An examination of early and late contributions at online contexts

User generated content is being recognized as part of the value proposition of e-commerce organizations. To make available fresh content on topics with existing contributions and first-time content on topics with little or no existing content, one needs to understand why individuals contribute early or late. Drawing upon the cognitive model of helping, this study develops and tests three hypotheses based on a survey and archival data of 235 contributors of reviews at Amazon.com. Results of an SEM analysis using LISREL indicate that self-perceived competence is positively associated with early contributions whereas an individual’s social adjustive motive toward others in general leads to late contributions. In contrast, people for whom the social adjustive motive toward specific others is salient are neither likely to contribute consistently early nor late. These findings suggest ways for site administrators to ensure a balanced coverage across topics by addressing these individual factors.