Channel Organisation¶
What makes a Channel?¶
You should make a channel for:
Distinct Topics¶
Make sure your channel topic is distinct. Do not make channels that are close or identical in topic. A common mistake is making multiple of the same channel type. It’s not straightforward for a member to decide “do I use chat 1 or do I use chat 2”? Having multiple identical channels works against clarity.
Purposeful¶
A channel should have a purpose in life. Do not add unnecessary channels just because you feel they would be neat to have. A good methodology to use for adding channels is to decide on an initial set, and to stick with that initial set until a certain, distinct topic of conversation keeps rising up. For example, sysadmining rising up constantly in a general-purpose channel is a good reason to create a channel for system administration.
Topical¶
A channel’s topic should be wide enough to host a variety of conversations, but not so wide to be an “any” channel.
Channel Naming¶
A channel’s name is important for getting members of the server to use channels correctly and to feel confident they’re in the correct channel when chatting.
On-Topic¶
A channel name should be related to its topic. An unrelated channel name will make it hard for members to feel like they should be chatting in that channel.
#recipes
Do.
Have a channel name related to its topic.
#channel-7
Don’t.
Don’t use a channel name with little relation to its topic.
Self Explanatory¶
A channel name should be self explanatory. A member should not need to understand a community in-joke, niche terminology, or otherwise obscure names to be able to decide what channel they want to chat in.
#customization
Do.
Have a straightforward channel name that a newcomer can easily discern
the channel usage from.
#unix-porn
Don’t.
Don’t use an channel name that a newcomer will not be able to recognise
as describing a topic.
Concise¶
A concise channel name is easy to type, easy to remember, and pleasant to look at.
#sysadmin
Do.
A concise channel name makes it quick to read and will fit its entire
text in sidebars on a wide array of user devices.
#system-administration-chat
Don’t.
A concise channel name makes it quick to read and will fit its entire
text in sidebars on a wide array of user devices.
Non-Thematic¶
A channel’s name is a tool, not a place to put your virtual wallpaper. Flair can be added in many ways, but making the channel name thematic is not a good way.
A thematic channel name is difficult to associate with its topic, and leaves members feeling unsure about what channel they should be chatting in.
#support
Do.
Use a utilitarian channel name instead of a thematic one for clarity.
#man-pages
Don’t.
A thematic channel name is hard to associate with its corresponding topic.
Category Naming¶
Naming a category is very similar to naming a channel.
Category names should be short (no more than one word), nouns (contribution, not contributing), emoji-free, and non-thematic.
Channel Organisation¶
Keeping channels well-organised is extremely important to making your server a pleasant and straightforward place to chat in. For consistency, all guilds should organise their channels should order their channels like so:
Welcome Channels
Rules, Information
Automated Channels (Modlog, News, GitHub Webhooks)
General Channels (e.g. a “general” category)
Secondary Channels (e.g. a specific category such as “support”)
Locked Channels (channels that require a role to access)
Moderation Channels