The Co-Creation of Value: Exploring User Engagement in User-Generated Content Websites

Paul M. Di Gangi Florida State University, USA

Molly Wasko Florida State University, USA

Abstract
Organizational interest in user-generated content (UGC) websites is growing, as organizations face highly competitive markets, uncertain economic environments, and a growing user base accustomed to active engagement rather than passive acceptance of products and services. Organizations are now exploring ways to provide a platform (website) through which users generate and contribute content, resulting in a co-created experience between users and organizations. However, organizations interested in leveraging UGC websites are facing a new challenge – getting users to actively engage through content contribution, retrieval, and exploration. Thus, the research questions guiding this manuscript are: what factors influence an individual’s user experience in UGC websites and how does the user experience impact individual engagement behavior? This manuscript develops a theory of co-created value to examine how social interactions, operationalized as perceived dialogue, social accessibility, transparency, and risk, and technical features, operationalized as the perceived granularity, extensibility, integration, and evolvability, of a UGC website influence an individual’s user experience and subsequent engagement behaviors. A theoretical model is proposed and propositions are presented for the individual relationships. Implications and future directions for research are also discussed.

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Reference:	Di Gangi, P. M., Wasko, M. (2009). "The Co-Creation of Value: Exploring User Engagement in User-Generated Content Websites," Proceedings > Proceedings of JAIS Theory Development Workshop . Sprouts: Working Papers on Information Systems, 9(50). http://sprouts.aisnet.org/9-50
Keywords:	User-generated content, online communities, user experiences, co-created value
Item Type:	Article - Volume 9 Article 50 (2009)
Language:	English
Email:	Paul M. Di Gangi (pdigangi@fsu.edu) Molly Wasko (mwasko@cob.fsu.edu)

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