The WELL was a precursor to what we now call internet 'forums'. It was created by Stewart Brand and Larry Brilliant in 1985. The 'WELL' stands for Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link: Whole Earth Catalog was the name of Brand's previous venture, a counterculture publication. Brand and Brilliant set out to create an electronic community where like-minded individuals could discuss different interests and topics. Although the WELL was run as a business, it was not based on making a profit, focusing instead on forming relationships and a sense of community. The software used was text-based (Steve Jobs described the interface as 'the ugliest … he had ever seen' (Hafner, 2001). Membership to the site required a small monthly fee and a modem to connect to the internet (which not many people had at that time). There was no anonymity for members, who posted under their real names. However, many posters created online personalities that were very different to their offline ones. This became apparent when members of the WELL began meeting at regular gatherings (Hafner).
Topics discussed on the WELL ranged from serious political discussions, to views on sexuality, to confessions about members' lives. Posts were monitored by staff who worked hard to foster good relations between members and to dispel anger when arguments became too heated. As public access to computers and the internet grew, so did the popularity of the WELL. Although membership swelled into the thousands, their was a select group of a few hundred posters who formed a tight community and long-lasting friendships. The WELL could be viewed as the original Social Network, one which was less ego-based than today's sites, and more geared towards linking like-minded individuals and generating quality discussion. As well as the discussion boards, the WELL also offered email and a service that we would now call instant messaging, known as 'Send'. Although the WELL is still around today, it seems to have fallen by the wayside as new, slicker, hipper Social Media sites are formed, maybe because of it's lack of profit-making power, and it's outdated interface.
References:
- Turner, Fred
- "When the Counterculture met the New Economy: The WELL and the Origins of Virtual Community", Technology and Culture, Vol.46, No.3 (July, 2005), pp. 485–
- Katie Hafner, The WELL: A Story of Love, Death and Real Life in the Seminal Online Community
- (2001) Carroll & Graf Publishers
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