diff --git a/lib/PearlBee.pm b/lib/PearlBee.pm
index 7a4bcfaf..4b9753c9 100644
--- a/lib/PearlBee.pm
+++ b/lib/PearlBee.pm
@@ -79,7 +79,15 @@ get '/' => sub {
 
   my $total_pages                 = get_total_pages($nr_of_posts, $nr_of_rows);
   my ($previous_link, $next_link) = get_previous_next_link(1, $total_pages);
-
+  
+  #check if there is a first visit cookie set; if there is don't display the overlay with the new way to blog about it.
+  my $first_visit = 0;
+  
+  if ( cookie "first_visit") {
+      $first_visit = 1;
+  } else {
+      cookie first_visit => 1;
+  }
     template 'index',
       {
         posts         => \@mapped_posts,
@@ -90,7 +98,8 @@ get '/' => sub {
         page          => 1,
         total_pages   => $total_pages,
         previous_link => $previous_link,
-        next_link     => $next_link
+        next_link     => $next_link,
+        first_visit   => $first_visit,
     };
 };
 
diff --git a/views/index.tt b/views/index.tt
index a0cc5176..4b9861b5 100644
--- a/views/index.tt
+++ b/views/index.tt
@@ -1,26 +1,27 @@
  <div class="blog">
+[% IF first_visit == 0 %]
+    <div class="blog-start show">
+    	<div class="container">
+    		<div class="row">
+    			<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 col-md-8 col-md-offset-2 text-center blog-start-wrapper">
+    				<h1>There is more than one way to blog it.</h1>
+    				<h4>blog.perl.org is a common blogging platform for the Perl community.</h4>
+                                    <div class="buttons-wrapper">
+                                            <a href="[% config.app_url %]/sign-up"><button type="button" class="btn btn-signin">Sign in</button></a>
+                                            <a href="[% config.app_url %]/register"><button type="button" class="btn btn-register">Register</button></a>
+                                    </div>
 
-<div class="blog-start show">
-	<div class="container">
-		<div class="row">
-			<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 col-md-8 col-md-offset-2 text-center blog-start-wrapper">
-				<h1>There is more than one way to blog it.</h1>
-				<h4>blog.perl.org is a common blogging platform for the Perl community.</h4>
-                                <div class="buttons-wrapper">
-                                        <a href="[% config.app_url %]/sign-up"><button type="button" class="btn btn-signin">Sign in</button></a>
-                                        <a href="[% config.app_url %]/register"><button type="button" class="btn btn-register">Register</button></a>
-                                </div>
-
-				<div class="close-overlay" id="close_overlay">
-					<span class="icon-close"></span>
-					<span class="close-overlay-text">close and go to listings</span>
-				</div>
-			</div>
-		</div>
-	</div>
-	<div class="container-bottom">
-	</div>
-</div>
+    				<div class="close-overlay" id="close_overlay">
+    					<span class="icon-close"></span>
+    					<span class="close-overlay-text">close and go to listings</span>
+    				</div>
+    			</div>
+    		</div>
+    	</div>
+    	<div class="container-bottom">
+    	</div>
+    </div>
+[% END %]
 
   <div class="container">
     <div class="row">