Editing LiveJournal (section)

===Invite system===<!-- This section is linked from LiveJournal -->
From September 2, 2001, until December 12, 2003, the growth of LiveJournal was checked by an [[invitation system|"invite code" system]]. This curbing of membership was necessitated by a rate of growth faster than the server architecture could handle. New users were required to either obtain an invite code from an existing user or buy a paid account (which reverted to a free account at the expiration of the period of time paid for). The invite code system serendipitously reduced abuse on the site by deterring people from creating multiple throw-away accounts. The invite code system was lifted after a number of major improvements to the overall site architecture.

Elimination of the invite code system was met with mixed feelings and some opposition. LiveJournal's management pointed out that the invite code system had always been intended to be temporary.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.livejournal.com/74165.html |title=Post Announcing the End of Invite Codes |publisher=News.livejournal.com |access-date=2010-03-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100407100124/http://news.livejournal.com/74165.html |archive-date=2010-04-07 }}</ref>