Empirical study on factors influencing user's willingness for participating in virtual communities

With the advancing of Internet and technology, virtual communities (VCs) have developed rapidly in China. User's willingness to participate becomes the key point for maintenance and development of VCs. Base on the viewpoint that VCs have the dual nature of technology and society, this paper uses structural equation model to carry out empirical study on factors influencing user's willingness for participating in VCs. The results show that perceived usability and perceived sociability have significant positive impact on user's willingness for participation; systemic stability and matching degree of knowledge have significant positive impact on perceived technicality; social interactivity and management suitability have significant positive impact on perceived sociability.