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Almost since Super User was created, there has been Meta discussion about misuse of the tag:

as just a few examples. The wiki excerpt has never been adequate to prevent misuse. We now have almost 7,400 questions with the tag, and a random sample indicates that probably a big majority are not appropriate usage.

This one tag is on a similar scale as the manufacturer meta tags (there, roughly 60 tags accounted for about three times the quantity of questions, and people have been working through those for two years).

The only way to clean up will be a long-term effort by many volunteers. Before we think about doing that, though, we need to stem the tide of new incorrect usage.

Recommendation: create a new tag: (feel free to suggest a better, non-ambiguous tag title). Then make a synonym of it, with the new tag as primary. Then we can pursue cleanup.

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  • This one is a big problem. I've been ineffectively sniping these for years. I agree that there should be a more descriptive tag for Apple hardware questions, otherwise it will continue to be misused. Why not shorten your suggestion to [apple-hardware]?
    – Excellll
    Commented Sep 22, 2016 at 22:00
  • 6
    @Excellll, because that includes off-topic devices (iPods, iPhones, etc., not to mention peripherals and accessories).
    – fixer1234
    Commented Sep 22, 2016 at 22:03
  • I figured that was the rationale, but the specificity seems unnecessary to me. iPod/iPhone questions will always get migrated/closed regardless.
    – Excellll
    Commented Sep 22, 2016 at 22:05
  • 3
    @Excellll, if we're going to create a non-ambiguous tag, why build in some ambiguity? It's better if the OP sees a tag name that clearly doesn't apply to the question when they pick a non-applicable tag.
    – fixer1234
    Commented Sep 22, 2016 at 22:18
  • 1
    @fixer1234 I'm a afraid a large percentage will not interpret the -computer- part. But yes, anything that helps is welcome, so leave it in.
    – Jan Doggen
    Commented Sep 23, 2016 at 13:13
  • How about blacklisting it like the other monster?
    – Jan Doggen
    Commented Sep 23, 2016 at 13:15

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
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Is there not a way to simply change "mac" to "macintosh" recursively through all posts site-wide? I know this is likely a silly idea from a new user, but to my Asperger's mind it seems like a logical idea.

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  • 1
    Great minds think alike. I asked that about another tag: meta.superuser.com/questions/11811/…. The answer is no.
    – fixer1234
    Commented Sep 24, 2016 at 3:35
  • Ah. Also if you think about it...a macintosh tag would just open itself up to being inserted into posts about baked goods. Quick question, are tags available across all sub-exchanges? Or are there some tags that are applicable only to SU, and some...say only to Travel?
    – NZKshatriya
    Commented Sep 24, 2016 at 7:30
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    Each site has its own tags. In cases where there's subject matter overlap between sites, there may be some overlapping tags, but the wiki definitions may differ because of each site's focus.
    – fixer1234
    Commented Sep 24, 2016 at 7:48
  • Good to know. Learning at 3am when you cannot sleep. priceless.
    – NZKshatriya
    Commented Sep 24, 2016 at 7:53
  • Merely renaming a tag is something like a two-minute job for a diamond moderator.
    – user
    Commented Oct 4, 2016 at 14:23
  • I think the problem lies in the idea of retroactively changing all posts using old tag with new tag. There would be scripting involved, non-production testing....etc, etc. Funny how when you come back to a question you previously asked, you find flaws almost immediately........I swear, ONE of these days I will remember that ENTER = POST MESSAGE....I keep trying to use paragraph structure in my comments......
    – NZKshatriya
    Commented Oct 5, 2016 at 4:34

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