# First "First" is the internet habit of racing to type the word "first" as the earliest reply on a post, forum thread, or video. The practice is generally traced to Slashdot's chronological comment system in September 1997 and became a running joke and a moderation headache across tech blogs, YouTube, and LiveJournal through the 2000s. ## Origin The habit is generally traced to Slashdot, the tech news site launched in September 1997, where the earliest comment on a story appeared above the rest by default[3]. Readers realized they could grab that top slot with a two-word "First post!" or "FP!" the second a story went live, and the practice spread as Slashdot regulars seeded other early comment-driven sites. - **Platform:** Slashdot - **Creator:** Unknown - **Date:** 1997 ## Overview "First" is the practice of racing to type the word "first" as the earliest reply on an online post, forum thread, or video[4]. The comment adds nothing to discussion and is widely treated as troll behavior, which is why site operators have spent decades filtering, delaying, and outright banning it[1]. Common variants include "First post!", "FP!", and self-mocking follow-ups like "first yaaay!"[4]. Site owners went to real trouble to stop the habit. Some auto-replaced the phrase with random text, others buried the offending reply further down the page, and one popular tech blog simply shut its comment system off for a weekend to catch a break from the flood[1]. ## How It Spread In 1999, Drew Curtis' community news site Fark installed a word filter that swapped "first post" for "boobies" and pushed the timestamp twelve hours into the future so the comment could never sit on top[3]. On June 21st, 2000, the Wayback Machine archived a Geek Culture storefront selling a screen-printed "First Post!" t-shirt aimed at Slashdot regulars[2]. Engadget switched its comment system off entirely on June 24th, 2005, with the team writing they were "tired of spending so much time deleting comment spam and dealing with trolls and all that 'first post!' crap"[1]. On April 2nd, 2007, YouTuber CasimirN uploaded the video "First!", following a man who races to type the word on every article he opens; the clip crossed a million views by July 2012[5]. Urban Dictionary added an entry for "first" on February 10th, 2009, then picked it as Urban Word of the Day in February 2011[4]. On May 12th, 2012, Funny or Die released a promo skit for the 16th Annual Webby Awards starring Patton Oswalt as the world's original "first" commenter[3]. ## How to Use Fire off a reply the second a fresh post or video appears and type only the word "first" (or one of its variants: "First!", "First post!", "FP!"). Common convention treats the reply as low-effort trolling rather than a real contribution, and other commenters typically respond with mocking follow-ups such as "want a cookie?" or eye-rolling replies pointing out that nobody cares[1]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is First? "First" is the internet habit of typing the word "first" as the earliest reply on a post, thread, or video, with no other content attached[4]. ### Where did First come from? The practice is generally traced to the tech news site Slashdot, launched in September 1997, where the earliest comment on a story sat at the top of the thread by default[3]. ### What does First mean? Urban Dictionary defines it as "the sought after position of being the first person to write on an online comment section, only to use the opportunity to write 'first'"[4]. ### How do you use First? Race to be the earliest reply on a new post and type only the word "first" (or "First post!" / "FP!"); common convention treats the reply as trolling rather than genuine discussion[1]. ### Is First still popular? The habit thrived on chronologically sorted comment sections through the 2000s and 2010s, though sites like Fark and Engadget rolled out filters and shutdowns that pushed it out of the top slot[1]. ## References 1. [https://www.engadget.com/2005-06-24-comments-switched-off.html]() 2. [https://web.archive.org/web/20000621171618/https://www.geekculture.com/geekculturestore/webstore/firstpost.html]() 3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/first]() 4. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=First]() 5. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciG-Xs7mBwU]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/first Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library