1. Basic Terms Used by Discourse (Nomenclature)
Here are some very basic terms that will be helpful to keep in mind as you use Discourse or read this guide:
TOPIC
This refers to the collection of messages grouped together in a meaningful conversation. A topic starts with an original post, has a title, is listed in a category, and includes all replies in chronological order. On other forums, you may have heard this referred to as a ‘thread’; Discourse uses ‘topic’ since thread is used for linked elements within a topic that can trail off in many different directions.
ORIGINAL POST (or OP)
This is the first post in any topic. This is what determines the focus and title of the topic. (In the case of this post, the Original Post is "How To: Use Discourse (New User Guide)’.
POST
Each user’s contribution to a topic is referred to as a post. Each post has its own author and can be moved to a different topic, if necessary, or even become the start of a new topic if split off by a moderator.
CATEGORY
These are the top-level groups that are used to organize topics. Each topic is placed in exactly one category or “sub-category,” which allows users to filter topics by game or by the subject at hand. Categories are a similar concept to a ‘forum’ or ‘sub-forum’ on other sites.
USER
Discourse sites may be private or public for anyone to read, but you will always be required to register an account in order to create posts or record any actions such as bookmarking, liking, tagging, and flagging. Most site activity, therefore, is based around registered Users.