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JBH
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Today I looked at the four "alternate_X" tags: , , , .

From my point of view, one or two of these could be different, but as they read in their descritpions, they're almost all the same thing:

This tag is for questions relating to radically changed Earth. This alternate Earth could be a post-apocalyptic Earth, or Earth with major changes in the current social/political/economical schemes.

OK, that's our planet with changes to lifestyle or socio-political structures.

For questions that ask what might have happened if history had taken a different path.

OK, that's our planet with changes to lifestyle or socio-political structures.

For questions in which reality is different than it is in real life. This may range from small, historical changes to absolute revisions of the laws of physics.

OK, that's our planet with changes to lifestyle or socio-political structures.

For questions about worlds other than Earth that are significantly different. This could be a water, ice, barren or other planet. For questions about planets similar to Earth with specific differences use the earth-like tag.

This is the only one that's different. But, honestly, I can't think of a reason to use it. It would apply to every question about a planet that isn't specifically about Earth. I'm sure we have plenty of other tags that are better suited to that purpose.

Question: Can we either (a) make some of these synonyms of each other, (b) use some better than they are being used, or (c) burn one or more of them?

Ultimately, this might be better suited to four separate questions, but I wanted everyone to see the big picture first.

My recommendationsI have posted my recommendations as answers per Vincent's suggestion.

  • and should become synonyms of one another. In my mind, it doesn't matter if the premise is (a) what would Earth be like if gunpowder wasn't invented? (b) what would Earh be like if the sun was blue rather than yellow? (c) what would the U.S. be like if Stonewall Jackson lived? or (d) what would Australia be like post-apocalypse? These are all alternate-earth/alternate-history to me.

  • I was tempted to bundle in as a synonym with the previous two, but I wonder if it wouldn't be better served to broaden its scope to incorporate the "multiverse" or "parallel-universe" idea proposed in this Meta question. The entire pocket-universe/parallel-universe/string-theory/underverse/multiverse context is simply an "alternate reality" from the perspective of world building.

    1. If we think it can be used as described, then we need to update its wiki.
    2. If we don't think it can be used this way, we need to propose another use, make it a synonym of the first two (above), or burn it.

  • I propose simply burning, applying appropriate replacement tags as necessary to the connected questions. I could easily be convinced to burn its cohort, . I don't believe either tag brings enough context to a question to make it easier to answer.

Today I looked at the four "alternate_X" tags: , , , .

From my point of view, one or two of these could be different, but as they read in their descritpions, they're almost all the same thing:

This tag is for questions relating to radically changed Earth. This alternate Earth could be a post-apocalyptic Earth, or Earth with major changes in the current social/political/economical schemes.

OK, that's our planet with changes to lifestyle or socio-political structures.

For questions that ask what might have happened if history had taken a different path.

OK, that's our planet with changes to lifestyle or socio-political structures.

For questions in which reality is different than it is in real life. This may range from small, historical changes to absolute revisions of the laws of physics.

OK, that's our planet with changes to lifestyle or socio-political structures.

For questions about worlds other than Earth that are significantly different. This could be a water, ice, barren or other planet. For questions about planets similar to Earth with specific differences use the earth-like tag.

This is the only one that's different. But, honestly, I can't think of a reason to use it. It would apply to every question about a planet that isn't specifically about Earth. I'm sure we have plenty of other tags that are better suited to that purpose.

Question: Can we either (a) make some of these synonyms of each other, (b) use some better than they are being used, or (c) burn one or more of them?

Ultimately, this might be better suited to four separate questions, but I wanted everyone to see the big picture first.

My recommendations

  • and should become synonyms of one another. In my mind, it doesn't matter if the premise is (a) what would Earth be like if gunpowder wasn't invented? (b) what would Earh be like if the sun was blue rather than yellow? (c) what would the U.S. be like if Stonewall Jackson lived? or (d) what would Australia be like post-apocalypse? These are all alternate-earth/alternate-history to me.

  • I was tempted to bundle in as a synonym with the previous two, but I wonder if it wouldn't be better served to broaden its scope to incorporate the "multiverse" or "parallel-universe" idea proposed in this Meta question. The entire pocket-universe/parallel-universe/string-theory/underverse/multiverse context is simply an "alternate reality" from the perspective of world building.

