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

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the opportunities of a successful virtual community. One reason behind this is the very nature ofthe Internet itself. Exchanging information and developing knowledge happens on the Internet ina rapid manner and the sum of knowledge developed in on-line communities is enormous. Ifbrain power represents the main resource for innovation, power to a good extent depends oncompetence and expertise. The open-source community provides a perfect example of how todevelop and sustain this resource and, by doing so, empowers its members.The process would not start off without an idea and product that concentrates enoughinterest of users and experts and provides a fertile ground for fascinating creative individuals.People have to have the expertise or the opportunity to accomplish the knowledge and skillsnecessary to be able to contribute. However, contributing is only feasible when ideas andproducts are not hoarded but made fully available to the wider public. In the case of digital goodspublishing them on the Internet is a relatively inexpensive and easy task. But how does a virtualcommunity enhance and sustain knowledge as its most important resource?The Internet offers several technical facilities to provide information as well as platformsfor discussion and direct contact with community members worldwide. Mailing lists, discussiongroups, on-line chatrooms, e-mail, answers to FAQ’s (frequently asked questions) on projectrelatedwebsites and on-line books, articles, HOWTO’s and - most importantly – the commentedsource codes offer infinite learning opportunities. However, the learning effort of even the mostambitious individual will decrease rapidly when challenge lies high above individual skills.Above this critical threshold outside help from more sophisticated community members is neededand regularly provided. “there is plenty of helpful people out there” (contributor). Moreover, themodular structure of open-source software enables iterative learning processes on small and selfselectedtasks (O'Reilly, 1999). At the same time it makes providing help an easy task asproblems are better defined and easier to detect. Frequently occurring problems and related24
questions are answered in FAQ’s which makes ‘teaching’ extremely efficient. Task-involvementand the learning progress provide a self-sustaining motivational system and often lead toremarkable careers. During this learning process constant interaction with others also strengthenssocial ties and even leads to close friendships. Giving back and contributing to the communitythen becomes “the natural thing to do”. Here is the story of a community member that describesthis process:“i discovered linux almost 5 years ago. at the time i was working for $7 dollars an hour as acashier at a pizza shop. after doing hobbyist hacking for a year i began to study the true art ofcomputer programming. ………. i stayed up all night long hacking on an increasinglyfrequent basis. i finally missed too much work (too sleepy to go in :-) and was fired by thepizza shop manager. fortunately, my friends and colleagues in the open source communityhad taught me enough that i was employable as a junior engineer - even without a formaldegree or any formal training. now i make well past $100,000US each year. …. i credit all ofthis to the generosity of the open source community. quite literally, without open sourcesoftware, my life would be nothing like this.” (extreme example, contributor)Quite obviously, not every contributor has the spare time or capability of achieving a high levelof expertise. Challenges may well be above the threshold of individuals. However, there is plentyof room for other types of contributions encouraged by the community. Whoever wants to getinvolved in a project and wants to give back can find an appropriate level of challenge, forinstance by fixing or just reporting bugs, writing HOWTO’s or maintaining a mailing list.“I haven’t been integrally involved, but I enjoy being able to give my input and ideas. If whatI thought has merit, I can see the results come to fruition and perhaps make friends along theway. It’s not often in this world that you actually get to make a difference, and open-sourceprojects are widely used an trusted, so each little bit of input gets used, gets used by a lot ofpeople. It’s a good feeling.” (affiliate)The concept of group-efficacy as a source of motivation is important here. Individualcontributions are rewarded by reactions (‘kudos and comments’) of community members whoappreciate the job done. With every piece of work submitted feed-back is provided within hours25
Page 1 and 2: Fostering
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Page 5 and 6: Finally, the typical exchange proce
Page 7 and 8: communities’ (e.g.: the Linux-com
Page 9 and 10: the actual contribution of individu
Page 11 and 12: elationship. A perfect gift is unco
Page 13 and 14: and symbolic value attached to thin
Page 15 and 16: hoarding them, exchange may neverth
Page 17 and 18: interviewer bias and its ‘natural
Page 19 and 20: motivational preconditions for volu
Page 21 and 22: “Frequently the developers on ope
Page 23: implement it for their use. It’s
Page 27 and 28: The processes described function as
Page 29 and 30: ack and reactions from users all ov
Page 31 and 32: Ekeh, Peter P. (1974). Social Excha
Page 33: Rheingold, Howard (2000). The Virtu

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