Streamlining GitHub Discussions: Community Weighs In on Category Overhaul

The GitHub Community team recently initiated a crucial discussion, inviting its users to help shape the future of its discussion category structure. Drawing lessons from a successful overhaul of the Copilot category, the team aims to apply a similar collaborative approach to the entire community board. The core dilemma presented to users is whether they prefer a simplified list of categories or a more structured approach with sections focused on products or common use themes.

The overarching goal is to enhance discoverability, making it easier for both new and long-time GitHub users to find the right place to ask questions, learn, and share. Beyond structural changes, GitHub is also exploring the introduction of new categories for more relaxed conversations, fostering informal chats and community bonding. A dedicated Welcome category is also on the cards, designed to help new members introduce themselves and feel at home.

Proposed and Current Category Layouts

To facilitate feedback, GitHub provided a markdown representation of both the proposed and current category structures:

Proposed Layout Markdown

- Accessibility
- Announcements
- AI & Copilot
- Copilot Conversations
- Copilot News and Announcements
- Apps, APIs & Webhooks
- Apps, API and Webhooks
- Mobile
- Automation & Developer tools
- Actions
- npm
- Packages
- Code & Contributions
- Codespaces
- Pull Requests
- Repositories
- Collaboration & Planning
- Discussions
- Projects & Issues
- Community Hub
- A Welcome to GitHub
- New to GitHub
- Programming Help
- Education & Skilling
- Discover: GitHub Best Practices
- GitHub Education
- GitHub Learn
- Enterprise & Security
- Code Security
- Enterprise
- Questions & Other Feedback
- Questions, Other Feature Feedback & Ideas

Current Layout Markdown

- Announcements
- Discover
- Enterprise
- General
- GitHub Education
- New to GitHub
- Programming Help
- Universe
- Copilot
- Copilot Conversations
- Copilot News and Announcements
- GitHub Product Categories
- Accessibility
- Actions
- API and Webhooks
- Code Search and Navigation
- Code Security
- Codespaces
- Discussions
- Feed
- Lists
- Mobile
- Models
- npm
- Packages
- Pages
- Profile
- Projects and Issues
- Pull Requests
- Repositories
- Sponsors

A notable constraint is that categories are always listed alphabetically, which means category names might be adjusted to ensure clarity and ease of finding.

Community Feedback Highlights

The call for feedback generated insightful responses, emphasizing the community's desire for a more intuitive and engaging platform:

• Simplification and Thematic Grouping: Users like voidethic expressed a preference for a slightly simplified structure, arguing that too many categories can make it harder to decide where to post. Grouping discussions around common use cases or themes was suggested as more intuitive than strict product-based organization.

• Welcome and Informal Spaces: The idea of a dedicated Welcome category was widely praised for its potential to lower the barrier for new members. Additionally, the desire for a relaxed, community-style category for lighter conversations—such as career journeys, project showcases, or casual dev discussions—was highlighted as a way to foster stronger engagement.

• Detailed Category Critique: User jsoref provided extensive feedback on specific proposed categories. Concerns included the placement of 'Accessibility' potentially attracting off-topic content, the 'Mobile' category being hidden within 'Apps, APIs & Webhooks', and the absence of clear homes for 'Search', 'Feed', 'Lists', 'Pages', 'Profile', and 'Sponsors'. The alphabetical sorting limitation was also noted as a challenge, leading to potentially confusing arrangements like 'Enterprise' appearing before 'Code Security'.

• Enhanced Search Capabilities: Beyond category structure, jeremiah-snee-openx suggested integrating Copilot-powered search for discussions and a feature to show similar discussions before creating a new one, aiming to reduce duplication and consolidate conversations.

The GitHub Community team has committed to collecting feedback until February 23rd, promising transparency regarding what changes can and cannot be implemented due to technical or product team constraints. This collaborative approach underscores the importance of user input in shaping a more navigable and beneficial GitHub Community for everyone.