The Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, usually abbreviated as The WELL, is one of the oldest virtual communities that continues to operate. It currently has about 4000 members. It is well known for its Internet forums, but also provides email, shell accounts and web pages. The topics of discussion in WELL range from the deepest and most serious to the most frivolous, depending on the nature and interests of the participants.
Founded in Sausalito, California, it is currently operated from San Francisco. History
The WELL was founded by Stewart Brand and Larry Brilliant in 1985, and the name refers to some previous Brand projects, including the Whole Earth Catalog. The WELL started as a BBS via telephone, became one of the first ISPs in the early 1990s when commercial traffic was allowed, and changed to its current form as the Internet and web technologies evolved.
Some important points in The WELL story include being the forum through which John Perry Barlow, John Gilmore and Mitch Kapor, founders of the Electronic Frontier Foundation met. Howard Rheingold, one of its original members, was inspired by his experience in The WELL to write his book The Virtual Community. Craig Newmark started there his Craigslist emails. The WELL was one of the biggest online meeting points for Grateful Dead fans in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The WELL also played a role in the book Takedown on the chase and capture of Kevin Mitnick.
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