What's really scary is we doubled in size in just 74 days, and there are indications that our growth rate is actually increasing. If we were to maintain the same rate of growth, by July we will have 200,000 users, by September, we would have around 400,000 users, by December, we would have 800,000 users, and at the end of the year, we would have just over a million users. We could very well have over two million users by this time next year. As we have seen in the last few months, there is little about growth that we have to fear. Growth has helped bring us a more stable server infrastructure, more features, and, arguably, a stronger community. With increased growth, there will be an increased focus on locally-based events set up by LiveJournal members
We can't expect to continue growing at the same rate indefinitely... but the fact remains that our growth rate is increasing right now, not decreasing. Unlike most of our competition, people don't come to us just to get a weblog or a journal... they come to us for the community aspect, to meet people with similar interests, to keep in touch with their friends, and to read all the things that we share with the world. There is a HUGE potential audience for LiveJournal, and I think it is fair to say that we will have millions of users at some point, which could translate into a future with lots of paid staff positions. If we have three paid staff members at 100,000 users... well, maybe we will be able to afford 10 at 500,000 users... or 15 at a million users... or 30 at two million users... etc. There's no telling, really. To a large extent, our ability to fund a staff will depend on whether we can provide services that would be of value not only to LiveJournal's users, but to businesses as well. If we get businesses paying us money to do things ( like providing them with customized solutions using LiveJournal's software ) watch out, because we will be able to support over twice as many staff members as I mentioned.
What that means is that one day, sooner than many of us realize, we are likely to have a real business, a real staff, and real customers interested in having us help them obtain a fraction of the success that we will have found. If you want a piece of that future and are willing to work hard to make it happen... good. I want you to have a piece of it too
Our staff is essentially a meritocracy... in order to advance you have to step up, find yourself a niche, and make it clear that you are getting things done and obtaining results.To get a job with LiveJournal one day, you will have to show hard work and initiative. You'll have to do something that LiveJournal needs (even if we don't know we need it yet...) and turn your hard work with LiveJournal into something that justifies a salary.
There is still a lot of room out there for this kind of initiative... as a case in point, Dormando only started helping Brad with server issues a few months ago, and he is already making a salary with LiveJournal. As you might guess, LiveJournal could become an excellent opportunity to work from home... or from anywhere in the world, for that matter. Maybe we will have "part time" positions too, but the point of the matter is that the future of LiveJournal is ultimately going to be decided by people like you; it's a blank page, so to speak, and yours to help create. If you want to help invent the future, step up and let us know!
m.