Tagline
The tagline is a short text that appears at the top of the xkcd main page, regardless of which comic is being viewed. It provided a brief description of the comic and its update schedule, until the latter was moved to the header text. While the tagline has evolved since the early days of the site, it has consistently referenced the comic's themes. Here is a quick summary of the major changes that were made to the tagline, along with a link to the earliest web archive of it available:
- October 18, 2005 I draw things. There's a new one every M/W/F. There's an RSS feed (taken from the drawings journal) here.
- [...]
- February 7, 2006
- April 8, 2006
- April 15, 2006
- [...]
- [...]
- July 10, 2006 A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.
0. Before the tagline[edit]
Prior to October 24, 2004, before the initial tagline was introduced, the website didn't mention the name "xkcd" and didn't include any comics. During that time, the site's message simply stated:
- I don't use this page for much. It goes un-updated for a long time, and I don't really change the content, though I'm thinking of putting together a good links page. For now I just mostly use this to host pictures.
1. First tagline[edit]
The first recognized tagline, as the site transitioned into hosting comics, was used from at least October 18th, 2005, to November 26, 2005. It stated:
- I draw things. There's a new one every M/W/F. There's an RSS feed (taken from the drawings journal) here.
This tagline effectively communicated the core premise of xkcd: the author, Randall Munroe, drawing various illustrations and publishing a new comic every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It also provided a link to the RSS feed for users to access new comics as soon as they were released.
2. Second tagline[edit]
The second tagline, introduced after a brief break from December 5, 2005, to January 4, 2006, removed the reference to the update schedule, as no comics were published during that period. It stated:
- I draw things. There's an RSS feed (taken from the drawings journal) here.
3. Third tagline[edit]
On February 7, 2006, a new tagline was introduced, which marked the beginning of a series of major changes to the tagline format. It read:
- A webcomic of romance and math humor.
- Updated three times a week.
- RSS Feed
This third tagline highlighted the themes of romance and math humor prevalent in the comic, along with the old update schedule of three times a week.
4. Fourth tagline[edit]
Between February 7, 2006, and April 8, 2006, the fourth tagline made a minor alteration by emphasizing the regularity of updates. It stated:
- A webcomic of romance and geek humor. Updated on time every M/W/F since 1779.
- RSS Feed
This modification humorously suggested that the comic had been consistently updating for a significant period, dating back to the year 1779, and continued to provide the RSS feed link.
5. Fifth tagline[edit]
The fifth tagline, added between April 14, 2006, and April 15, 2006, further expanded the description of the comic and introduced new features. It read:
This tagline was the first to mention all the comic's themes that are still on the site today. It also highlighted the update schedule of every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and added a link to the new xkcd forums, providing readers with a platform for discussion.
6. Sixth tagline[edit]
The sixth tagline, introduced before April 23, 2006, maintained the same description of the comic, but adjusted the wording of the update schedule. It read:
This change in the update schedule format from "MWF" to "Mon/Wed/Fri" aimed to enhance clarity and readability for users.
7. Seventh tagline[edit]
The seventh tagline, introduced between June 13, 2006, and June 16, 2006, maintained the same overall description of the comic, but removed the "New:" notice before the link to the forums. It read:
8. Current tagline[edit]
The tagline underwent its final change between July 6, 2006, and July 10t, 2006, coinciding with the site redesign. The updated tagline no longer explicitly mentioned the update schedule, which was moved to the header text, and the forums, which were moved to the links. It reads:
- A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.
This concise tagline, without additional details or links, has since remained the official tagline of xkcd.
