▁ ▁The ▁user ' s ▁real ▁name ▁can ▁be ▁easily ▁looked - up ▁using ▁their ▁login ▁name . ▁W E LL ▁members ▁are ▁not ▁anonymous . ▁ ▁There ▁is ▁a ▁time - hon ored ▁double ▁meaning ▁to ▁the ▁W E LL ▁s log an ▁co ined ▁by ▁Stewart ▁Brand , ▁" You ▁O wn ▁Your ▁O wn ▁W ords " ▁or ▁(" Y O Y OW " ): ▁members ▁have ▁both ▁the ▁rights ▁to ▁their ▁posted ▁words ▁and ▁responsibility ▁for ▁those ▁words , ▁too . ▁ ▁( M embers ▁can ▁also ▁delete ▁their ▁posts ▁at ▁any ▁time , ▁but ▁a ▁placeholder ▁indicates ▁the ▁former ▁location ▁and ▁author ▁of ▁a ▁deleted ▁or ▁" scri b bled " ▁post , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁who ▁deleted ▁it .) ▁ ▁Journal ists ▁The ▁W E LL ▁was ▁frequently ▁mentioned ▁in ▁the ▁media ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 8 0 s ▁and ▁ 1 9 9 0 s , ▁probably ▁dis pro port ion ately ▁to ▁the ▁number ▁of ▁users ▁it ▁had ▁relative ▁to ▁other ▁online ▁systems . ▁ ▁This ▁has ▁dimin ished ▁but ▁not ▁disappeared ▁in ▁recent ▁years , ▁with ▁other ▁online ▁communities ▁becoming ▁common place . ▁ ▁This ▁early ▁visibility ▁was ▁largely ▁the ▁result ▁of ▁the ▁early ▁policy ▁of ▁providing ▁free ▁accounts ▁for ▁interested ▁journal ists ▁and ▁other ▁select ▁members ▁of ▁the ▁media . ▁ ▁As ▁a ▁result , ▁for ▁many ▁journal ists ▁it ▁was ▁their ▁first ▁experience ▁of ▁online ▁systems ▁and , ▁later , ▁the ▁Internet , ▁even ▁though ▁other ▁systems ▁existed . ▁ ▁Although