How to be heard on microblogs? Nonprofit organizations' follower networks and post features for information diffusion in China

ABSTRACT

This study tackles the gap in public relations research on what drives users of microblogs in China to follow nonprofit organization (NPO) accounts and share (retweet) their posts, from a multidimensional perspective of the NPO, the microblog audience, and the post features. Using a content analysis of Sina Weibo data of 95 NPO accounts, results suggested that an NPO's status on Weibo is a significant predictor of its follower number. Follower numbers and activeness directly affected the NPO's number of retweets. Informative posts and posts that fulfill multiple gratifications were found to be more sharable than other post types. In addition, a post's originality, media richness, inclusion of opinion leaders, and endorsement by influential users all contributed to its level of circulation. This knowledge is essential for NPOs to spread information and build online communities that facilitate dialogic engagement and quality organization–public relationships with their stakeholders on social media in China's context.

KEYWORDS:

• Information diffusion
• retweet
• engagement
• nonprofit organizations
• social media

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributor

Yi-Ru Regina Chen is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Hong Kong Baptist University, Communication and Visual Arts Building, No. 5 Hereford Road, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon 8523, Hong Kong. [email: [email protected]]

Jiawei Sophia Fu is a PhD student in the Media, Technology, and Society program in the Department of Communication Studies at Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Drive, Frances Searle Building, Evanston, IL 60208, USA. [email: [email protected]]

Notes

1. Weibo users can obtain such identity (shown as V on one's account) by verifying their names, mobile phone numbers, and other information with the service provider, and this verification signifies the provider's endorsement of the user.

2. Weibo Index was automatically generated using the Sina Weibo tool (data.weibo.com/index/hotword) by typing the NPO's account name onto the page.