How did LiveJournal get started?

LiveJournal.com, a website and online community built around personal journals, was created by young computer science major Brad Fitzpatrick in March 1999. A database-driven method he'd been using to update his own journal since 1998 became a Web-based application which his friends could use, too. It was an immediate success, and soon became a bigger website than a single person could easily handle.

As a result, a team of volunteers working with LiveJournal's creator have transformed LiveJournal into a Webby Award winning site used by over 400,000 people worldwide. The site is now an open-source software development project funded entirely by its members, assisted by numerous volunteers and developers, and overseen by a small paid staff. It's been expanded to allow easy creation of journals, weblogs, and even interest-based online communities.

Last Updated:
tribelessnomad, 2001-12-09

*