<!--IssueSummary start--> <details> <summary> Everyone can contribute. [Help move this issue forward](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/developer-relations/contributor-success/community-contributors-workflows/#contributor-links) while earning points, leveling up and collecting rewards. </summary> - [Close this issue](https://contributors.gitlab.com/manage-issue?action=close&projectId=278964&issueIid=15641) </details> <!--IssueSummary end--> ## Summary A new tab "Forum" is implemented next to "Issues". This forum hosts questions and answers sorted by topics. ## Background It is very common for a popular project to receive questions filed as an issue to the issue tracker: * How do I use ...? * This does not work with XYZ. What should I troubleshoot...? * I can't compile it. Am I doing something wrong? * What do you think about integrating it with FooBar? This increases the burden to the project maintainers and contributors during the triaging process. From the workflow of a contributor, their time is logically divided between two different activities (a) **triaging** defects, tasks, and merge requests and (b) providing **supports** (answering questions etc). A separate discussion forum would be extremely useful for this workflow. Some benefits for the issue tracker: * Searching the issue tracker does not result in tons of unrelated hits * A question filed into the issue tracker can be moved to the forum * Unrelated comments ("thread hijacking") can be spawn into its own discussion topic Additional benefits for the discussion forum: * Important discussion topics (FAQ, common troubles, known problems, ..) can be pinned for visibility * A good new idea from a discussion can be spawn into a feature request (without the extra noise)