Fostering cooperation on the Internet: social exchange processes in ...

This exploratory research aims at uncovering the 'models and rules of exchange' and tracingthe exchange processes of virtual producing consumer communities. The main research questionsaddressed are: (1) what are the key elements and contents of exchange in creative virtualcommunities, (2) what model of exchange guides the action of the community members, and (3)how do their actions contribute to the maintenance of ongoing exchange relationships.Furthermore, groups with different intensity levels of participation are distinguished in order todetect how those groups influence the meaning of exchange and shape exchange processes withinthe community.METHODOLOGY AND DATA ANALYSISReflecting the early stage of research on this phenomenon a qualitative approach seemed mostappropriate to gain the full range and depth of insights. Individuals should reveal their thoughts intheir own words with as little outside influence as possible. One main assumption behind thismethodological approach is that individuals’ explanations are coherent wholes in the sense ofarticulated causal belief structures and “…more or less well moored in the network of yourbeliefs about life in general.” (Antaki, 1988).To examine the meaning and ‘models of exchange in mind’ that lead to continuingexchange relationships, a web survey among individuals involved with open-source wasanalyzed. The survey was designed and administered by a core member of the community whichensured trust and a high response rate. The survey was posted at the most frequented communitysite - slashdot.com - which ensured that every community member had a chance to know aboutthe survey. Respondents were asked to report freely about their involvement with open-source,their motivations to take part in OS-projects and what kind of projects they are involved in. Themain advantages of the method applied mainly lies in its unobtrusiveness, the lack of any16