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

“The Spinach King: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty” by John Seabrook, starts Sept 18, 2025

Acclaimed journalist and New Yorker staff writer John Seabrook joins Inkwell to discuss his deeply personal and provocative new book, “The Spinach King: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty.” Drawing from a trove of family documents inherited after his father’s death, Seabrook uncovers the complex, and often dark, legacy of Seabrook Farms – his family’s frozen food empire that once dominated agriculture in southern New Jersey. The conversation explores themes of power, exploitation, family dysfunction, capitalism, and historical memory, as John reflects on uncovering painful truths, reconciling with his past, and telling the long-silenced stories of exploited workers whose labor built his family’s fortune.

JOIN the live conversation

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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!