# Getting started with Discourse
**URL:** https://discourse.itk.org/t/getting-started-with-discourse/22
**Category:** Uncategorized
**Tags:** discourse
**Created:** [September 13, 2017, 10:52pm UTC](https://discourse.itk.org/t/getting-started-with-discourse/22 "2017-09-13T22:52:01Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@matt.mccormick](https://discourse.itk.org/u/matt.mccormick)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2017, 10:52pm UTC](https://discourse.itk.org/t/getting-started-with-discourse/22/1 "2017-09-13T22:52:02Z")
To receive updates about new software releases and major events, [sign-in with email, GitHub, or Google](https://discourse.itk.org/login).
After logging in, a new question can be posted by selecting a category and clicking on  button found in the top right corner.
Searching the archive is done clicking on the search button also found in the top right corner.
Questions are organized by categories:
**For instructions on how to use Discourse via email, please read the following post: [Using Discourse as a mailing list](https://discourse.itk.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-mailing-list/32/2).**
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### Author:  [@dzenanz](https://discourse.itk.org/u/dzenanz)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2017, 8:40pm UTC](https://discourse.itk.org/t/getting-started-with-discourse/22/2 "2017-09-14T20:40:54Z")
I currently don’t see categories. I assume we will discuss which ones to have?
Edit: we do, I just didn’t see them right away!
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### Author:  [@matt.mccormick](https://discourse.itk.org/u/matt.mccormick)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2017, 9:31pm UTC](https://discourse.itk.org/t/getting-started-with-discourse/22/3 "2017-09-14T21:31:07Z")
Yes, those categories are a starting point – they could be refined.
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### Author:  [@dzenanz](https://discourse.itk.org/u/dzenanz)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 1:57pm UTC](https://discourse.itk.org/t/getting-started-with-discourse/22/4 "2017-09-15T13:57:24Z")
The categories are very reasonable, and its a short list - which is a good thing. We might want to roll “Site Feedback” into “Uncategorized”, as it will likely not be used much. It will probably be used somewhat in the first few weeks, so we might want to wait a little bit with merging - assuming merging categories is easy.
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### Author:  [@fbudin](https://discourse.itk.org/u/fbudin)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 5:43pm UTC](https://discourse.itk.org/t/getting-started-with-discourse/22/5 "2017-09-15T17:43:38Z")
Will users and developers be separated on discourse like they are on the mailing lists? Is the “community” category for the users?
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### Author:  [@matt.mccormick](https://discourse.itk.org/u/matt.mccormick)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 5:57pm UTC](https://discourse.itk.org/t/getting-started-with-discourse/22/6 "2017-09-15T17:57:03Z")
Yes, we could remove _Site Feedback_. _Uncategorized_ is a special category that can’t be removed.
To delete _Site Feedback_, we have to move this topic. We will move to _Uncategorized_?
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### Author:  [@dzenanz](https://discourse.itk.org/u/dzenanz)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 5:57pm UTC](https://discourse.itk.org/t/getting-started-with-discourse/22/7 "2017-09-15T17:57:14Z")
Users and developers will not be separated, aside from separation created by visitors themselves by setting up filters and subscribing to some categories but not others.
It is a good question whether “Community” is for user questions. Perhaps we should have a category with a name suggestive of that? And make that category be the default? Most visitors will want to ask a question about using ITK, much less people about developing it.
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### Author:  [@dzenanz](https://discourse.itk.org/u/dzenanz)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 5:57pm UTC](https://discourse.itk.org/t/getting-started-with-discourse/22/8 "2017-09-15T17:57:47Z")
Moving to uncategorized sounds good.
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### Author:  [@matt.mccormick](https://discourse.itk.org/u/matt.mccormick)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 6:01pm UTC](https://discourse.itk.org/t/getting-started-with-discourse/22/9 "2017-09-15T18:01:12Z")
The categories are currently
- Announcements: for release announcements, etc.
- Engineering: how to build, etc.
- Community: new documentation, GitHub usage, etc.
- Algorithms: how a segmentation method works, etc.
