU IPLOC & BI Malhotra, Halletta, and Kirsch wrote that IPLOC is based on what comes instinctively and spontaneously such spontaneous behavior is typically characterized by self- perceived reasons for behavior (or behavioral intentions) performed simply for inherent enjoyment or fun (2008). The more a member enjoys a VC for their one sense of well- being, the more they will intend to participate. Thus, Hypothesis 11: IPLOC will be positively related to BI. EPLOC & PEOU External PLOC (EPLOC) occurs when the individual perceives their behavior as a compulsion or a result of the influence of the environment (Malhotra, Galletta, & Kirsch, 2008). We hypothesize that people who experience external PLOC most likely will join and participate in a VC because their friends and/or co- workers pressure them to join and participation. Because others can do it, the member will attempt to perceive the VC as easy to use. Therefore, Hypothesis 12: EPLOC will be positively related to PEOU EPLOC & Perceived Usefulness Based on Malhotra, Halletta, and Kirsch s writing about EPLOC, we draw a connection between EPLOC and perceived usefulness. The basis behind this opinion draws from incentives to perform tasks (2008). The better and stronger the incentives are (i.e. money and promotions), the more perceived usefulness certain tools are that help achieve these tasks. Moreover, A Model of Virtual Community Sustainability 16

18 Hypothesis 13: EPLOC will be positively related to perceived usefulness. EPLOC & BI Malhotra, Halletta, and Kirsch s research states that EPLOC is concerned with activities not associated with self- growth, which are typically considered less meaningful unless they are supported by incentives like money, promotions, etc (2008). The introduction of incentives from outside sources it what qualifies this as EPLOC. The research of Malhotra et al. tells us that the more personally meaningful the incentive is, the less burdensome, more autonomous, and relatively easier the task is to perform (PEOU) (2008). The incentives can be nonmonetary. There are rules basically in any environment that we allow to dictate our behaviors intentions about certain behaviors. Whether to seek praise or evade reprimand, this acts as an incentive to our behaviors and, thus, the intentions behind those behaviors. Drawn from the conclusions of Malhotra, Halletta, and Kirsch (2008), we hypothesize that: Hypothesis 14: EPLOC will be positively related to BI. BI & Behaviors According to the Theory of Reasoned Action, a person s performance of a specified behavior is determined by his or her behavioral intention (BI) to perform the behavior (Davis, Bagozzi, & Warshaw, 1989). Behavioral intentions culminate in the actions of a behavior which is by all definitions is participation. According to Casalo, Flavain, & Gauinaliu, participation in the virtual community is a crucial element to guarantee the community s survival in the long term (2007). Because participation can be different from one type of VC to another, likewise, the behavioral intentions can also be different. On social communities similar to Facebook, participation behaviors would be leaving comments on someone else s profile, uploading pictures, tagging pictures, leaving notes, etc. On blog A Model of Virtual Community Sustainability 17

19 communities such as Word Press and Xanga, participation behaviors include writing and reading blogs as well as commenting on what people have written. In more task- oriented virtual communities such as LinkedIn, participation behaviors occur when you try to complete 100% of your profile by giving and receiving recommendations. Participation is vital because without it, a community is declining. Consider someone joining a new community. They obviously join it for a reason albeit it curiosity, information, or even because it is the current trend. If members are not participating then they most likely are not inputting information they wish to display; thus, the person joining is prevented from establishing any connections with the members or learning anything about the community. If that person cannot develop any sort of connection to the community, they will most likely not participate. Likewise, the community will not thrive and will not reach sustainability. In order to have participation, there must be members. Members are people who both join a community and choose to remain in the community. People join virtual communities to pursue interests. An interest is the feeling of a person whose attention, concern, or curiosity is particularly engaged by something (interest). It is the pursuit of interests that will cause a person to join, stay, and participate. For a VC to reach sustainability, we need participation past just staying in a community. Ironically, we need to fulfill the interests and behavioral intentions of the members to encourage participation. Therefore, A Model of Virtual Community Sustainability 18

20 Hypothesis 15: BI will be positively related to behavior. IV. Research Method Method We administered an online survey to 137 students at a university. We were testing to find out which of the measures that ultimately affect behavior work the best and where they come from. We examined the data and evaluated it for reliability and validity. While some questions asked for a numeric answer such as how many VCs are you a member of? most asked how the respondent agreed with a statement to which the respondent would select among the following: strongly disagree, moderately disagree, slightly disagree, neither disagree nor agree, slightly agree, moderately agree, or strongly agree. Using the responses to these questions, we tested our hypotheses to find out how relevant they were to behavioral intentions and behaviors. Participants We had 137 college students take a survey with questions that are based the model mentioned above. Of the 137 students, 64% were male and 36% were female. The ages surveyed ranged from 19 to 32 with 88% being between the ages of 20 and 22. Of the 137 participants, all were business majors except for 3 people. Within the business school, about 28% were logistics majors, 19% were marketing majors, 18% in finance, 15% accountants, 15% management majors, and 5% other majors. Around 80 % of participants were working on their first bachelor s degree while 15% were working on their second degree. Work experience among this group ranged from 0 to 13 years, with 22% having five years, 15% having six years, another 15% having four years. 12% of those tested had no work experience. Research Method 19

