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While I was reading the Markdown Editing Help, I found these lines:

[tag:tagname] and [meta-tag:tagname] – link to the given tag's page. Link text is the name of the tag. meta-tag only works on meta sites.

I know the scenario where someone wants to link to them is very small and probably it have never happened (and never will), but what made them take this drastic move?

My guess is that it was more like "not adding this feature" than "adding a feature to prevent the other feature from working", but maybe there are other hidden reasons invisible to the untrained eye.

Any one knows the story behind this?

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    If no-one ever needs it, why is not allowing it "drastic"?
    – JJJ
    Commented Aug 7, 2012 at 20:02
  • Note on the bounty, since I cannot edit its description: The feature is available on MSE after all, even though it is something in-between a "main" and a "meta" site.
    – Air
    Commented Feb 27, 2015 at 19:39

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Because meta-talk should be limited to the meta site only; such subjects are off-topic on the main site.

The [meta-tag:*] syntax only exists because [tag:*] use on a Meta site links to the main site tags. That's because the normal use-case for [tag:*] is to be used in tag wikis (to link to other tags) and from Meta when discussing specific tags, making it impossible to do the same for tags on the Meta site itself.

Addressing Air's bounty separately: Nothing changed with MSE becoming a dedicated site; Meta.SO split off, this site was renamed.

On Community Building, the Meta site would still be a per-site meta. Linking to tags there is still out of scope for the main site.

Meta.SE is not more separate now as when it was called Meta.SO, and it being a separate site still doesn't make talking about tags here on-topic for any other site, and adding linking support for Meta.SE tags on per-child Meta tags would have to be carefully thought out as it would conflict with the current use for [meta-tag:*] on such sites. I don't really see a use-case here that is common enough to warrant separate link mark-up, however.

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    In general, yes. But I missed them when writing my nomination.
    – Dennis
    Commented Aug 7, 2012 at 19:57
  • Just use a link to the tag page.
    – avpaderno
    Commented Aug 7, 2012 at 21:21
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    MSE is a special case; it has reputation like a main site, but you're correct that in this case, it acts like a meta site and allows the meta-tag syntax. My mistake for not thoroughly testing before offering the bounty.
    – Air
    Commented Feb 27, 2015 at 19:42
  • The use case on Community Building is illustrated in the revision history of this post. I wanted to use the familiar tag Markdown to refer to the "featured" tag itself, in addressing the general practice of featuring things... yes, it's very meta. As the link demonstrates, there is an acceptable alternative, but linking to the tag is not in this case out of scope.
    – Air
    Commented Feb 27, 2015 at 19:45
  • @Air: but there you were talking about a feature of a specific site. You were not talking about the tag, not really. In any case, if there turns out to be a real use-case and need on Community, I'm sure the feature could be made available just on that site. I am skeptical, however.
    – Martijn Pieters
    Commented Feb 27, 2015 at 20:39
  • I think that's splitting hairs; the tag is the feature. But to be clear (publicly), I am not making a feature request—just looking to give this question some more visibility and prompt answers beyond "because it's off-topic."
    – Air
    Commented Feb 27, 2015 at 20:43
  • A use case specific to a beta site with such low traffic would have to be very compelling indeed to warrant a new feature.
    – Air
    Commented Feb 27, 2015 at 20:45

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