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Starting a new topic

When to start a new topic

To get the full benefits of Zulip's topic model, when starting a new conversation, you should start a new topic!

Starting a topic is like a lighter weight version of giving your email a subject. Topic names should be brief but specific, e.g.:

  • Good topic names: "question about topics", "welcome Anna Smith!", "issue #1234"
  • Not so good topic names: "question", "hi", "help", "this topic is about a question I have about topics"

Don't overthink naming your topic. The first 2-3 words that come to mind are probably fine!

How to start a new topic

  • From a stream view
  • From other views

  1. Click the New topic button at the bottom of the app, or use the C keyboard shortcut.

  2. Enter a topic name. Auto-complete will provide suggestions for previously used topics.

  3. Click on the compose box, or press Tab to compose your message. You can preview your message before sending.

  4. Click Send, or use a keyboard shortcut to send your message.

  1. Click the New topic button at the bottom of the app, or use the C keyboard shortcut.

  2. Enter a stream name. Auto-complete will provide suggestions for streams you can send to.

  3. Enter a topic name. Auto-complete will provide suggestions for previously used topics.

  4. Click on the compose box, or press Tab to compose your message. You can preview your message before sending.

  5. Click Send, or use a keyboard shortcut to send your message.

In Zulip, you can compose a message to a different place than the one you are viewing. In this situation, the message feed will fade to indicate what's going on.