Some existing tags are redundant because they are composed of two much better known tags. They dilute filtering like spelling variants of simple tags do.
I mean tags like python-multithreading, where the tag has a meaning equivalent to a combination of other, much better known tags; and unlike google-maps where the meaning is not simply composed from meanings of the parts. There is also a gray zone where the equivalence of meaning (and consequently usefulness of the composite tag) is disputed by the community.
Composite tags of a particular syntactic form are discussed here, the conclusion being that the plus sign is a legitimate character in tag names, and that the existence of composite tags is a site content problem to be addressed by the community.
Should we use the tag synonym mechanism to replace a truly redundant composite tag with multiple tags?
More specifically:
- Should one propose the composite tag as a synonym for all its constituent tags, assuming that some or all synonyms will eventually be approved, and be used as a collective replacement in the future?
- Or, should one choose just the most specific, closest matching replacement and propose the synonym only there?
- Should one just go ahead and retag all posts manually, where applicable?
- Is there any efficient way to address such tags outside of the synonym system?
