Social embeddedness in user innovation networks: Evidence from Stackoverflow.com

Abstract

The innovation contribution by the users is crucial for the success of the online innovation networks. Therefore, it becomes critical to explore the impact of innovation networks' structural characteristics on the user innovation contribution. For this purpose, we use observational data from online innovation knowledge sharing platform,Stackoverflow.comand studied the user contribution of253779users answering approximately 2 Million questions during the one-year period of 2017. Our results provide empirical support that the user embedded at the maximumk-core of the innovation network has higher innovation contribution as compared to the user embedded at the lowerk-cores. Our study has implications for online innovation network communities and various managerial and commercial enterprises.