[wp-forums] Tags

[Podz]

The 'Semiologic' tag has been removed from the tag cloud.

This is nothing whatsoever to do with Denis and everything to do with
the forums not being gameable by others also using such tags. Anyone
offering a service to WP users could direct them to the forum using a
tag and then they could turn up and answer questions. It would be
impossible to draw the line about who could and who could not use tags
that way and arguments about that would be detrimental. We could end up
with commercial products being in the tag cloud.
So the tag has gone.

But it is important that should authors wish to track their work /
support that they can do so. Tags are a useful way to do this. So
authors of themes and plugins should be encouraged to use a tag for that
purpose - but the tag must be their _name_. Not their product, not their
website but their name. Name collisions can be handled by adding the
surname initial (for instance).
The number of tags will be monitored and at intervals - I'm thinking
monthly right now - the tag will be destroyed. This deletes no posts but
it will prevent any tag from going into the cloud. An author that uses
their tag feed will hopefully be aware of the active threads just before
the tags are removed and this action should not unduly affect the feeds
or the support available.

No author tags will be added unless the author has already started that
process (just tag a post that is relevant) - this is _not_ a way to push
support from the forum, nor is it a way to make authors support their
work - that is and will remain their choice. Author tags will be
destroyed at the request of the author except as detailed above.

This action levels the playing field and will keep it that way.
Encouraging the use of author tags might help authors.
And it means the tag cloud contains terms which are of use to all WP users.

P.