4 ways your discussions categories can be better optimized 🧼

[queenofcorgis]

When building a community it is important to design with your members in mind, however, even the best laid plans may not have the intended effects. One thing we experience while building GitHub’s Community Discussions is miscategorized posts. Miscategorized posts are like putting your kitchen gadgets in your neighbor’s garage - it makes it harder find what you need and is untidy - plus someone has to clean it all up 🧹.

What is a miscategorized post? A post about a topic in a category that may not be relevant or the best fit for that topic (i.e. requesting a new profile achievement in the repositories category).

Why are they a problem? Hubbers, subject matter experts, and community members may gravitate to their domain and therefore completely miss a post that interests them if it goes into the wrong category. This leads to the OP feeling ignored; they may not get help or their feedback may be skipped souring their experience. It is no picnic for the community manager or maintainer either. Someone has to move their post and their data may get skewed if there is a large influx of miscategorized posts 😡.

And a problem it was for the Projects and Issues category, which once saw 78% of posts in one week be improperly categorized. Thanks to dedicated efforts and the tools we had at our disposal, we were able to reduce that to an average of 19%. This average is still trending downwards 🎉.

Have a category in your Discussions that is plagued by miscategorized posts? Read on to see how we cleaned up and made a better community for everyone 🙏.

Naming

Shakespeare said “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” The same does not apply to naming your community category, but naming is what helps us differentiate one thing from another.

When picking a name for the Projects and Issues category we originally chose Issues, but that led to folks reporting any type of issue from console log errors to their new TV not connecting. We thought things would get better with Issues and Projects, but that resulted in folks sharing their (albeit awesome) projects in the category. We sat down and thought further because now we had another problem: users wanted to share their projects, but didn’t have a dedicated space to do so.

Luckily, this added a datapoint to usher in our Programming Help category which gave users a space to share their projects and ask for help. A community is like a living organism and should evolve to meet their members’ needs 🧬.

With the new category added, we tried one more rename to clear up our category’s intention: Projects and Issues - the name you see today. In the month following we saw a 14% reduction in miscategorized posts.

Category Forms

With category forms, you can make templates on a per category basis that can contain text or a number of different features like an agree to terms while automatically applying labels 🏷️.

We took the approach of adding a warning to the top of the form of what topics should be discussed here, having the member select which feature they’re discussing which adds the appropriate label, and a checkbox which links to descriptions of Projects and Issues on our docs. The category form allowed us to display information upfront and in multiple places, plus helped us with our labeling 🤓.

Check out how to create your own or feel free to borrow from Community Discussions’ templates.

Description

Small, but overlooked area of Discussions is a category’s description field. This field not only displays at the top of the category, but when selecting a category from the New Discussion button and when creating a new Discussion in that category propagating the information in several different places.

However, don’t just create a description and think you’re set - be intentional and iterate as you see the community using the category.

Awareness

A common theme among these measures is putting information in different ways and places and my last recommendation is no different. Here are some more examples of how we drive awareness of what the Projects and Issues category is around the community.

On an individual level, when we move posts out of the category, we comment letting the member know their post was being moved and why. We use saved replies to easily disseminate the message and have a consistent approach. Most members are thankful that we let them know and that we placed their post in a category more likely to get them a reply 🎉.

When making changes to the category we’ve made quite a few, we also made sure to post an announcement sharing the news, we usually tied this into existing content you’re posting like category updates to ensure it wouldn’t get missed, but depending on your community standalone posts that are pinned globally or in the category can be a great way to get eyes on changes to the community or category.

By using Discussions tools and taking a multi-faceted approach we were able to turn the Projects and Issues category into a much more thriving space. Do you have a category or Discussions space you were able to transform - share below!

[ghost]

Thank you for your suggestion this helped me a lot, I will follow these especially that advice suggested by the Simpson...

[iamabutalha]

❤️

[mishmanners]

Love this. Can't wait to see lots more people using Discussions correctly and having their questions answered in a more timely manner ❤️ thanks @queenofcorgis for keeping us all on track 😍

[MSHAHID1122]

true

[imadev26]

Thank you for the suggestion — this really helped me!
I’ll definitely follow these tips, especially the one inspired by the Simpsons reference. It made the point very clear!

[LuisOrlando-code]

right

[reii23]

I agree, finding the right information can be a bit tricky.

[mecodeatlas]

Yes, I agree! Thank you for reaching out and reading the commet! :)

[reii23]

thx

[Julian-Dumitrascu]

We can make it easier by using issues e.g. with the most useful fields on which we can agree.

