Fostering Public Good Contributions with Symbolic Awards: a Large-Scale Natural Field Experiment at Wikipedia
Authors | Jana Gallus |
|---|---|
Publication date | 2017 |
DOI | 10.2139/ssrn.2579118 |
Links | Original |
Fostering Public Good Contributions with Symbolic Awards: a Large-Scale Natural Field Experiment at Wikipedia - scientific work related to Wikipedia quality published in 2017, written by Jana Gallus.
Overview
This natural field experiment tests the effects of purely symbolic awards on volunteer retention in a public goods context. The experiment is conducted at Wikipedia, which faces declining editor retention rates, particularly among newcomers. Randomization assures that award receipt is orthogonal to previous performance. The analysis reveals that awards have a sizeable effect on newcomer retention, which persists over the four quarters following the initial intervention. This is noteworthy for indicating that awards for volunteers can be effective even if they have no impact on the volunteers' future career opportunities. The awards are purely symbolic, and the status increment they produce is limited to the recipients' pseudonymous online identities in a community they have just recently joined. The results can be explained by enhanced self-identification with the community, but they are also in line with recent findings on the role of status and reputation, recognition, and evaluation potential in online communities.
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Wikipedia Quality
Gallus, Jana. (2017). "[[Fostering Public Good Contributions with Symbolic Awards: a Large-Scale Natural Field Experiment at Wikipedia]]". INFORMS. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.2579118.
English Wikipedia
{{cite journal |last1=Gallus |first1=Jana |title=Fostering Public Good Contributions with Symbolic Awards: a Large-Scale Natural Field Experiment at Wikipedia |date=2017 |doi=10.2139/ssrn.2579118 |url=https://wikipediaquality.com/wiki/Fostering_Public_Good_Contributions_with_Symbolic_Awards:_a_Large-Scale_Natural_Field_Experiment_at_Wikipedia |journal=INFORMS}}
HTML
Gallus, Jana. (2017). "<a href="https://wikipediaquality.com/wiki/Fostering_Public_Good_Contributions_with_Symbolic_Awards:_a_Large-Scale_Natural_Field_Experiment_at_Wikipedia">Fostering Public Good Contributions with Symbolic Awards: a Large-Scale Natural Field Experiment at Wikipedia</a>". INFORMS. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.2579118.
