User Engagement in eWoM communication: : Do acquaintance and prior usage experience make the message fonder?

The generation of electronic word-of-mouth (eWoM) has received significant attention in social media research. However, the theory of antecedents for user engagement with eWoM communication is less developed. In an investigation of 576 unique user postings across independent Facebook (FB) communities of two German firms, we complement existing knowledge about the user engagement with eWoM in three different ways. First, we conceptualize user engagement and measure this construct as a weighted combination of Likes and Comments. The results show a positive effect of senders' prior usage experience and the extent of their acquaintance with other community members on user engagement. Second, the type of community moderates these main effects. In service communities, experience has a stronger impact on user engagement; whereas, in product communities, acquaintance plays a more important role. Third, post-hoc analysis highlights the impact of acquaintance and experience if and when Likes and Comments as constituents of user engagement are weighted differently. Managerial and theoretical implications for fostering user engagement and optimizing eWoM communication are discussed.