Channels & Categories That Work
This is a starting layout for a mixed creative/dev community — the kind with game devs, musicians, artists, and people writing scripts or tools, plus a team helping everything run. Adjust it to your own mix, but the two rules behind it are worth keeping no matter what you build:
Name things like they're yours, not a template.
#general, #welcome, #chat are the same three channels in nearly
every server that exists. Nobody remembers a server for having a
#general channel. A name that's specific to your community — a phrase
your group already uses, an in-joke, something with actual character — is
one of the cheapest ways to make a server feel like somewhere instead of
anywhere.
Cap categories at 6-7 channels. Once a category creeps past that, people stop scanning it and just default back to whichever one channel they already know. A smaller category actually gets used top to bottom; a 20-channel category quietly becomes one channel that everyone uses and nineteen that nobody opens.
A big category isn't a sign of a thorough setup
It's tempting to keep adding channels for every possible topic. In practice, an overstuffed category is a sign to split it into two smaller, better-named categories — not a sign the server is well organized.
An example layout — not a template to copy exactly
The names below are placeholders to show the shape — swap them for something that actually sounds like your community, not a generic label.
The Landing (first thing anyone sees)
- a single pinned message: what the server's about, verification, one link to expectations
- an introductions channel, phrased as your own thing rather than "introductions"
The Table (where people actually hang out)
- one channel for open conversation, named like something your group would actually say to each other
- one loosely-themed channel for whatever's off-topic that day
Making Things (split by craft — this is where category caps matter most)
- game dev
- music
- art
- scripts / tools
- (if you have a fifth or sixth craft, that's fine — past 6-7, split into two categories instead of one long one)
Show & Tell
- one channel for finished work, celebratory in tone
- one separate channel explicitly for "still working on this, tell me what's wrong with it"
Behind the Scenes (your team)
- a private space for staff that isn't just a complaints inbox
- NexaBot's automated mod-log, kept separate from where staff actually talk
A few more categories worth considering
Events & things happening A single category for anything time-bound — a game-night channel tied to NexaBot's built-in games, a running giveaway channel, a spot for anything your community does on a schedule. Keeping this separate from your always-on channels makes it obvious at a glance what's happening right now versus what's just always there.
Voice If your community talks live, a small voice category (2-4 rooms, not a dozen empty ones) tends to get used far more than a long list of rarely-filled voice channels. Fewer, well-named rooms concentrate people instead of scattering them.
Resources A quiet, low-noise category for anything reference-like — shared tools, useful links, a pinned FAQ. It doesn't need to be lively; it needs to be easy to find when someone actually needs it.
Tip
None of these categories need to exist on day one. Add a category when people are already doing that thing somewhere else and it's outgrown its spot — not because a "complete" server seems like it should have one of everything.
Why showcase and feedback stay separate
People sharing finished work want reactions and support. People sharing a work-in-progress want honest critique. Mixing the two means finished work gets picked apart, and works-in-progress get ignored because nobody wants to be the one giving criticism next to a stream of praise.
Why your team's channel shouldn't be just a complaints box
A staff channel that only exists for reporting problems becomes a place people dread opening. For a maker community especially, your staff are often contributors too, not just moderators — a little space that reflects that keeps people willing to stay on the team longer.
For a general community (no specific theme)
The same two rules still apply — unique naming, categories capped at 6-7 — but the layout itself gets simpler since there's no single craft or topic to organize around.
The Landing
- one pinned welcome message and verification, nothing else
- an introductions channel with a name that fits your group's tone
The Table
- one channel for whatever's on people's minds
- one channel for sharing things you found elsewhere — a link, a video, a meme — kept separate from actual conversation so neither one drowns the other
Interests
- a small handful of channels for whatever your members are actually into, named specifically rather than as broad buckets — pick the 3-4 that come up most instead of one for every possible topic
Behind the Scenes
- the same private staff space and mod-log as above
Tip
A general community doesn't need a "Making Things" category if nobody's making anything together. Don't add one just because it appeared earlier in this guide — build around what your specific group already does.
For a friends server (small, closed group)
A friends server usually doesn't need categories at all at first — a handful of well-named channels is often plenty, and formal structure can feel like overkill for a group that already knows each other.
A few channels that tend to earn their spot:
- one channel for everyday conversation, named like an inside joke or something only your friend group would get
- one channel for sharing photos, clips, or whatever your group documents together
- one voice channel, maybe two if you consistently split into smaller groups
- a channel for planning things — a trip, a game night, whatever your group actually organizes
Resist over-structuring a small server
It's tempting to build a friends server like a big community — categories, rules channels, a verification panel. Most of that adds friction without adding value when everyone already knows each other. Add structure only once the server outgrows a flat list of channels, not before.
See also: Growing Your Community for the bigger-picture version of this, and Verification System for locking down your landing channel properly.