Social network activity and contributing to an online review site

Purpose – The purpose of the studies was to test if extent of prior social media activity could predict likelihood that a consumer would post reviews on a new review website. Design/methodology/approach – Two online surveys were conducted presenting scenarios in which users were asked about prior social media activity, the number of social networks they belonged to in study one, and how actively they had posted reviews in study two. These questions were followed by descriptions of new review websites, a general local merchant review website in study one and a local restaurant review website in study two. Findings – Although demographics did a poor job of predicting who would post reviews on the new review websites, prior active social media use and review posting did modestly predict intention to post reviews on the new review websites. Research limitations/implications – This is not an experimental study and so causality cannot be claimed. Descriptively, although the results were consistent in two studies using different stimuli, other factors might prove to be better predictors of active user‐generated content for other types of sites. Practical implications – The findings suggest a simple and effective way for two‐sided platform managers to identify potential active reviewers so that they can target them through marketing strategies to encourage their essential participation and less‐active users can be similarly targeted to encourage modest use. Originality/value – No other studies can be found that focus on this aspect of managing two‐sided platforms. The results might be important for managers of other similar websites that depend on user‐generated content for their value.