Getting more resources for better performance: The effect of user-owned resources on the value of user-generated content

In this paper, we propose a novel resource-based perspective to investigate the value of knowledge content in online Q&A communities. We argue that the value of knowledge content can be a function of both the amount and quality of resources available to its contributor. Drawing on literature grounded in Service-Dominant logic and Resource-Advantage theory, we suggest that resources controlled by users in online Q&A community can be classified into informational, skill-related and social resources. Utilizing both structured and unstructured behavioral data retrieved from 135,808 answers provided by 114,112 contributors to 300 hot questions on Zhihu in 2018, we extract seven features corresponding to different resource dimensions and provide an integrated set of resource metrics. Econometric analysis is then conducted to test our conceptual model. Our results reveal that informational, skill-related and social resources possessed by knowledge contributor relate significantly and positively to the value of knowledge content. Our results also confirm the moderating role of social resource on these relationships, providing insights into how the core elements of resources interact and reinforce each other to create value. The findings have important implications for fostering user-generated content and knowledge management.