# What's up with the Well? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 25, 2003, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-well/177457 "2003-05-25T21:42:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GrimGrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba9def/32.png) [@GrimGrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrimGrin)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-well/177457/1 "2003-05-25T21:42:34Z")
Is it really as influential as it is made out to be? I’ve been aware of its existence for a while now, but upon a renewed interest I come to find out that is supposedly on of the greatest things to come from the internet (with the exception of this website). Just wondering what all the buzz is about… ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-well/177457/2 "2003-05-25T21:48:27Z")
Perhaps a link to what this thing is would help? I am unaware of its purpose, and have heard no buzz. ---
**Author:** ![GrimGrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba9def/32.png) [@GrimGrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrimGrin)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-well/177457/3 "2003-05-25T21:54:01Z")
[The Well](http://www.well.com) is there. Perhaps it just some sort of isolated thing I’ve run across. Apparently, though, there have been entire books published on the subject and its users. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-well/177457/4 "2003-05-25T22:05:39Z")
The thing that makes the Well unusual is that it was one of the first internet communities. It was founded in 1985, before the World Wide Web, and before most people had personal computers. It was at the forefront of the internet revolution, which is why it inspired books and study. Now that anyone can set up an internet message board and start a community, the Well has lost its uniqueness, but it is still of great historical interest. I remember reading about the Well long before I had ever been online. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-well/177457/5 "2003-05-25T22:15:02Z")
[Here’s](http://www.redherring.com/insider/1999/0408/news-salon.html) a story from 1999 about Salon buying them. Wow! $10-15/month to belong. Would dopers pay that much? ---
**Author:** ![bbeaty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c0e974/32.png) [@bbeaty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbeaty)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-well/177457/6 "2003-05-26T08:03:06Z")
I think the Well was extremely influential historically, but I haven’t heard anything about it since around 1996. It was a major player back before the WWW really took off. ---
**Author:** ![j.c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@j.c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j.c)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-well/177457/7 "2003-05-27T06:00:34Z")
Some of my pals with @well addresses are quietly proud. Everything I read about the well makes me barf. However, the people I know who belong are all lovely. Make of that what you will. Or what you well. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-well/177457/8 "2003-05-27T12:38:18Z")
The Well really hasn’t been the same since the first time Nathan Brazil rebooted it.