    1. If we think it can be used as described, then we need to update its wiki.
    2. If we don't think it can be used this way, we need to propose another use, make it a synonym of the first two (above), or burn it.

  • I propose simply burning, applying appropriate replacement tags as necessary to the connected questions. I could easily be convinced to burn its cohort, . I don't believe either tag brings enough context to a question to make it easier to answer.

Today I looked at the four "alternate_X" tags: , , , .

From my point of view, one or two of these could be different, but as they read in their descritpions, they're almost all the same thing:

This tag is for questions relating to radically changed Earth. This alternate Earth could be a post-apocalyptic Earth, or Earth with major changes in the current social/political/economical schemes.

OK, that's our planet with changes to lifestyle or socio-political structures.

For questions that ask what might have happened if history had taken a different path.

OK, that's our planet with changes to lifestyle or socio-political structures.

For questions in which reality is different than it is in real life. This may range from small, historical changes to absolute revisions of the laws of physics.

OK, that's our planet with changes to lifestyle or socio-political structures.

For questions about worlds other than Earth that are significantly different. This could be a water, ice, barren or other planet. For questions about planets similar to Earth with specific differences use the earth-like tag.

This is the only one that's different. But, honestly, I can't think of a reason to use it. It would apply to every question about a planet that isn't specifically about Earth. I'm sure we have plenty of other tags that are better suited to that purpose.

Question: Can we either (a) make some of these synonyms of each other, (b) use some better than they are being used, or (c) burn one or more of them?

Ultimately, this might be better suited to four separate questions, but I wanted everyone to see the big picture first.

I have posted my recommendations as answers per Vincent's suggestion.

Source Link
JBH
JBH
  • 132.1k
  • 1
  • 26
  • 89

Are the four "alternate_X" tags synonyms?

Today I looked at the four "alternate_X" tags: , , , .

From my point of view, one or two of these could be different, but as they read in their descritpions, they're almost all the same thing:

This tag is for questions relating to radically changed Earth. This alternate Earth could be a post-apocalyptic Earth, or Earth with major changes in the current social/political/economical schemes.

OK, that's our planet with changes to lifestyle or socio-political structures.

For questions that ask what might have happened if history had taken a different path.

OK, that's our planet with changes to lifestyle or socio-political structures.

For questions in which reality is different than it is in real life. This may range from small, historical changes to absolute revisions of the laws of physics.

OK, that's our planet with changes to lifestyle or socio-political structures.

For questions about worlds other than Earth that are significantly different. This could be a water, ice, barren or other planet. For questions about planets similar to Earth with specific differences use the earth-like tag.

This is the only one that's different. But, honestly, I can't think of a reason to use it. It would apply to every question about a planet that isn't specifically about Earth. I'm sure we have plenty of other tags that are better suited to that purpose.

Question: Can we either (a) make some of these synonyms of each other, (b) use some better than they are being used, or (c) burn one or more of them?

Ultimately, this might be better suited to four separate questions, but I wanted everyone to see the big picture first.

My recommendations

  • and should become synonyms of one another. In my mind, it doesn't matter if the premise is (a) what would Earth be like if gunpowder wasn't invented? (b) what would Earh be like if the sun was blue rather than yellow? (c) what would the U.S. be like if Stonewall Jackson lived? or (d) what would Australia be like post-apocalypse? These are all alternate-earth/alternate-history to me.

  • I was tempted to bundle in as a synonym with the previous two, but I wonder if it wouldn't be better served to broaden its scope to incorporate the "multiverse" or "parallel-universe" idea proposed in this Meta question. The entire pocket-universe/parallel-universe/string-theory/underverse/multiverse context is simply an "alternate reality" from the perspective of world building.

    1. If we think it can be used as described, then we need to update its wiki.
    2. If we don't think it can be used this way, we need to propose another use, make it a synonym of the first two (above), or burn it.

  • I propose simply burning, applying appropriate replacement tags as necessary to the connected questions. I could easily be convinced to burn its cohort, . I don't believe either tag brings enough context to a question to make it easier to answer.