Real People. Real Names. Real Conversation.

When we talk about The WELL, we are usually talking about the conferences, where the magic happens, where posts develop into conversations, and members become a community.

Conversation is so treasured on The WELL that members of the community banded together to buy the site in 2012. Still civil, still thoughtful, no data mining, no ads. Real People. Real Names. Real Conversation.

If you like what you see, join us!

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NOW in the Inkwell, a world-readable forum

Tom Hilton, Aldora Britain Records, starts March 24, 2026

Tom Hilton, publisher of Aldora Britain Records, discusses his experience publishing a music e-zine during an unprecedented period of transformational turbulence in the digital media environment. See the most recent issue.

JOIN the live conversation tomorrow

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BBC highlights the historic role of The WELL:

‘How the Grateful Dead built the internet‘.

“In the 1980s, years before the World Wide Web, a virtual online community emerged called the Well (the Whole Earth ‘Lectronic Link). Centred on the San Francisco Bay Area of California, the Well not only thrived in its own right, but proved to be one of the most influential factors in the birth of the internet as we know it today… “

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Now included with WELL Membership: Mastodon

the Open-Source Social Network

Your WELL membership now gives you access to our Mastodon server and the entire Fediverse, in addition to the rich conversations in our local conferences. The Fediverse is an internet-wide social network. free of advertising, algorithms, and corporate objectives. Join us and see Mastodon Quick Start Guide to join the worldwide conversation today!

Join The Well!

Featured Recently in The Inkwell

Unlike most conversations on The WELL, you don’t need a WELL member account to participate – this one is open to all!

State of the World 2026, Jan 1 - Feb 4, 2026

Your co-hosts and lead commentators are author/journalist/design maven Bruce Sterling and yours truly, Jon Lebkowsky, digital culture maven and aging dharma punk. This is our 26th annual State of the World discussion. We tend to be more micro than macro in these discussions, which makes sense given that the actual state of the world is slippery, fluid, hard to assess reliably.

We offer an exploration of the chaos and complexity of the rapidly-spinning, always-evolving planet Earth and the odd bipedal and quadrupedal creatures variously crouching and wandering on its surface. We are observers of this world, sharing our observations here with no claim of extraordinary expertise.

VISIT the archived conversation

The Future of Public Radio, October 2 - Nov 13, 2025

The loss of public funding forces us to confront questions about the very identity of public radio. Will stations shift toward a more commercial model, relying heavily on corporate sponsorships? Can they adapt to new digital platforms while retaining their commitment to accessibility and diversity? Or will public radio lean more deeply into community-driven models, where audiences not only consume content but actively support and shape it?

We have assembled an illustrious panel of subject matter experts with substantial experience in Public Radio to discuss the looming challenges facing public radio stations, content producer networks, and distribution platforms as public funding is being disrupted.
VISIT the archived conversation

Visit the rest of the topics in The Inkwell

Well Members Say:

I am a political junkie, and the heat-to-light ratio in the Politics conference is very favorable — there’s a lot of substantial discussion without a lot of name-calling. The Sports conference features the day-to-day discussion of all kinds of sporting events, but the best things about the conference are the annual football and March Madness pools. Finally, the Legal conference is where I go to share war stories and get advice and dark humor from the grizzled old war horses.

–Doug Masson, Attorney
WELL Member since 1999

I love the Writers conference, home to a wonderfully supportive community of all types of real working writers being real people together. Byline is full of inside info the working writer needs — contracts and contacts, editors and agents. Current gives me thoughtful insights — and some fiercely argued points of view — on what’s happening in the world.

-Joe Flower, Healthcare Futurist
WELL Member since 1989

My home on The WELL is the convivial chow.ind. It’s the best place online to talk about food — eating it, cooking it, going out for it, and heck, even making dioramas from it. You’ll also find me in the San Francisco conference, which I co-host. There we discuss all aspects of city life from arts to sports to politics to — okay, eating again. I’m also a fan of Plumage, where a fashion reality check is always available from friendly cohorts.

-Brady Lea, Playwright/Teacher
WELL Member since 1998

I have always loved the Weird conference because “weird” only begins to describe it. I love the Plumage conference because my friends and I never get tired of talking about clothes, shoes, bags, accessories, and grooming, and because on Oscar night we cast all discretion aside and call it like we see it. And the Media conference is as rich and huge and fast-moving as media culture itself.

-Stephanie Vardavas, Attorney and Author
WELL Member since 1994