The present study compared social capital scales of a six-dimensional version (Model 1), a three-dimensional version (Model 2), and a two-dimensional version (Model 3) in the context of two types of online brand communities. Model 1 explains social capital with six constructs including interaction, trust, reciprocity, identification, language, and vision (Chiu, Hsu, & Wang, 2006; Williams, 2006). Model 2, a shorter version of Model 1, is identified with three dimensions of interaction, trust, and shared values (Lin & Lu, 2011). Lastly, Model 3 presents bridging and bonding as two key dimensions of social capital (Williams (2006). The present study used a quantitative online survey method. The sample size was 588; 301 for company-generated communities and 287 for consumer-generated communities. For comparison, three models were evaluated on two criteria: (1) the consistency in the dimensionality of each scale between two subgroups of online brand communities: company-generated and consumer-generated brand communities and (2) the predictability of the scale on consumer commitment to the brand community. The findings reveal that the three-dimensional model of social capital (Model 2) is more robust than the other models (Models 1 and 3). By comparing three social capital scales and identifying the context-specific scale, the current study contributes to the consumer behavior literature specific to social capital of social network sites. Also, this study helps marketers have a better understanding of social capital elements developed through interpersonal relationships in an online brand community.

• So Won Jeong(Sangmyung University, South Korea)
• Sejin Ha(University of Tennessee, U.S.A.)
• Kyu-Hye Lee(Hanyang University, South Korea)