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Tagline

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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The header segment on xkcd.com

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:

  1. October 18th, 2005
    I draw things. There's a new one every M/W/F. There's an RSS feed (taken from the drawings journal) here.
  2. [...]
  3. February 7th, 2006
    A webcomic of romance and math humor.
    Updated three times a week.
    RSS Feed
  4. April 8th, 2006
    A webcomic of romance and geek humor. Updated on time every M/W/F since 1779.

    RSS Feed
  5. April 15th, 2006
    A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.
    Updated every MWF.

    RSS Feed
    New: Forums
  6. [...]
  7. [...]
  8. July 10th, 2006
    A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.

0. Before the tagline

Prior to October 24th, 2004, before the initial tagline was introduced, the website didn't use 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

The first recognized tagline, as the site transitioned into hosting comics, was used from at least October 18th, 2005, to November 26th, 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

The second tagline, introduced after a brief break from December 5th, 2005, to January 4th, 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

On February 7th, 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

Between February 7th, 2006, and April 8th, 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

The fifth tagline, added between April 14th, 2006, and April 15th, 2006, further expanded the description of the comic and introduced new features. It read:

A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.
Updated every MWF.

RSS Feed
New: Forums

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

The sixth tagline, introduced before April 23rd, 2006, maintained the same description of the comic, but adjusted the wording of the update schedule. It read:

A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.
Updated every Mon/Wed/Fri.
RSS Feed
New: Forums

This change in the update schedule format from "MWF" to "Mon/Wed/Fri" aimed to enhance clarity and readability for users.

7. Seventh tagline

The seventh tagline, introduced between June 13th, 2006, and June 16th, 2006, maintained the same overall description of the comic, but removed the "New:" notice before the link to the forums. It read:

A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.
Updated every Mon/Wed/Fri.
RSS Feed
Forums

8. Current tagline

The tagline underwent its final change between July 6th, 2006, and July 10th, 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.