What is The WELL?

Welcome to a gathering that's like none other — remarkably uninhibited, intelligent and iconoclastic.

The regulars in this place include noted authors, programmers, journalists, activists and other creative people who swap info, test their convictions and banter with one another in wide-ranging conversations.

The WELL, originally the Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, provides a literate watering hole for some articulate and unpretentious thinkers. [more about The WELL...]

Fresh conversations

Presents of mind
What is your idea of the perfect gift? (Members only)

How low can you go?
How is the economic downturn affecting you? (Members only)

Think globally, taste locally
Is it important to preserve a "taste of place" in food? (Guests welcome)

More discussions...

Membership is not for everyone: partly because we are non-anonymous here. This means that as a member, you know the names of the people you're talking with and they know you, leading to real relationships. Here's how to decide whether The WELL is for you, and whether you're for The WELL. [more on how to join...]

Jane Hirschfield, Poet
I've been a member of The WELL since 1991, and have found friends, inspiration, companionship, and more practical assistance than I can ever fully acknowledge. If you want to know how it is that ink sticks to its page or how to pronounce a word in Anglo Saxon, Experts is there. The News, Writers, and Health conferences are other long-term homes. The WELL's culture of intelligence, compassion, neighborliness, and occasional cascades of puns is a world unlike any other place online. One of the first, it's still one of the best. [more recommendations...]

Use the search box below to explore those goodies that are open for everybody to enjoy. Find FAQs, sites created by members and a few topics being discussed out front. (Members log in at the top of the page to the acclaimed forums on the inside.)

Search our front porch

The WELL   The WWW