diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/app/views/publisher/getting_started_view.js b/app/assets/javascripts/app/views/publisher/getting_started_view.js
index 5ba089efc..02a025e0a 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/app/views/publisher/getting_started_view.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/app/views/publisher/getting_started_view.js
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ app.views.PublisherGettingStarted = Backbone.View.extend({
 
   // initiate all the popover message boxes
   show: function() {
-    app.publisher.open();
     this._addPopover(this.firstMessage, {
       trigger: "manual",
       id: "first_message_explain",
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/app/views/publisher_view.js b/app/assets/javascripts/app/views/publisher_view.js
index 1b9f2f56c..de9245027 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/app/views/publisher_view.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/app/views/publisher_view.js
@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@ app.views.Publisher = Backbone.View.extend({
 
     this.initSubviews();
     this.checkSubmitAvailability();
+    this.triggerGettingStarted();
     return this;
   },
 
@@ -184,7 +185,10 @@ app.views.Publisher = Backbone.View.extend({
 
   // show the "getting started" popups around the publisher
   triggerGettingStarted: function() {
-    this.viewGettingStarted.show();
+    if (gon.preloads.getting_started) {
+      this.open();
+      this.viewGettingStarted.show();
+    }
   },
 
   createStatusMessage : function(evt) {
diff --git a/app/controllers/streams_controller.rb b/app/controllers/streams_controller.rb
index f8e8b422f..18ec1837f 100644
--- a/app/controllers/streams_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/streams_controller.rb
@@ -28,7 +28,8 @@ class StreamsController < ApplicationController
   end
 
   def multi
-      stream_responder(Stream::Multi)
+    gon.preloads[:getting_started] = current_user.getting_started
+    stream_responder(Stream::Multi)
   end
 
   def commented
diff --git a/app/helpers/interim_stream_hackiness_helper.rb b/app/helpers/interim_stream_hackiness_helper.rb
index 4219d29fe..c5d6992ab 100644
--- a/app/helpers/interim_stream_hackiness_helper.rb
+++ b/app/helpers/interim_stream_hackiness_helper.rb
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ module InterimStreamHackinessHelper
     if params[:prefill].present?
       params[:prefill]
     elsif defined?(@stream)
-      @stream.publisher.prefill 
+      @stream.publisher.prefill
     else
       nil
     end
@@ -50,8 +50,4 @@ module InterimStreamHackinessHelper
   def publisher_public
     publisher_method(:public)
   end
-
-  def publisher_explain
-    publisher_method(:explain)
-  end
 end
diff --git a/app/views/publisher/_publisher.html.haml b/app/views/publisher/_publisher.html.haml
index 4d85b0290..5e1ca38f1 100644
--- a/app/views/publisher/_publisher.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/publisher/_publisher.html.haml
@@ -1,9 +1,3 @@
--if publisher_explain
-  :javascript
-    $(document).ready(function() {
-        if( app.publisher ) app.publisher.triggerGettingStarted();
-      });
-
 .row.publisher#publisher{class: ((aspect == :profile || publisher_open) ? "mention_popup" : "closed")}
   .content_creation
     = form_for(StatusMessage.new) do |status|
diff --git a/lib/publisher.rb b/lib/publisher.rb
index 71894b652..677afb89f 100644
--- a/lib/publisher.rb
+++ b/lib/publisher.rb
@@ -1,12 +1,11 @@
 class Publisher
-  attr_accessor :user, :open, :prefill, :public, :explain
+  attr_accessor :user, :open, :prefill, :public
 
   def initialize(user, opts={})
     self.user = user
     self.open = opts[:open]
     self.prefill = opts[:prefill]
     self.public = opts[:public]
-    self.explain = opts[:explain]
   end
 
   def text
diff --git a/lib/stream/multi.rb b/lib/stream/multi.rb
index 995804372..868a82228 100644
--- a/lib/stream/multi.rb
+++ b/lib/stream/multi.rb
@@ -23,9 +23,10 @@ class Stream::Multi < Stream::Base
   end
 
   private
+
   def publisher_opts
     if welcome?
-      {open: true, prefill: publisher_prefill, public: true, explain: true}
+      {open: true, prefill: publisher_prefill, public: true}
     else
       super
     end
diff --git a/spec/lib/publisher_spec.rb b/spec/lib/publisher_spec.rb
index 0094f8f49..abbd5ab5b 100644
--- a/spec/lib/publisher_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/lib/publisher_spec.rb
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ describe Publisher do
     end
   end
 
-  ["open", "public", "explain"].each do |property|
+  %w(open public).each do |property|
     describe "##{property}" do
       it 'defaults to closed' do
         expect(@publisher.send("#{property}".to_sym)).to be_falsey
diff --git a/spec/lib/stream/multi_spec.rb b/spec/lib/stream/multi_spec.rb
index 5c1df2468..8f84caf54 100644
--- a/spec/lib/stream/multi_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/lib/stream/multi_spec.rb
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ describe Stream::Multi do
       prefill_text = "sup?"
       allow(@stream).to receive(:welcome?).and_return(true)
       allow(@stream).to receive(:publisher_prefill).and_return(prefill_text)
-      expect(@stream.send(:publisher_opts)).to eq(open: true, prefill: prefill_text, public: true, explain: true)
+      expect(@stream.send(:publisher_opts)).to eq(open: true, prefill: prefill_text, public: true)
     end
 
     it 'provides no opts if welcome? is not set' do