A Qualitative Analysis of How and Why People Use SNSs： A Cross-cultural Comparison of Korea and the U.S.

While participation in Social Network Sites （SNSs） has grown rapidly in recent years and is a highly popular and global phenomenon, only few research examined how the different cultural values and attitudes impact the way people adopt and use this new media platform. Employing qualitative approach, this study attempts to uncover the cross-cultural differences in motivations and behavioral patterns for using SNSs among the Korean and American users. The finding of this study shows the explicit differences in the motivations and strategies for using SNSs between Korean and American users, which is supported by the independent and interdependent self-construals theory proposed by Markus and Kitayama （1991）. The motivational themes and usage patterns emerged from Korean participants are more other- or relationship-focused, pursuing social/emotional support, while those of Americans are more ego- or self-focused, pertaining to entertainment or information seeking.

The Rise and Fall of Social Networking Sites： A Comparative Study of Cyworld and Facebook

This study examines why some social networking sites （SNSs） stagnate while other SNSs grow by comparing Cyworld with Facebook. Cyworld was one of the most successful SNSs in the world, but its international expansion efforts failed. Facebook＇s open technology has had considerable influence on various sectors of the economy and society and allowed it to become a dominant SNS at the global level, whereas Cyworld has remained a local SNS. Facebook＇s open platform and application programming interface （API） pose a serious challenge to Cyworld＇s walled-garden approach. Cyworld is based on strong ties fostering close relationships, whereas Facebook expands social networks through its open and weak ties and has more network power than Cyworld. Therefore, openness is the main reason behind the rise of Facebook and the fall of Cyworld.

Privacy disclosure in Chinese social networking sites:An investigation of Renren users

Purpose:This study was conducted to investigate the current situation of privacy disclosure(in the Chinese social networking sites.Design/methodology/approach:Data analysis was based on profiles of 240 college students on Renren.com,a popular college-oriented social networking site in China.Users’ privacy disclosure behaviors were studied and gender difference was analyzed particularly.Correlation analysis was conducted to examine the relationships among evaluation indicators involving user name,image,page visibility,message board visibility,completeness of education information and provision of personal information.Findings:A large amount of personal information was disclosed via social networking sites in China.Greater percentage of male users than female users disclosed their personal information.Furthermore,significantly positive relationships were found among page visibility,message board visibility,completeness of education information and provision of personal information.Research limitations:Subjects were collected from only one social networking website.Meanwhile,our survey involves subjective judgments of user name reliability,category of profile images and completeness of information.Practical implications:This study will be of benefit for college administrators,teachers and librarians to design courses for college students on how to use social networking sites safely.Originality /value:This empirical study is one of the first studies to reveal the current situation of privacy disclosure in the Chinese social networking sites and will help the research community gain a deeper understanding of privacy disclosure in the Chinese social networking sites.

Kaixin001 Network with Random Hierarchical Model

A new random hierarchical model to describe the neighborhood properties of Kaixin001 network is developed in this paper. The degree distribution of this network model follows P（k） k-γ with y = 1. It means the network model has a power-law distribution. Through calculating the clustering coefficients and average path length （APL）, the result reflects that the model has the properties of high clustering coefficients and low APL.

Factors influencing knowledge contribution:An empirical investigation of social networking website users

Purpose: In the Web 2.0 era,leveraging the collective power of user knowledge contributions has become an important part of the study of collective intelligence. This research aims to investigate the factors which influence knowledge contribution behavior of social networking sites(SNS) users.Design/methodology/approach: The data were obtained from an online survey of 251 social networking sites users. Structural equation modeling analysis was used to validate the proposed model.Findings: Our survey shows that the individuals' motivation for knowledge contribution,their capability of contributing knowledge,interpersonal trust and their own habits positively influence their knowledge contribution behavior,but reward does not significantly influence knowledge contribution in the online virtual community.Research limitations: Respondents of our online survey are mainly undergraduate and graduate students. A limited sample group cannot represent all of the population. A larger survey involving more SNS users may be useful.Practical implications: The results have provided some theoretical basis for promoting knowledge contribution and user viscosity.Originality/value: Few studies have investigated the impact of social influence and user habits on knowledge contribution behavior of SNS users. This study can make a theoretical contribution by examining how the social influence processes and habits affect one's knowledge contribution behavior using online communities.