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A tag synonym that I proposed here:

has only received one vote since I proposed it on June 7. Even worse, there are synonym suggestions with only one vote since September 10, 2014 however I imagine that there aren't too many users who can vote for that synonym suggestion.

To speed up these things, and maybe other things related to tags, I think it would be a good idea to implement some kind of a review queue for this.

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  • $\begingroup$ Suggesting/voting on tag synonyms is a privilege earned at 2500 reputation. There are more than 1200 users with that repuation (compared to about 1100 users with the ability to vote to close/reopen questions. I'm not certain that the lack of a review queue is the reason why synonyms aren't voted on very frequently. It probably plays a part, but the tag system is significantly more esoteric than questions and answers, and a lot of users don't think about it too much. $\endgroup$
    – user642796 Mod
    Commented Jun 12, 2015 at 17:26
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    $\begingroup$ I'll just advertise the list of all current tag synonym suggestions. $\endgroup$
    – user642796 Mod
    Commented Jun 12, 2015 at 17:27
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    $\begingroup$ @ArthurFischer however for tag-voting there is the additional restriction on score in the tag. $\endgroup$
    – quid
    Commented Jun 12, 2015 at 17:39
  • $\begingroup$ @quid I only see two on the list Arthur Fischer linked, which are exactly the two on which I have high enough score. $\endgroup$
    – wythagoras
    Commented Jun 12, 2015 at 17:40
  • $\begingroup$ @quid: I totally forgot about that. Thanks. #mod-world-problems $\endgroup$
    – user642796 Mod
    Commented Jun 12, 2015 at 17:46
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    $\begingroup$ @wythagoras There are currently 15 synonym suggestions pending. The oldest (to make norm a synonym of normed-spaces) dates from August 2011. I must say that I don't agree with too many of these. $\endgroup$
    – user642796 Mod
    Commented Jun 12, 2015 at 17:57
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    $\begingroup$ @ArthurFischer A problem with ancient synonym suggestions is that they could have made sense back in the days, but less so now as the tag usage changed. So the existing votes don't really mean anything. If I had my druthers, proposed synonyms would age away in 3 months if not approved. $\endgroup$
    – user147263
    Commented Jun 12, 2015 at 22:46
  • $\begingroup$ I will point out that whether there should be a tag synonym between (proof-verification) and (solution-verification) was also discussed here: What is the usefulness of having “proof-verification” and “solution-verification” as different tags? (The voting there seems more-or-less inconclusive.) $\endgroup$
    – Martin Sleziak
    Commented Jun 17, 2015 at 5:25
  • $\begingroup$ There is a similar feature request on meta.SE: Give Tag synonyms their own review queue $\endgroup$
    – Martin Sleziak
    Commented Jun 17, 2015 at 8:56

2 Answers 2

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It is not very surprising that it takes a long time for synonym to be approved (=get enough upvotes) or removed from the list (=get enough downvotes). There are not many users who can vote for tag synonyms. Especially for tags which are not used very frequently there are not many users which have score $\ge5$ in the particular tag. (This would mean the the review queue you proposing would be either empty for many users or it would show them synonyms on which they cannot vote.)

As far as I can say, at the moment creation of tag synonyms on this site works like this:

  • If somebody has a suggestion for a tag synonym, they usually post on meta, where this synonym is discussed. (This can be a separate post, if the synonym needs more extensive discussion, or an answer in the designated thread.)
  • Here the users upvote/downvote suggestion.
  • When the voting suggest that there is some kind of community consensus, then some user suggests the tag synonym. If this is mentioned on meta, it increases probability that some users will vote on the synonym. In the case that there is clear consensus, this is often done by mods. (Only one vote from a moderator is needed, as their votes are binding.)

I see several advantages of this system. More users can vote. (For voting on meta there is no restriction on the score in the given tag.) And they can also post comments or answers explaining why they think the particular synonym would be useful or the opposite. (So other users see more information than just the total score.) So I think it is a good system. (And I prefer this system to creating a new review queue.)

If you see that some tag synonym is pending for a long time, you can bump the post where it was discussed to get more attention to it. Or you can mention it in the tagging chatroom.

It seems that several of the tag synonyms which are pending at the moment were discussed on meta. (But very probably not all of them.) I will post a list of posts in a separate CW-answer.

Two more comments on your original post: "Even worse, there are synonym suggestions with only one vote since September 10, 2014". As far as I know you do not see the total number of votes. For tag synonyms, only the total score (i.e., number of upvotes minus number of downvotes) is shown.

You wrote: "To speed up these things..." I do not think that it is a good idea to be in a hurry for creating tag synonyms. We have reviews for closed votes, reopen votes. But results of decision to close or to reopen is relatively easily reversible. Removing tag synonym seems to be a more difficult process.

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Several of the tags among currently pending tag synonyms have been discussed on meta. I made this post CW; feel free to add other links if I have missed something.

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