zulip/help/include/when-to-start-a-new-topic.md

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, for example:

• 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 stress about making it perfect! The first 2-3 words that come to mind are probably fine, and you can always change it later.

With time, there will be lots of topics in your organization, which is just how it's supposed to be. Zulip's UI is designed to make it easy to see what's new (in your inbox, recent conversations, and the left sidebar), while still helping you find prior discussions.