I found it through Seananners on youtube.  I imagine a lot of people did.  When all the MW2 machinimaers started to post videos, I imagine that is when a lot of people found it.
 
The site going down from overload and people like Seananners making videos of the game and posting links have to be related.

Seeing it everywhere on the goddamn internet.
 
Articles kept mentioning it was addicting, and I was gonna prove them wrong.
I failed.

Every single website that dealt with video games. I still can't really enjoy playing the game.

I really only play now when a substantial update comes out. I need an objective dammit!

The internet. 
 
And yeah, I'm looking forward to the objective mode(s) that'll be added. As it is now, I can only play so long before I get bored and feel like I'm wasting my time.

Seananners as well

Somewhere on the internet but I can't remember where. All I remember is it was before most of the websites out there started reporting the 'Minecraft phenomenon'.

kotaku

A friend of mine (heh) introduced it to me so we could review it for our podcast a while back in a segment about up and coming indie games you may not have heard of. This was ages ago before the massive publicity, mind you.

I don't remember, but it was probably through searching the net for new crafting games. I do that occasionally as I adore those types of games. 
I think It was July of last year when I first played Minecraft. 

This thread right now. 
What the hell is Minecraft? 

/v/
 
:(

I saw a steam of it on Justin.tv

Seananners

....... I honestly don't remember, its just sorta came to me one day.
 
Although it may have been a rock paper shotgun article.

Read this blog by TheBeast and decided to check it out.

I still have no idea what the fuck it is, even most wiki pages about it have a lot of description that essentially says nothing.

Team Fortress blog.

Everywhere but I refuse to play it since I have other things to do.

I think Quarter To Three.

Penny Arcade: here and here

first saw it all over forums, then saw it on an Australian review show good game then decided to watch X's playthoughs on youtube, then i decided to get the game.

A friend on a forum about 6 months ago, only bought Alpha a couple of months back though.

Davidr64yt and his 40+ long video series was what got me introduced to the game. I am not sure how I first found his videos but after sitting down and watching it all, I started playing it during the free weekend.

My friends have been talking about it at school for a while 
Also Penny-Arcade

Kept popping up in the most popular threads on here. 
 
 @President_Barackbar said:

" I still have no idea what the fuck it is, even most wiki pages about it have a lot of description that essentially says nothing. "

There's a shitload of threads about it here on GB.

I've seen it around but it all started when my awesome boyfriend told me about it, then took the next step of practically giving me the game.

I read the Mine the gap series on Rockpapershotgun, then I watched a couple of videos from Davidr64yt Adventures in Minecraft when the free weekend came around and I just had to play it. After that I bought it since I put over ten hours in during the free weekend.

I tried playing it, but I couldn't get into it.

Indiegames blog before it went mainstream: 
http://www.indiegames.com/blog/2009/05/browser_game_pick_minecraft_ma.html

" This thread right now. What the hell is Minecraft?  "

I love the game, but i also get constantly frustrated when i get jacked by creepers and loose all my stuff in a really far away mine. I just give up at that point or start a new level. 
Have no idea how i heard about it, but I started playing when it was pretty crappy and browser based, recently got in again with this new alpha clientside release.

Also, Jacked by Creepers, my new album dropping summer 2012.

" @JeffGoldblum said:

" This thread right now. What the hell is Minecraft?  "

"

The SeaBanana himself!

Joystiq's 'Just Riffin' Podcast.

" /v/  :( "

The Beast's blog here on Giant Bomb.

A little known Lets Player by the name of ZetaPlays, his first post of the game was on June 16th 2010.

Dwarf Fortress forums, I guess. I don't care for Minecraft at all though, the playerbase is retarded.