Tag Synonyms - Should They Contain Sub Types?

Question

I was going through the tags to add descriptions to the new ones and see a few created recently: Ilfotol and Wetting-Agent.

Ilfotol, being a type of Wetting-Agent, is not really a synonym but a sub-type/brand/version.

But, I don't really know enough about SE's tag system to know if these should be classed as synonyms or what function that would serve?

Enlighten me, oh great and grizzled SE'ers.

P.S. Is there any reputation point where tag edits don't have to be voted on? I'm locked from adding any more descriptions after only (I think) 5 suggestions...which sure makes cleaning up the tags a long-term task.

Answer 1

On this site, we are pretty open with tags, and often have multiple per question. I don't know much about this particular area, but I'd say if the brands are effectively interchangeable, a synonym might be appropriate. On the other hand, if there are quirks of this particular brand, I think it is okay to have a distinct brand tag — and tag questions with both tags.

Answer 2

SE doesn't offer a system for nesting tags. In general, I've never seen any particular tendency to favor less specific or more specific tags either. It really comes down to the best categorization you can manage that has enough questions or possible questions to merit a tag. A question can have up to 5 tags, so if it has broader implications, it can have the general tag and if it is concerned with a specific product, it can also have the more specific tag. It really comes down to judgement of the community on whether or not both bring value or not.