21 Of the 137 tested, 136 used their VC for communicating with friends and family. The majority, 78.1% joined a VC between Upon asking their VC of choice, 95.6% chose Facebook. Considering that Facebook was created at Harvard in 2004 and diffused to other campus after that, these students appear to be early adaptors of VCs (Facebook, ). Out of those tested, 55% belonged to just one VC, while 32% shared time at two VCs, and 11% had membership in at least three VCs. Three additional participants are not counted part of the 137 participants because they had never joined a VC. Upon asking them why they had never joined, we received the following responses: I m too old, but one day I will get one to keep it touch with my children, I never saw a need for it, and I just never wanted to be a member of one. Measures Relatedness was measured by questions created for this survey. These questions asked the respondents to respond to statements dealing from when I m around other people I would prefer to be alone to I m happy being quiet in a large group of people. Image, visibility, and compatibility were measured by questions used in a survey in Moore and Benbasat s research (1991). Computer self- efficacy was measured by questions that ask the member they perceive their computer skills and the model for which came from the survey used in Marakas, Yi, and Johnson s research (1998). Questions were created for CSE to be unique to VCs and included questions like I believe that I have the ability to communicate effectively in a VC. Questions measuring PEOU and perceived usefulness, IPLOC, EPLOC, and behavioral intentions came from a survey conducted by Malhotra, Galletta, and Kirsch for their research on PLOC (2008). Questions measuring behavior were created as to be unique to the acts of behavior common to VCs. Common activities are status updates, blogs or note posting, leaving comments, engaging in chats, and uploading pictures. Other measures of behavior include asking the Research Method 20

22 respondents the frequency of those behaviors such as how many times a day do you login to your VC, how often do you update your staus, etc. V. Results and Analysis The data were analyzed using SmartPLS Version 2.0.M3 (Ringle, Wende, & Will, 2005). PLS is a latent structural equation modeling technique that is particularly well- suited for theory development and applicable when the research goal is causal- predictive testing and explanation of variance (Barclay, Higgins, & Thompson, 1995) (Chin, 1998). Given smaller sample sizes, PLS can provide a robust analysis due to its component- based estimation (Chin, 1998). As this research attempts to explore the strength of relationships between constructs as opposed to model testing, PLS is an acceptable method (Straub, Boudreau, & Gefen, 2004). We employed a 2- step approach in which the measurement model was assessed, followed by an assessment of the structural model. The measurement model assessments are presented first, followed by structural model assessments. Measurement Model The psychometric properties of the scales (the measurement model) were assessed by examining item reliability and discriminant validity. Internal composite reliability (ICR), a measure similar to Cronbach s alpha, was calculated for the measurement scales. All measurement scales exhibit reliability well above the.70 threshold (DeVellis, 1991) (Nunnally, 1978). Descriptive statistics and ICR for the constructs are in Table 1. Discriminant validity was assessed by determining if the constructs share more variance with their own measures than they share with the other constructs in the model. Table 2 presents the results of the correlation matrix for the research model and the average variance extracted (AVE), which Results and Analysis 21

23 provides a measure of the average variance shared between a construct and its measures. For discriminant validity, the measure in the diagonal (square root of the average variance shared between a construct and its measures) must be greater than the variance shared between that construct and the other constructs. In each case, the diagonal value is larger than the corresponding row and column correlation, suggesting adequate discriminant validity (Fornell & Larcker, 1981). To further examine discriminant validity, we examined each item s factor loadings to ensure that each item loaded higher on its own construct than on any other construct. Table 3 presents the results of the factor loadings and cross loadings. Table1. Construct Descriptive Statistics and Internal Composite Reliabilities (ICR) # Items Mean Std. Dev Response Range ICR BEH BI COMPAT CSE EPLOC IMAG IPLOC PEOU PU REL VIS Valid N 137 Results and Analysis 22

24 Structural Model The tests of the structural model are shown in Figure 2 and Table 4. Figure 2 shows the path coefficients and explained variances (R 2 ) for the constructs in the model. Although PLS does not explicitly provide significance for path coefficients, a bootstrapping resampling technique was performed to generate t- statistics to determine the significance level of the model paths. Table 4 provides summary results of the hypothesis testing and tabular representation of path beta coefficients. Table 2. Inter-construct Correlations a. BEH BI COMPAT CSE EPLOC IMAG IPLOC PEOU PU REL VIS BEH N/A BI COMPAT CSE EPLOC IMAG IPLOC PEOU PU REL VIS a The square root of the average variance extracted (AVE) between the construct and measures is shown on the diagonal. For discriminant validity, the diagonal element should be larger than the off- diagonal correlations. Results and Analysis 23

