Converting readers to patients? From free to paid knowledge-sharing in online health communities

Abstract

Although the sharing of knowledge in online health communities (OHCs) has been explored in recent years, little research has been done to explore the relationship between general and specific knowledge-sharing. Based on the literature on knowledge-sharing in OHCs, this study developed a research model to explore how physicians’ general knowledge-sharing behaviors influence their specific knowledge-sharing activities via their online reputations and the contingent role of patient involvement in OHCs. The research model was tested using objective data from a leading OHC in China. The results show that general knowledge-sharing is positively associated with specific knowledge-sharing, and this ..