- Uncategorized: everything else
- Site Feedback (to be removed?): feedback on the site itself
We could improve these or their descriptions.
I do not think a separation into users and developers encourages participation.
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### Author:  [@matt.mccormick](https://discourse.itk.org/u/matt.mccormick)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 6:05pm UTC](https://discourse.itk.org/t/getting-started-with-discourse/22/10 "2017-09-15T18:05:04Z")
Anyone who uses ITK is a developer that is developing it. The “lesser” attribution to new developers as “users” does not encourage contribution from folks who have a lot to add to the community.
To encourage new participation, maybe a “Beginner” or “First-Timer” category?
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### Author:  [@dzenanz](https://discourse.itk.org/u/dzenanz)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 6:07pm UTC](https://discourse.itk.org/t/getting-started-with-discourse/22/11 "2017-09-15T18:07:55Z")
“Beginner questions” sounds good. Most people will want to start by posting in that category, unless they are able to categorize their post which means they are not beginners 😃
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### Author:  [@matt.mccormick](https://discourse.itk.org/u/matt.mccormick)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 6:11pm UTC](https://discourse.itk.org/t/getting-started-with-discourse/22/12 "2017-09-15T18:11:53Z")
> Moving to uncategorized sounds good.
Done.
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### Author:  [@matt.mccormick](https://discourse.itk.org/u/matt.mccormick)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 6:25pm UTC](https://discourse.itk.org/t/getting-started-with-discourse/22/13 "2017-09-15T18:25:04Z")
> “Beginner questions” sounds good. Most people will want to start by posting in that category, unless they are able to categorize their post which means they are not beginners 
[Here it is.](https://discourse.itk.org/c/beginner-questions) The description can be improved?
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### Author:  [@dzenanz](https://discourse.itk.org/u/dzenanz)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 6:31pm UTC](https://discourse.itk.org/t/getting-started-with-discourse/22/14 "2017-09-15T18:31:36Z")
Can we make beginner questions be second category right after announcements? Can beginner questions be made the default category for new topics? If not, can it be second on that list, right after “Uncategorized”?
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### Author:  [@matt.mccormick](https://discourse.itk.org/u/matt.mccormick)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 6:39pm UTC](https://discourse.itk.org/t/getting-started-with-discourse/22/15 "2017-09-15T18:39:09Z")
> Can we make beginner questions be second category right after announcements?
Yes, done.
> Can beginner questions be made the default category for new topics? If not, can it be second on that list, right after “Uncategorized”?
According to [this thread](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-set-a-default-category-for-a-new-topic/36462), it is currently not possible.
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### Author:  [@dzenanz](https://discourse.itk.org/u/dzenanz)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 6:53pm UTC](https://discourse.itk.org/t/getting-started-with-discourse/22/16 "2017-09-15T18:53:40Z")
Great!
If default is not possible, can we have it second on the list?
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### Author:  [@matt.mccormick](https://discourse.itk.org/u/matt.mccormick)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 7:02pm UTC](https://discourse.itk.org/t/getting-started-with-discourse/22/17 "2017-09-15T19:02:07Z")
I am not aware of a way to specify that order. 🤨
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### Author:  [@dzenanz](https://discourse.itk.org/u/dzenanz)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 7:07pm UTC](https://discourse.itk.org/t/getting-started-with-discourse/22/18 "2017-09-15T19:07:51Z")
Maybe it is auto-sorted based on frequency of posting? If we can’t influence it, just let it be 😃
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### Author:  [@matt.mccormick](https://discourse.itk.org/u/matt.mccormick)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2017, 10:00pm UTC](https://discourse.itk.org/t/getting-started-with-discourse/22/19 "2017-09-20T22:00:12Z")
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### Author:  [@lassoan](https://discourse.itk.org/u/lassoan)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2017, 5:09am UTC](https://discourse.itk.org/t/getting-started-with-discourse/22/20 "2017-09-22T05:09:05Z")
@matt.mccormick Thanks a lot for setting this up. It’s great that ITK discussions are moving here!
[Next page](https://discourse.itk.org/t/getting-started-with-discourse/22.md?page=2)