mirror of https://github.com/zulip/zulip.git
56 lines
1.9 KiB
Markdown
56 lines
1.9 KiB
Markdown
# Streams and topics
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In Zulip, streams determine who gets a message. Topics tell you what the
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message is about.
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| Conversation model | Who gets it | What it's about
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|---|---|---
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| Zulip | Stream | Topic
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| Email | Mailing list | Subject line
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| Slack/IRC/HipChat | Channel/Room | -
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Messages with the same stream and topic are shown together as a
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conversational thread. Here is what it looks like in Zulip.
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Streams and topics are one of the most rewarding parts of using Zulip.
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If you ever find yourself stuck on writing a topic, just pretend you're
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sending an email, with the topic as the subject line. After a few days
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you'll get used to a more Zulip-y way of doing things, and your topics will
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naturally become shorter (2-3 words is optimum) and take less thought to type.
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## Why topics?
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Learning how to chat with topics has a bit of a learning curve, anywhere
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from a few minutes to a few days. Why bother with something so
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complicated?
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The short answer is that most users spend many hours a day on chat. A little
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investment up front pays huge dividends in access to a more powerful
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communication paradigm.
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A longer answer is [here](https://zulip.com/why-zulip).
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## Replying to a topic
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When replying to a message, the stream and topic are conveniently
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pre-filled. Click on a message to reply, or type `r` to reply to the message
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under the blue box.
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## Tips for administrators
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Topics are lightweight and do not need to be managed. Anyone writing to a
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stream can and should [start topics](/help/start-a-new-topic) for new
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conversations. "Old" topics naturally lose visibility over time, and do not
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need to be deleted.
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## Further reading
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* [Creating streams for your organization](/help/getting-your-organization-started-with-zulip#create-streams)
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* [Stream permissions](/help/stream-permissions)
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* Browse the articles under **Streams & topics** and
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**Stream management** on the left sidebar.
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