ABSTRACT

This study theorizes the role of social signals in overcoming the motivation, coordination, and integration challenges in a hybrid peer production community, WikiTribune. WikiTribune was a collaborative journalism project that combined elements of firm-based production with that of commons-based peer production. Empirical data (article metrics, project documentation, and user communications) was used to examine the first 18-months of building and developing the collaborative journalism platform and community. The study’s primary contribution is a social signaling model that extends the theory of commons-based peer production and presents three constructs that inform the socially productive behavior in these communities. These constructs (1) system signals, (2) normative signals, and (3) behavioral signals are theorized to shape user engagement through the different levels of project participation. The alignment/misalignment of these signals with project strategy produce positive or negative outcomes. The social signaling model seeks to explain how challenges are overcome and advantages leveraged in commons-based peer production, in both pure and hybrid forms.

摘要

本研究理论化了社交信号在克服混合同伴生产社区 WikiTribune 中的动机、协调和整合挑战中的作用。WikiTribune 是一个协作新闻项目，它将基于公司的生产要素与基于公地的同行生产要素相结合。经验数据（文章指标、项目文档和用户交流）用于检查构建和开发协作新闻平台和社区的前 18 个月。该研究的主要贡献是一种社会信号模型，它扩展了基于公地的同伴生产理论，并提出了三种结构，这些结构可以为这些社区的社会生产行为提供信息。这些构造 (1)系统信号，(2)规范信号，以及 (3)行为信号被理论化为通过不同级别的项目参与来塑造用户参与。这些信号与项目战略的对齐/不对齐会产生积极或消极的结果。社会信号模型试图解释如何克服挑战并利用纯和混合形式的基于公地的对等生产中的优势。