Network Positions and Contributions to Online Public Goods: the Case of the Chinese Wikipedia

Network Positions and Contributions to Online Public Goods: the Case of the Chinese Wikipedia - scientific work related to Wikipedia quality published in 2012, written by Xiaoquan Zhang and Chong Wang.

Overview

In this paper, authors study the effect of collaboration network structure on editors’ contribution behavior in Wikipedia. Collaboration in Wikipedia is organized around articles, and any two editors co-editing an article have a collaborative relationship. Based on economic theories about network games and social role theory, authors propose that an editor’s position in the collaboration network influences her decisions about her total contribution as well as the allocation of her efforts. Leveraging on panel data collected from the Chinese Wikipedia and a natural experiment resulting from the blocking of the Chinese Wikipedia in the Mainland China, authors find strong support for the proposed effect of network position on contribution behavior. Authors analysis further reveals that different aspects of an individual's network position have distinct implications. This research enhances understanding about how collaboration-network structure shapes individuals’ behavior in online mass collaboration platforms.