The antecedents and outcomes of identifiability in online brand communities

User generated content is a fundamental aspect of an online brand community (OBC), therefore facilitating the continuance of knowledge sharing and social interaction is imperative to the success of the community. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of perceived identifiability on the factors that encourage ongoing participation in OBCs. Results indicate that perceived identifiability has a significant positive influence on an OBC members' participative behaviour and sense of belonging. Whilst network ties have a significant positive influence on perceived identifiability and a sense of belonging all of which are factors shown to be critical to the ongoing success and sustainability of OBCs.