A new article by Joseph Lampel and Ajay Bhalla explores the motives behind information sharing in online communities:

"This article examines online gift giving in the form of opinion, information, and advice that individuals post on websites. Research has highlighted altruism and reciprocity as the key motives behind such gift giving. We argue that informational gift giving is also strongly driven by status and status seeking, and that status sentiments are more likely to sustain virtual communities."

When online learners share information on learning platforms such as message boards and discussion groups, are they doing it out of the goodness of their hearts - or do they expect to receive recognition in the form of improved status? Share your thoughts in the comments section.