The WELL: story of an online community reborn

"WELL Community Members Create For-Profit Corporation in Bid to Buy The WELL," an article by Wagner James Au, talks about user/members of the Well, who bought their community in order to keep it alive. In an essay Wagner wrote for Internet Evolution -- What Went Wrong With the WELL & Why It Matters -- he explains:

Once called "the world's most influential online community" on the cover of Wired magazine, at its peak the WELL counted users like the sci-fi authors Neal Stephenson and Cory Doctorow; visionaries like the musician Brian Eno and the virtual community expert Howard Rheingold; EFF founders John Perry Barlow, John Gilmore, and Mitch Kapor; and even rock stars like Billy Idol and David Crosby. The quality of its users' posts -- smart, funny, creative, and provocative on every imaginable subject -- inspired countless Internet entrepreneurs and thinkers.

The previous owner of the WELL, Salon Media Group, publishes the site Salon. To know more about Salon check this Wikipedia entry.

The WELL's site is somewhat barebones. You must join and pay for a membership to view conversations, as well as participate. According to the Conferences page "Conferences are the heart of The WELL:"

Conferences are where we gather - the heart of The WELL. A vibrant community emerges from thousands of conversations in hundreds of ongoing forums traditionally known as conferences.

Each gathering place has a distinct flavor. A few are open to the world. Most are open to all members. Some limit access to a private group. Others are not listed here by request of their founders. Participants check in frequently at one, five or more conferences, to offer expertise, dissect one another's best ideas and indulge in gossip, mutual aid and general banter.

There are two conferences open to non-members -- Inkwell.vue and Deadsongs.vue -- that you can participate in by emailing the conference hosts.  Click on the "How to participate" link at each for details.

Looks like these conferences might actually be fun.

-- Marge