1.3: Determinants of success for online communities: An empirical study.

Study
Lin, H., & Lee, G. (2006). Determinants of success for online communities: An empirical study. Behaviour & Information Technology, 25(6), 479-488. doi:10.1080/01449290500330422

Design
Survey based design (N=165, within group), using a six-factor structural equation based on the updated DeLone and McLean information systems success model.

Type
Quantitative

Problem
There has been little empirical research on the factors that make online communities a success. What research has been done is based on models that have not been thoroughly validated.

Purpose
This study aims to add weight to the validity of the DeLone and McLean information systems success model while at the same time seeking to clarify the factors that make online communities a success.

Questions
What are the relationships between the various factors (system quality, information quality, service quality, user satisfaction, behavioral intention / engagement, and member loyalty) that constitute an online community?
Do these factors fit the model proposed by DeLone and McLean?

Hypothesis (if stated)
Not stated, but the model itself hypothesizes that there are relationships between these factors and that they are reliable determinants of the success of an online community.