Add a new "retag" tag for new users to request their question be retagged

Question

Last week I asked a question about Phase 10 Twist for which there was no tag. As someone with low rep, I had no way to formally request that my question be retagged without adding something to the body of the question and hoping someone saw it or flagging the question for moderator attention and adding my request.

Over at Anime.SE we recently added the retag tag for new users who are familiar with the SE format to request their questions be retagged with proper series tag.

I propose that the retag tag be added here as well so that new users have an easy way to request a tag be created without having to post it in the body of the question.

Answer 1

I think this is not really an issue. A significant fraction of these posts come from new users who are unaware of site conventions. Even if we did have a retag tag, most people wouldn't use it.

Modifying the Ask a question page, even if it was possible (which I'm not sure it is), only helps if the user reads the page. Long experience on Stack Overflow has taught us that plenty of people never read anything before posting. Most people just want the answer to a question. Once they get it, some small fraction will become interested, and choose to stick around. Those are the people who will pick up the conventions, over time, but they are a minority.

If a user can't pick the tag they'd like, they can

1. Mention at the end of the question that they'd like a retag.
2. Comment on the question, and then delete the comment once someone retags.
3. Flag the question for moderator attention.
4. Just pick something arbitrary - we have plenty of users keen to retag correctly (people love tagging and categorising; editing for quality - now that's much rarer).

The question will be retagged quickly. I'd say the system works just fine.

Answer 2

This is as a much a response to @Aarthi's comment as it is the original question:

We've recently, strongly, and (I would say) successfully moved away from meta-tags such as "strategy" and "rules". One of the results is that, for many questions, the name of the game is the only appropriate tag. Glancing at the questions on the front page shows a lot of questions with only one tag (and a few that have two, for a base game and expansion).

MCeley then has an excellent point: if a new user asks a question about a new game, the form requires that it have at least one tag, but what should it be? Something general, like "strategy" is a now-frowned-upon meta tag. The name of the game hasn't been created yet, so a new user can't use it, I think a retag tag is a good solution. My guess is most retags won't last more than 30 minutes before someone creates the appropriate tag.

My biggest concern is that new users won't know to use the retag, and I'd go so far as to ask for an additional feature request: a note on the Ask Question page for users unable to create tags instructing them of this convention.