Measuring blog service innovation in social media services

Abstract

Purpose

Blog is a web-based social activity that has become mainstream media. The purpose of this paper is to develope a measurement instrument for assessing blog service innovation, which social media services providers and bloggers can use to promote blog functions and to ensure high quality blog services.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted both qualitative and quantitative research methods and performed four steps of scale development, including item generation and item pooling, pretest and initial purification, scale refinement, and scale validation and critical item analysis.

Findings

From a user-oriented service perspective, the major findings of the study were the 18 measurement items for blog service innovation scale (BLOG-S-INNO scale), which was derived from the innovative blog cognition of blog users. One critical factor in the BLOG-S-INNO scale was further identified to effectively predict outcomes of blog service innovation in social media services.

Research limitations/implications

Management at social media services providers can apply the BLOG-S-INNO scale as a diagnostic tool to assess organizational innovation capabilities in relation to blog services, and to link their innovation strategies with the innovation experiences of bloggers improving bloggers’ affection. The findings of this study also make it possible to offer recommendations to help bloggers improve service innovation to increase the experience and preference of blog browsers.

Originality/value

The study used qualitative research methods to construct a pool of items for measuring blog service innovation. Furthermore, the paper conducted quantitative research methods to develop a new blog service innovation scale and analyzed the key indicators of blog service innovation.

Citation

Yang, M.-H., Weng, S.-S. and Hsiao, P.-I. (2014), "Measuring blog service innovation in social media services", Internet Research, Vol. 24 No. 1, pp. 110-128. https://doi.org/10.1108/IntR-12-2012-0253