content/kb/general/namespaces.md

   1 Title: Channel Namespaces
   2 ---
   3 Our [policies](pages/policies) outline that channels on freenode fall into one of two categories.
   4 Channels that begin with only a single # character are primary channels. Channels that begin with
   5 two # characters are topical or ‘about’ channels.
   6
   7 Primary Channels
   8 ================
   9
  10 Primary channels are reserved for _official_ channels of on-topic projects.
  11
  12 A registered group (as outlined on the page about [group registration](pages/groupreg)) can claim
  13 ownership over primary channels bearing the group's names or name prefixes. For example, freenode
  14 itself owns the channel ‘#freenode’ and all channels beginning with ‘#freenode-’.
  15
  16 Primary channels do not expire. If you represent an on-topic project and would like to take over a
  17 primary channel for that project, do not hesitate to [contact us](pages/groupreg).
  18
  19 Topical Channels
  20 ================
  21
  22 Topical or ‘about’ channels are intended for _unofficial_ channels that are _about_ something that's
  23 on-topic. For example, an unofficial channel to talk about freenode is ##freenode. Topical channels
  24 do not mean ‘anything goes’. In particular, they are not for [off-topic use](pages/policies).
  25
  26 Topical channels are given out on a first-come, first-served basis.  They will expire if unused for
  27 a long time, see our [policies](pages/policies) for details regarding when this occurs. You can
  28 contact us on IRC with a request to take over an expired topical channel.