The .github directory within a GitHub repository serves as a special storage space for community health files and various resources that guide contributions and support for the project. This includes issue templates, pull request templates, code of conduct, and more.
If you create a .github repository and include issue templates, these will be automatically applied to all repositories that do not have their own .github directory. For example, a generic bug report template in your .github repo will be utilized in any other repository without its own .github setup.
Organizations can also utilize the .github repository functionality similarly to individual repos. Additionally, organization profiles can be customized by adding a README that appears on the organization page on GitHub. This README should be placed in the .github-private repository under /profile/README.md.
To customize your organization's profile with an internal README visible only to members, create a file named README.md within the .github-private directory, specifically located at /profile/README.md. This ensures that the README is accessible only to organization members.
Effectively utilize the .github repository by adding necessary files such as issue templates, pull request templates, and code of conduct. These can be placed either in the root .github directory or within the shared .github repository for broader application.