[imadev26]

Thx

[mahmudhmh]

I appreciate your guidance; it has been very helpful. I'll be sure to follow the suggestions, especially the one recommended by the Simpson. @queenofcorgis

[queenofcorgis]

@mahmudhmh glad to hear - thanks for reading and the comment!

[Mays-M]

very interesting topic

[imadev26]

yes right !!!

[everforyou]

Hello, @queenofcorgis
Thanks for posting this guide

[queenofcorgis]

@BrotherRabbit91 you're welcome ❤️ enjoy!

[HarshithaChilupuri]

You can also make the discussion as crisp as possible.

[KienKeng107]

Thanks for sharing

[mecodeatlas]

Hey, @KienKeng107! Thank you for reading the comment. Hope it helps :)

[Muhaammadali2]

This is truly a helpful post. Can we apply all these strategies for multiple-location based as well, so they can discuss their problems with their closest customers and moderators?

This is being asked by one of the clients, where he wants to engage users according to their locations. They want to control their customers according to their locations. So what will be more important?

You can understand it, if I say that they are offering multi-lingual translation services across the globe as a translation localization company, so such localization steps are important for these businesses. Need suggestions from those who have practically done all this.

[mecodeatlas]

Hey, @Muhaammadali2!

Great question! These strategies can definitely work for multi-location setups. Organizing discussions by region with clear category names and having moderators familiar with specific locations can make a big difference. It’s also helpful to share localized updates or announcements to keep users engaged.

For a company focused on translation and localization, this shows a strong commitment to local needs while staying globally connected :)

[imadev26]

yes

[zahidhassanshaikot]

Thanks for your suggestion this will help me a lot, I will follow these

[DevKyLeOfficial]

Woohhhh !!! this looks very helpful to me as a newbie coder. Thank you so much @queenofcorgis

[hundredup0324]

This looks very helpful to me as a newbie coder. Thank you

[FaithMutua-code]

Great insights! The naming and category forms especially make so much sense. We’ve used similar tweaks in our community—adding clear descriptions and templates cut down misposts by ~30%.
Would love to hear how you track long-term success beyond the initial drop in miscategorization!

[prabasajee]

Great example of thoughtful community design! Your experience really highlights how naming and structured guidance shape engagement.

I agree that naming a category isn’t just about labeling—it sets expectations and influences member behavior. The iterative process you described—moving from “Issues” to “Issues and Projects,” realizing users needed to share work, then launching “Programming Help,” and finally refining it again—shows real responsiveness to the community’s needs. Treating your community as an evolving organism helps foster a welcoming and useful environment.

I appreciate your emphasis on clear descriptions, forms, and proactive communication:

Category descriptions and category forms do much more than inform—they actively direct behavior, especially when updated with examples and choices (e.g., feature selection, agreement checkboxes).

Proactively notifying users when moving posts is a fantastic way to educate and build goodwill—it’s easy for members to get lost or discouraged otherwise.

Regular announcements and saved replies ensure everyone’s on the same page about changes, reducing confusion and encouraging participation in the right place.

In my experience, combining clear, visible naming with contextual reminders and direct communication helps prevent miscategorized posts and fosters a more supportive, focused community. The data point about reducing miscategorized posts by 14% is especially compelling!

Question for others: Has anyone tried adding onboarding surveys or welcome bots alongside these measures to set expectations from the start? I’ve seen success with these additional touchpoints in other communities.

Thanks for sharing such a detailed breakdown—these are actionable takeaways for anyone looking to grow or refine a Discussions space!

[NarendraJoglekar]

1. 🔍 Use Clear, Purpose-Driven Category Names

Problem: Vague or overlapping categories confuse contributors and make it hard to find the right place to post.

Optimization:

• Choose category names that clearly reflect their purpose.
• Use action-oriented or role-specific names (e.g., “Ask a Question”, “Propose a Feature”, “Showcase Projects”, instead of vague terms like “General”).

✅ Examples:

• ❌ “Other” → ✅ “Off-topic Chatter”
• ❌ “Help” → ✅ “Troubleshooting & Support”
• ❌ “Ideas” → ✅ “Feature Requests & Suggestions”

---

2. 🧭 Guide Usage with Descriptions and Templates

Problem: Users don’t always know what to post where or what info to include.

Optimization:

• Add a short, descriptive blurb to each category.
• Use discussion templates to guide contributors (like you do with issue templates).

✅ Example Category Description:

Bug Reports – Found something not working? Share your issue here with details and steps to reproduce.

✅ Use Templates for: Feature requests, troubleshooting questions, or feedback.

---

3. 📚 Group Related Categories for Discoverability

Problem: Too many flat categories create clutter and cognitive overload.

