# Streamlining forum organization with third level sub-categories

**URL:** <https://meta.discourse.org/t/streamlining-forum-organization-with-third-level-sub-categories/344326>\
**Category:** Community Building\
**Created:** [December 25, 2024, 6:50pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/streamlining-forum-organization-with-third-level-sub-categories/344326 "2024-12-25T18:50:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 8

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**Author:** ![Bas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/bas/32/294929_2.png) [@Bas](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Bas)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2025, 10:20am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/streamlining-forum-organization-with-third-level-sub-categories/344326/8 "2025-01-06T10:20:23Z")

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I would **strongly** recommend to start with as little categories and organisation as you can stomach.  
Your users will spend a lot less time thinking about a topic’s taxonomy than you would like, that is life as a community manager. This book is an absolute classic for a reason: [Don't Make Me Think - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Make_Me_Think)

> [@gassim](#):
>
> What do you think of level three sub-categories?

I think that generally they are not needed and in most cases **are harmful** to a community. They are only unlocked with a hidden site setting for a reason.

I’ve always been enamoured by [Jeff’s analogy from 2014](https://blog.discourse.org/2014/08/building-a-discourse-community/):

> I often describe Discourse as an interesting dinner party.  
> Think of categories as rooms, topics as tables, replies as conversations. Your goal, as the dinner party organizer, is to found your own successful restaurant

Don’t put too many rooms in your restaurant, it makes the place feel dead and empty.

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