Why pay? An empirical study of paid-for SQA sites in China
| Date | 11 November 2019 |
| Published date | 11 November 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-05-2018-0169 |
| Pages | 1302-1315 |
| Author | Faming Zhang,Qifan Hu,Xupeng Fang |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval,Collection building & management,Bibliometrics,Databases,Information & knowledge management,Information & communications technology,Internet,Records management & preservation,Document management |
Why pay? An empirical study of
paid-for SQA sites in China
Faming Zhang
School of Economics and Management, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
Qifan Hu
School of Business Administration, Nanchang Institute of Technology Yao Lake,
Nanchang, China, and
Xupeng Fang
School of Economics and Management, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
Abstract
Purpose –The once failed paid-fo r social question and answer (SQA) ser vice is in full swing in China. The
traditional profit mo del, which typically relies on adv ertising, is abandoned in this cas e. Instead, users have
to pay for content and ser vice. The purpose of this paper is to explore why us ers are willing to pay in
paid-for SQA sites.
Design/methodology/approach –This study carried out 14 valid semi-structured interviews to
investigate “why did they pay.”The interviewees are users of three popular paid-for SQA sites. The
qualitative data were obtained from valid interviews and processed through thematic analysis.
Findings –The analysis reveale d five overarching the mes: paying for the answ erer’s heterogeneous
resource, paying for mo re credible answer, th e cognition of the quest ion, the price is afford able and
expecting potential re venue. The five themes and their sub- themes constitute the motivatio nf or why users
would pay in paid-for SQA.
Practical implications –As a new business model for online information services, paid-for SQA sites are
facing fierce competition from traditional ones. The findings not only indicate the importance of establishing
a reciprocal network relationship among users, but also provide a better understanding of users’needs and
demands for paid-for SQA services. The results are helpful for paid-for SQA sites to conduct a differential
competitive strategy according to the user’s paying motivation.
Originality/value –To authors’knowledge, this is the first study, which provides primary-source data and
valuable insights into users’paying motivation in the context of new paid-for SQA sites in China.
Keywords Thematic analysis, Paid-for service, Social question and answer, User-generated content,
Users’motivation
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
A social question and answer (social Q&A, SQA) site is an online community where users
can submit their questions in natural or non-technical language and get response from
people who have expertise or knowledge about it (Shah et al., 2009). The free model is the
typical one utilized by SQA sites. Askers post questions for free and answerers offer
responses voluntarily. No fee-for-service or payment exists on such sites, e.g., Yahoo!
Answers, Quora and Answer Bag.
Compared with free model, the paid-for model is intuitively less attractive to users. Many
studies claimed that a free-trial would be indispensable to attract potential users and open
the market for some fee-based services (Foubert and Gijsbrechts, 2016; Halbheer et al., 2014).
To a certain extent, price may prevent more users from participating. For SQA sites, the free
model is absolutely the mainstream. The evidence from the paywall in online news industry
(Chiou and Tucker, 2013; Chyi, 2005; Cook and Attari, 2012) and the failure of Google
Answers, a retired online paid-for Q&A site, have partially proved it. Generally speaking,
internet users prefer to access service and content without paying. However, how to make
money for free SQA sites is far from clear. Therefore, designing a viable business model is a
critical question for them.
Online Information Review
Vol. 43 No. 7, 2019
pp. 1302-1315
© Emerald PublishingLimited
1468-4527
DOI 10.1108/OIR-05-2018-0169
Received 12 May 2018
Revised 22 September 2018
27 February 2019
Accepted 22 July 2019
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/1468-4527.htm
1302
OIR
43,7
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