The WELL

Susanna Aasman

doi:10.4135/9781473960367.n282

The WELL

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › Professional

Abstract

The Whole Earth ’Lectronic Link, better known by its acronym The WELL, was founded in 1985 and is an early example of an online community. It quickly became a popular space where registered community members participated in lively discussions on all sorts of topics. Although The WELL might be seen as unique considering its type of participants and especially its organization, they were neither the first nor the only online community. It was basically a dial-up bulletin board system (BBS) that allowed users with a personal computer and a telephone plus modem to connect with other users and start an asynchronous or real-time written conversation. Around the mid-1980s, BBS-based computer-mediated communication (CMC) through teleconferencing had become quite popular, and The WELL tapped into this but brought this personal computing to a different level, thanks to a clever plan of two idealistic entrepreneurs that combined a serious investment in the project with a vision of building a self-sustaining online community.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	The SAGE Encyclopedia of the Internet
Editors	Barney Warf
Place of Publication	London
Publisher	SAGE Publishing
Pages	962-964
Number of pages	3
Volume	3
ISBN (Print)	9781473926615
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.4135/9781473960367.n282
Publication status	Published - May-2018

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The WELL als utopische gemeenschap. De geschiedenis van de eerste 'settlers' in een digitale wereld
Aasman, S. I., 2010, Identiteitspolitiek. Media en de constructie van gemeenschapsgevoel. Broersma, M. & Koopmans, J. W. (eds.). Hilversum: Uitgeverij Verloren, p. 59 - 70
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › Academic

Cite this

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title = "The WELL",

abstract = "The Whole Earth {\textquoteright}Lectronic Link, better known by its acronym The WELL, was founded in 1985 and is an early example of an online community. It quickly became a popular space where registered community members participated in lively discussions on all sorts of topics. Although The WELL might be seen as unique considering its type of participants and especially its organization, they were neither the first nor the only online community. It was basically a dial-up bulletin board system (BBS) that allowed users with a personal computer and a telephone plus modem to connect with other users and start an asynchronous or real-time written conversation. Around the mid-1980s, BBS-based computer-mediated communication (CMC) through teleconferencing had become quite popular, and The WELL tapped into this but brought this personal computing to a different level, thanks to a clever plan of two idealistic entrepreneurs that combined a serious investment in the project with a vision of building a self-sustaining online community.",

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The WELL

Abstract

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Research output

The WELL als utopische gemeenschap. De geschiedenis van de eerste 'settlers' in een digitale wereld

Cite this