# The Story Behind LiveJournal

LiveJournal.com, a website and online community built around personal journals, was created by Brad Fitzpatrick in March of 1999 for himself and some of his friends. Friends told friends and it became a huge success, soon growing bigger 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 one million 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.