• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.91-109
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• 2005

According to traditional theories of information systems, one of the reasons for using information technology is that users believe it to be helpful or useful for what they want to do, which is called extrinsic motivation. However, in addition to extrinsic motivation, there are other reasons for using it such as enjoying or playing with information technology itself, called intrinsic motivation, and just others around users, called social influence. The objective of this study is to provide a research model for using information technology considering intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and social influence. For validation of this model, we survey the users of 'Minihompy' since it is one of the most popular blog services in Korea and there are relatively clear extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, and social influence respectively in using it. By analysing 549 valid samples by Partial Least Square(PLS), we show the suggested research model to be a valid one. That is, all hypotheses we suggested turn out to be statistically significant and $R^2$ of the dependent variable, the intention of use, explaining by the model to be higher than 40%. In addition to validation of the research model, it is found that intrinsic motivation may be more important than extrinsic motivation and social influence in using information technology.

• Information Systems Review
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.161-179
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• 2009

Nowadays an increasing number of Internet users are running individual websites as Blog or Cyworld. As this type of personal media has a great influence on communication among people, business comes to care about Network Effect, Network Software, and Social Network. For instance, Cyworld created the web service called 'Minihompy' for individual web-logs, and acquired 2.4milion users in 2007. Although many people assumed that the popularity of Minihompy, or Blog would be a passing fad, Cyworld has improved its service, and expanded its Network with various contents. This kind of expansion reflects survival efforts from infinite competitions among ISPs (Internet Service Provider) with focus on enhancing usability to users. However, Cyworld's Network Effect is gradually diminished in these days. Both of low production cost of service vendors and the low searching/conversing costs of users combine to make ISPs hard to keep their market share sustainable. To overcome this lackluster trend, Cyworld has adopted new strategies and try to lock their users in their service. Various efforts to improve the continuance and expansion of Network effect remain unclear and uncertain. If we understand beforehand how a service would improve Network effect, and which service could bring more effect, ISPs can get substantial help in launching their new business strategy. Regardless many diverse ideas to increase their user's duration online ISPs cannot guarantee 'how the new service strategies will end up in profitability. Therefore, this research studies about Network effect of Cyworld's 'Minihompy' using System-Dynamics method which could analyze dynamic relation between users and ISPs. Furthermore, the research aims to predict changes of Network Effect based on the strategy of new service. 'Page View' and 'Duration Time' can be enhanced for the short tenn because they enhance the service functionality. However, these services cannot increase the Network in the long-run. Limitations of this research include that we predict the future merely based on the limited data. We also limit the independent variables over Network Effect only to the following two issues: Increasing the number of users and increasing the Service Functionality. Despite of some limitations, this study perhaps gives some insights to the policy makers or others facing the stiff competition in the network business.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.122-137
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• 2010

Blogs are a new type of media that have recently become popular on the World Wide Web and have influence throughout society. The purpose of this study is to examine social motivations influencing intention of blog usage. Based on Technology Acceptance Model and Motivation Theory, this study considered perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, reputation, reciprocity, enjoyment of helping, social identity as the determinants of influencing the intention to use of blog. The suggested model was empirically evaluated using online survey data collection from 342 users of popular blog site in Korea (NAVER Blog, Cyworld minihompy, Daum Blog, and Yahoo Blog). The results revealed that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, reciprocity, and social identity affect directly the intention of blog usage. Furthermore, social identity has moderate effect via reciprocity and enjoyment of helping on blog usage. This study contributes to a theoretical understanding of the factors as social motivation that affects the usage of blogs. Also, the results of this study provide blog service providers useful strategic insights and service guidelines to enhance user's intention of blogs practically.