Tag pages

Tags are the core of our site, and most of the time, you will encounter them as a word or phrase on a book you’re viewing. But since there are so many tag-worthy concepts, they might not always be self-explanatory. We aim to phrase them in a consistent style, succinctly and comprehensively, but we’ll also make use of genre conventions and tropes that might not be known to everyone. Do you know what a slow burn romance is? Or a MacGuffin? Or the difference between soft and hard science fiction?

To make sure our tags are used correctly, and that people can look up what they mean, every tag will get a page not unlike in a wiki. On these pages, you will not only be able to see a description, but also related concepts and how to distinguish between them, as well as what implications our moderators have set.

When users coin a previously unused tag, they enter a short description with it. The moderators are then tasked with evaluating whether to merge it with an existing tag, rename, delete, or approve it; they can use this description to make sure their moderation efforts fit the concept the user meant to capture. They can then edit or expand on the user’s description. This is important in case a tag name is ambiguous: When someone tags “cat talking,” do they mean a cat that is talking, or a human talking to a cat like to a person, as many pet owners do? Or a person speaking cat language? Or cats talking among themselves? Or a person meowing, without actually using it as a language? Or did the user mean catcalling, instead?

Our tag pages will also display which other tags it implies, and which it is implied by and which types are commonly used for it. The description might also feature more guidance for when to use which type or relevance level.

While the tag pages will have long, detailed descriptions, there will be a short description directly displayed when a user wants to add a tag, to make sure they know exactly what the tag means. That way, we hope to ensure our tags are accurate and consistently used. To learn more about what happens when they are not, keep reading about how we handle disputing tags.

PS: A slow burn romance describes a drawn out build-up of romantic tension between characters, a MacGuffin is an object of central importance to the plot that is, in itself, unimportant or replaceable, and soft and hard science fiction correspond to the soft and hard sciences, focusing on society or technology, respectively.