When did you hear about steampunk?

Long before I heard about steampunk I was already listening to Abney Park. Only a few years later I was introdused to that term and found out about other bands.

I was introduced into steampunk in early 08 after I heard about the videogame ''Damnation'' which is based on steampunk technology and stuff.

Came across steampunk long before I knew what it was, around 1998 with Michael Moorcocks 'The War Lord of the Air', and then of course the rest of the Nomad of Time trilogy, and again only recently realised there was music in the style, even though I had been listening to Rasputina for a while now. Facinating stuff.

Arcanum. Of course, when I first played that game I didn't know the term yet.

I got into Steampunk when I was about 12, so about 20 years ago I guess. I think my first major Steampunk related fascination was The Adventure's of Brisco County Jr.

A long time ago, when I was rather young and foolish, and enjoyed pointless personality quizzes, I took a quiz called "What kind of goth are you?" or something of that sort. It told me I was steampunk. This sent me on a wild search for what steampunk actually was. I came to the conclusion that the author of that quiz was some what foolish, considering steampunk is more literature than goth subgenre. However, I must thank the silly quiz to some extent, I've fallen in love with the genre of literature, the style, the music influenced by steampunk, and the over all fabulosity found in brass goggles, cogs and gears.
I believe the first steampunk book I read was the Time Machine, though I had no idea that the genre was steampunk at the time I read it.

I have read some info about anime. Steampunk was mentioned as one of genres. Then I started to listen to Abney Park. After several tracks they become one of my favorite bands :)

I think ive always been steampunk i only put a label on when an old friend introduced me to The cog is dead,

I heard when my friend told me about Abney Park.