PERIPHERAL MEMBERS IN ONLINE COMMUNITIES

Abstract

Organizations are exploring the role communities play in knowledge management and online communities are attracting more and more attentions.One difference between online communities and conventional communities lies in the large number of peripheral members in online communities, which is the focus of the study.The study empirically verifies the important role peripheral members play in online communities.It also suggests that in addition to benefiting from online communities, peripheral members also contribute to online communities.