Why Share Weather? Motivational Model for "Share Weather" Online Communities and Three Empirical Studies

The concept of “weatherwikis”web 2.0 platforms for sharing weather information between individuals – is faced with several challenges. While some studies confirm satisfactory reliability of user-generated weather information, sources of motivations to contribute are yet unexplored. This paper provides a theoretical framework for weatherwikis, based on social capital theory, and three empirical studies that explore different contextual sources of motivation, of which compensation and ideology may be considered most interesting with the background of current motivational theories on networks of practice. The paper provides some results that, in contrast to established theories and findings on motivations driving networks of practice, suggest that extrinsic motivations may be essential, beside the recognized importance of social acceptance (e.g. enjoyment).