ABSTRACT
As the proliferation of the internet, the c01mnunication and collaboration among people are no longer hindered by space and time baniers. Cross-cultural communication and collaboration are taking place much more frequently than before. One popular example for internet-based services is online collaborative knowledge sharing, such as Wikipedia. The purpose of this study is to compare Chinese and German users on their motivations and behaviors in online collaborative knowledge sharing services. In the empirical part of this study, an interview and a questionnaire survey were conducted. From the results, we found that significant differences exist in the users' motivations and behaviors between Chinese and Germans. The cross cultural theories drawn from the physical world are also applicable to the virtual world.
