Telegram Cleanup Proposal
**This AP is now closed. Final decision: cleanup will go ahead as planned, with the understanding that it will be done conscientiously and openly, and with one new clarification, below.
Guideline for organising events in separate groups: if an event is small enough to be organisable via one topic, then feel free to do so in the SBT group if you like. If organising will require several different topics and a lot of activity, please create a separate group or use another platform. Simply have one topic in the SBT for announcements and general chatter, and pin a link to the separate group, for those who want to engage more.
The results of this AP will be posted very soon, after yours truly has had a WEEKEND.**
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It’s pretty clear that the Scottish Burn Telegram group is getting so clogged with confusing topics that it’s offputting to open and hard to navigate, particularly for newbies or neurospicies. The goal of this AP is to come up with comfortable procedures to streamline this space so it’s more welcoming and useable for all, without losing valuable info from old chats.
The Problem
- We currently have 86 topics, and counting.
- 38 of these topics haven’t been used in 6 months or more.
- Many of them perform very similar functions, or are different from each other in such an atomised way as to be an impediment to finding/sharing info rather than a help.
- Many of them are for events or needs that are literally years in the past.
- It is unclear which topic is intended for what use: where to look for stuff and where to share stuff.
- Members of the group have the ability to start new topics, but not to delete them, and:
- We have no policies for topic deletion by admins, so they are growing like the hydra.
--> As a result, many people have shared that they are on telegram a lot less, as the information overload is just too much, and new people struggle to figure out where to find the information they need.
What is not intended by this policy
- Censoring anyone’s words
- Losing vital info or wisdom from previous events/conversations
- Admins going power-mad. This platform is collaborative and co-created and should remain so.
The Solution
Actions for Users/Community Members
1. Before starting a new topic, consider whether there are similar topics already existing. Also consider whether this subject really needs a whole topic of its own. Would it be fine as a discussion in an existing topic?
2. When you’ve decided this is a topic-niche that simply must be filled, a) name the topic clearly, so that anyone could understand at a glance what it’s for, and b) add a short explanation at the top of the topic, and pin it.
3. When the use of your topic has passed, close it and notify an admin to clean it up. All users have the ability to close a topic that they have created.
Event Planning
Having an entirely separate group for CB’26 worked extremely well. Let’s keep doing that for event planning - any larger burns, such as CB, Hippy New Year, Burns Burn, Singing Sands, etc, would benefit from a separate group for planning, and a topic in the Scottish Burn group just for announcements and info about said event.
Saving and Archiving Old Topics
The main objection to topics being deleted has been that we might need to look up particular information later. Therefore, before deleting a topic, admins will download the chat, files and links, then put it in a topic called “Archived Topics” as a labeled zip file. Anyone may still access past information at the click of a button.
Admin Actions
1. If a topic has not been used in over 6 months, it will be closed, and given a grace period of 1 month. If nobody raises valid objections within that time, it will be archived.
2. Event topics will be closed 2 months after the event, and archived at 3 if no valid objections.
3. Admins may rename topics with unclear titles, to make it easier for users to navigate.
4. If somebody starts a new topic which is either a duplicate or seems like something which could be a conversation within another topic, admins will contact the person who started it to discuss.
5. Duplicate topics will be archived, and the zip file posted in both “Archived Topics” and the relevant topic that it’s duplicating.
Zoe IronstoneFri 18 Sep 2026 9:52PM
@Carwyn Thanks Carwyn! Some good questions; I'll answer them in bullet form below:
- People who want to raise any objections can contact me or another admin directly.
- Topics will be closed and then left for a month, for people to have a chance to notice and get in touch if they see a problem. There are a large number of topics that have already been closed, in fact, and nobody has noticed because nobody uses them haha. I don't intend to make a big fanfare post about it every time, because I think that may trigger people to engage in long discussion about it and assume that this is an invitation to litigate every archiving decision. I would like this process to be simple and straightforward, and I don't have the energy to debate every decision. However I will make it clear that this is starting to happen, when I close this AP and announce the results in the SBT.
I will also contact people who started certain topics, if I think it's a particularly unique or sensitive case, so we can discuss and decide together what the right course of action is. I intend to be as conscientious as possible about how I go about this process.
- Rate limits: I think the grace period of a month per topic already covers people having fair warning and a chance to adjust. Again, these are groups that have not been used, at all, in at least 6 months. Most of them have not been touched in more than a year, and just sit languishing at the bottom of each person's scroll feed. And again, we are not losing these topics; they are just going to the little folder in the sky 😜
Zoe IronstoneFri 18 Sep 2026 9:57PM
Several thoughts were shared about whether larger events should or shouldn't be organised in an external group. I'm inclined to agree with Rachel's point about more complicated events being organised separately. I think forcing people to do one or the other is outside of the remit of this AP, really, but I would like to point to, and encourage, a norm of this happening. The basic rule of thumb is basically that if an event can be organised within one topic, it makes sense to keep it in the group if people want, but if it needs multiple different topics and threads, it becomes more pleasant and efficient both for attendees and non-paricipants if that happens in a separate group. I will add that caveat to the finalised AP.
Carwyn ·Fri 18 Sep 2026 11:15AM
I support the proposed solution. The telegram is very disorganised and we need an organisation system to reduce clutter and improve usability.
How will objections be raised if the topic is closed? Will there be notice in the general chat that a topic is about to be "locked" so that people can raise objections before the topic is archived or will the topic be locked and then objections raised?
To prevent a archive apocalypse, can we have rate limit on the topics to be archived? Picking a number from the air, say 10 a week? or one a day? That way people can get used to the process and people don't return after a week away to a totally different telegram.
Thanks for all the effort and volunteering admin team!