Open or Closed tagging system?

[JoelR]

In light of IPS new stance on tagging in v5, I wanted  to ask other forum admins about their experiences with open versus closed tagging systems.  

Open System:

• Pros: Anyone can create tags, which could capture more nuanced topics.
• Cons: It can get messy quick, with duplicate or irrelevant tags everywhere.

Closed System:

• Pros: It's tidy, with a controlled set of tags that keeps things organized.
• Cons: Might be too restrictive and not cover all relevant topics, potentially stifling discussion.

Have you found one system clearly better than the other in managing community content? How do you handle the challenges that come with your chosen tagging system?

In my primary community, I use an open tagging system.  Although I started out in the beginning with a very tight closed tagging system, I soon discovered that my organizational hierarchy made sense only to me, and that others were challenged in some of the nomenclature and organization that I used.  I've also been fortunate to grow a community to a size where there's such a large breadth of content, it would be impossible to predefine all tags in advance.  

[Como]

Hi @JoelR

I explored tags when we switched to Invision a year ago, but have made no real use of them. Given this, a vote from me would be meaningless.

Given the overhaul to the system, I will explore their use again.

A sea of tags is best avoided. But given that the new tagging system will use a closed list, my suggestions would seem moot. Anyway...

• When choosing a tag, a dropdown (of tags already in use) should be provided.
  • If the member chooses to create a new tag, they should warned that the tag might be dropped if it proves unpopular
• A minimum frequency of use of the tag (when creating topics, and by different members) to keep it alive
• A minimum frequency of use of the tag in searches to keep it alive
  • Perhaps, little used tags would be flagged for admins to delete/keep
• An option for admins to merge similar tags