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The tag is useful on many sites on this network for creating a list of questions that many users need to know but could never fit in the site FAQ. Arqade is not using that tag to its fullest potential. The tag currently has exactly 8 questions, and all are over a year old. This is not good because anyone trying to find out how our site works by looking at will get a year-old picture of the site.

As such, I think we should revisit the tag. What questions should be tagged , and why?

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I came up with the idea of putting together a "meta policy" CW question at one point, and compiled this list of things that could potentially fit into it. This is out of date and incomplete, (by a couple of months) but maybe it's a start?

Three tags seemed to jump out at me:

I tried to categorize things by whether the consensus was "allow" or "don't allow" - but there's kind of a (admittedly minor) problem that we have to update this list when we change our minds, and this might be construed as consensus when maybe there isn't any? (ie, who decides when something's settled?)

Things we seem to have disallowed:

Uncategorized off-topic:

Subcategories of game development:

Subcategories of recommendations:

Subcategories of speculation:

Subcategories of EULA/TOS/Legal issues:

Provisionally allowed, if properly scoped:

Gray areas

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  • "who decides when something's settled?" This is why I think that somewhere (not necessarily in faq) we need a list of currently enforced policies, with the assumption that even though it will require significant upkeep at first, it will be worth it and will eventually mostly settle down.
    – murgatroid99
    Commented Jul 27, 2012 at 17:52
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I voiced my cynicism about this project in chat, but putting that aside, I think any list like this needs to include links to the following blog posts:

Those give, more than any of the other blog posts and discussions we have here, succinctly define and explain the scope of Stack Exchange and its mission, and should be required reading for anyone who wants to delve into how the site comes to decisions about what is and isn't on-topic.

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In addition, this is one of my favourite questions to quote:

Let's be nice to each other

I also think this is important, since many users are still not complying with this basic accessibility consideration:

Please fill in the alt text for images on this site

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These have been asked after Agent posted his answer and are fitting for :

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    I wouldn't include the code ticks question. It's not something that we really need to point new users to. Experienced users should just edit, and if questioned on it, should be able to explain without pointing to the meta.
    – MBraedley
    Commented Oct 13, 2013 at 17:03
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    I think we should include the code ticks question, as it's an important piece of info that someone will need to know to make their use of the site the best it can be
    – shanodin
    Commented Oct 13, 2013 at 19:00
  • Also, @3ventic please don't edit your answer while things are still being discussed and debated - you think the code ticks should stay there, and this is your answer - leave it in :)
    – shanodin
    Commented Oct 13, 2013 at 19:03
  • @shanodin I took the list from my favorites and had not reviewed the list (most of my favorites are those that I consider useful for newcomers)
    – 3ventic
    Commented Oct 13, 2013 at 19:06
  • @shanodin the point of the FAQ tag is so that we can quickly point new users to an authoritative short list of site policies when they do something egregiously wrong. Code ticks, like most other formatting errors, are not egregious.
    – MBraedley
    Commented Oct 13, 2013 at 20:23
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    @MBraedley as per this meta question the FAQ tag ought to be used on all questions about site policy and decisions, as an easy way to collate the choices made by the community.
    – shanodin
    Commented Oct 13, 2013 at 21:01
  • @shanodin: from that very link: "You should add the faq tag to any posts you think are essential reading or that you frequently reference in explaining policies to new users." The code ticks meta post does not meet those criteria. It is not essential reading, and we should not need to frequently reference it. We definitely should not be putting the tag on all questions about site policy. Doing that would defeat the purpose, as it would make it too hard to find the relevant post when the time comes.
    – MBraedley
    Commented Oct 15, 2013 at 11:31
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Here are some meta posts about questions I regularly see get close votes as off-topic, despite community consensus to the contrary. It would help inform or remind users of site policy if they are tagged with :

Mod recommendations AKA "mod rec"

As of 2023, I still see questions where mods are mentioned as possible or preferable solutions by the OP being voted to be closed as “mod recommendation”, despite the community consensus in at least two meta discussions to leave them open. Another relevant meta post: Closed 'mod recommendation' Skyrim question - Can this question be improved and then reopened?

Console modding/hacking, and homebrewed consoles or games

Games in a legal gray area, such as fan-made ROM patches

Lore, plot/story explanation, and the like

Other relevant meta posts on the on-topicness of lore questions:

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