25 Figure 2. PLS Results Table 3. Factor Loadings and Cross Factor Analysis CONSTRUCT ITEM BI COMPAT CSE EPLOC IMAG IPLOC PEOU PU REL VIS BI BI BI BI BI BI BI BI COMPAT COMPAT COMPAT CSE CSE CSE CSE CSE CSE EPLOC EPLOC EPLOC EPLOC EPLOC EPLOC EPLOC IMAG Results and Analysis 24

26 IMAG IMAG IMAG IMAG IPLOC IPLOC IPLOC IPLOC IPLOC IPLOC IPLOC IPLOC IPLOC IPLOC PEOU PEOU PEOU PEOU PEOU PEOU PEOU PU PU PU PU PU PU PU PU PU REL REL REL REL REL VIS VIS VIS VIS VIS VIS VIS The tests yielded 5 supported hypotheses. Hypotheses 4, 6, 8, 9, and 11 showed a positive relationship. These results are significant because their T- Values from the bootstrapping technique are less than Hypothesis 12 instead showed that EPLOC negatively related to PEOU. Table 4: PLS Results Hypothesis Path Path Coefficient Supported? Results and Analysis 25

27 H1 REL PU N H2 IMAG PU N H3 VIS PU N H4 CSE PEOU 0.527*** Y H5 COMPAT PEOU N H6 PEOU PU 0.316** Y H7 PU BI N H8 PEOU BI 0.299*** Y H9 IPLOC PU 0.445*** Y H10 IPLOC PEOU N H11 IPLOC BI 0.557*** Y H12 EPLOC PEOU *** N (rev) H13 EPLOC PU N H14 EPLOC BI N H15 BI BEH N R 2 PU PEOU BI BEH *p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001 VI. Discussion of Results The results provide some insight into the workings of the model. For example, perceived usefulness is influenced only by IPLOC. Relatedness, image, and visibility suggested very weak if any influence at all on perceived usefulness. This relationship worked as expected: the more a member Discussion of Results 26

28 perceives a VC as easier to use, the more likely the member will perceive it as useful. With this knowledge, if a VC is being created, the VC needs to appear easy enough to use and avoid an interface that is too complex, or else the member will perceive it as not easy enough to use. Computer self efficacy (CSE) provides positive support for PEOU, whereas compatibility is not a contributing factor. CSE positively related to PEOU as expected. If Members believe they have the proper computer and VC interface skills, they will likely perceive a VC as easy to use. The creators of a VC should pay attention to PEOU more than perceived usefulness because PEOU was found to be positively related to the behavioral intention to use the VC. Perceived usefulness proved not to positively relate to BI. Usefulness may not be an important enough reason to get people to join and participate. Interestingly enough, the results showed that PEOU negatively influenced members to participate when there were external pressures present to use (EPLOC). The results showed that the members would respond negatively and not participate if a professor, boss, peer, etc. tried to force them to use a VC. Whether this remains to be true once the respondents graduate from college and enter the workforce remains to be seen since money (or other work incentives) has not yet had an opportunity to talk to most of these students. Finally, we explain only 23% of the variance in usage behaviors with our measures; however, behavioral intentions are not a significant influence on actual use. This is not surprising because not all behavioral intentions come to fruition through action. Obviously other factors have an influence on behavior. Discussion of Results 27

29 Limitations Our demographic of college students has significantly limited us to studying the members of Facebook instead of VCs geared more towards the business word such as LinkedIn; however, Facebook is not limited to just social applications. Ideally, it would be useful to administer this survey to people who have had more work experience such as MBA students and people who are currently in the workforce. This would decrease the dominance of Facebook in our study. What is evident in this study is that student types use VCs for more social purposes, and less for task or business purposes. As a result, their use (or intention to use) is driven by how easy it is to use, and not by the usefulness. So for socially- oriented VCs that are targeting student types, creators need to make the VC easy to use, and offer the member a lot of control. Students perceive themselves to be independent so it is reasonable that they would respond better to IPLOC and not EPLOC. They are also relatively tech savvy for this type of system but to the degree that it is "low of cognitive effort" they will be more likely to use the system. The fact that we administered a survey has potentially limited the data that we could gather from participants because they are capable of answering anyway they feel without any motivation to answer honestly. Anything can cause a student from providing less than honest answers and we have already established that they do not respond well from being forced to do something, such as fill out a survey honestly. While considering other data gathering techniques, a survey remained the best option considering how many respondents were needed for the study. VII. Conclusion The results of this study have helped to identify which factors lead to a sustainable virtual community. In order to create a virtual community, especially geared to students, it is important to Conclusion 28

30 create a VC that members can perceive as easy to use without trying to force them to use it. The member must believe that they have the technology skills to operate tools in a VC. Tools should be enabled that allow the member to perceive the VC as a utility that will increase a sense of well- being and self growth. While doing this will not guarantee 100% participation among members, VCs are going to have a better probability of getting members to participate. While not all the results were found as expected, the results of the analysis provide a more defined path on which to move forward. Conclusion 29

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