WELL, The

The WELL, in full The Whole Earth ‘Lectronic Link, long-standing Internet community that features message-board-style discussions on a wide variety of topics. Founded by Americans Stewart Brand and Larry Brilliant, The WELL’s origins trace back to 1985, when it began as a dial-up bulletin board system (BBS) located in San Francisco. Since then it has become one of the most respected discussion forums online.

The WELL is divided into conferences where members of the site may generate a topic and explore issues pertinent to that topic. The conferences cover broad areas of interest, such as art, hobbies, and religion, with more-specific topics within each conference, such as local governments and television shows. Discussions may be public or private, and some may not be contributed to or viewed by members other than those who have received invitations from the topic creator. The WELL is one of the few message boards where user anonymity is prohibited, which allows viewers to discern a poster’s identity at any time.

When Internet use increased dramatically in the early 1990s, The WELL’s online community became a benchmark for subsequent discussion-based Web sites. Notably, American software engineer Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.org, used The WELL to develop many of the ideas that were eventually realized in his own Web site. The WELL has also been utilized by other groups, such as fans of the musical group the Grateful Dead, who used the Web site to communicate with one another as they followed the band on tour. The slogan “You Own Your Own Words,” or “YOYOW,” encapsulates the guiding philosophy of The WELL, and it informs members that they will not only be recognized and given proper credit for their submissions but will be personally responsible for their submissions as well.