Optimization:

• Organize categories by topic, audience, or lifecycle (e.g., community, support, feedback).
• Use consistent naming schemes or visual hints (like emojis) to make scanning easier.

✅ Grouped Example:

• 💬 Community

  • 👋 Introductions
  • 💡 Ideas & Brainstorming

• 🛠 Support

  • 🧪 Bug Reports
  • 🙋 Help & Troubleshooting

• 🚀 Project

  • 📢 Announcements
  • 🧱 Roadmap Discussion

---

4. 📈 Use Data to Refine Categories Over Time

Problem: You may have dead or underused categories that confuse users.

Optimization:

• Review analytics (views, posts, likes) to prune or merge unused categories.
• Adjust based on user behavior. If users are posting unrelated content in a category, rename or reframe it.

✅ Refinement Tips:

• Merge low-traffic categories into broader ones.
• Split overcrowded ones if discussions are getting lost.

---

Bonus Tip: 🧭 Pin and Highlight Important Threads

Use pinned posts in each category to:

• Clarify rules or expectations
• Highlight useful discussions
• Showcase community guidelines

[gayathra45]

This looks very helpful to me as a coder. Thank you

[bittechio]

Miscategorized posts are basically the internet version of putting your keys in the fridge - everything works better when stuff is in the right place.
The renaming + forms + clear descriptions idea honestly makes a big difference. I’ve seen fewer “random” posts already, and it’s way easier to find the right stuff now.
The move-and-explain approach is also - feels helpful, not bossy.

Big win for both users and maintainers. Keep it up

[migue-webdesign]

Great write-up — miscategorized posts are one of those “invisible friction” problems that quietly damage communities.

One approach that has worked well for us in smaller technical communities is adding lightweight friction at creation time, for example:
• A short helper text under each category with “Good for / Not for” examples
• A required dropdown question like: “What best describes your post?” that maps directly to categories
• A short confirmation step: “Based on your answers, we recommend posting in X — continue?”

We’ve also seen success with auto-suggested categories based on keywords in the title/body (even simple rules-based logic helps a lot).

Finally, celebrating or highlighting well-categorized posts subtly trains users over time on what “good” looks like.

Curious if GitHub has experimented with ML-based category suggestions or soft warnings before posting?

[P-r-e-m-i-u-m]

Yo @queenofcorgis — dropping that miscategorization rate from 78% to 19% is a massive W. That stat alone proves this stuff works.

The "Naming" struggle is so real. You think you’ve nailed it, and then suddenly everyone is reporting their broken toaster in your "Issues" category. Splitting out "Programming Help" seems like the move that saved you—giving people a specific place to dump their homework/projects keeps the actual issue tracking clean.
Big agree on the Category Forms too. Forcing the label selection upfront saves so much moderation time later. I’m definitely stealing that setup for my own repos.
Curious though: did you notice any "form fatigue"? Sometimes adding steps (like the checkbox) scares off the lazy posters, which honestly might be a good thing here 😂

Thanks for sharing the blueprint! 🔧

[iamabutalha]

❤️

[danialcarter279]

Hey @queenofcorgis, really appreciate the detailed breakdown here. The 78% to 19% drop speaks for itself. Building on what @migue-webdesign and @prabasajee shared, one thing that has worked really well is adding a simple AI powered category suggestion. When someone starts typing their post title, the system reads the keywords and softly suggests the most relevant category before they even hit submit. No force, just a gentle nudge. This alone cuts down miscategorization significantly because most people miscategorize not out of laziness but because they genuinely are not sure where their post belongs.
On the welcome bot question that @prabasajee raised, a short onboarding flow works great. When a new member joins, a welcome bot sends them a quick 3 step message showing what each category is for with one real example per category. People remember visuals and examples way better than rules.
To @Muhaammadali2 on the multi location question, region based categories with local moderators is the right move. I have seen this work really well for local service businesses too. For example communities built around new home construction Baltimore use location tagged categories so homeowners in specific neighborhoods connect directly with the right contractors and moderators. Keeps conversations focused and relevant.
The form fatigue point is actually a hidden filter which is a great thing. If someone abandons the form mid way their post probably did not belong there anyway.
Great blueprint overall, definitely saving this one!

[jkdsla]

Clear naming, category forms, and repeated reminders make a big difference, we’ve seen the same drop in miscategorized posts after tightening those up.
When you’re deciding which category tweak to test first, a quick ruleta aleatoria can help keep the process simple and unbiased.

[simonouel23devop]

naming convention is important , always important, some people tend to forgot ( even me).