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We have at least one of these ().

There are problems with this:

  • TV programs almost never run on a single channel. In some cases, they don't even run on a single channel within a single country. There's no room to add a tag for each channel that a program runs on, even if that was a good idea.
  • There are many ways to view TV programs. Via a TV channel is one, but there's also downloading/streaming (e.g. Netflix, iTunes, Amazon) and optical media (DVD, Blu-ray).
  • The tag tells you nothing about the question (unless the question is specifically about that channel, not just about a program that aired on that channel).
  • The tag won't be consistently applied. For it to be of use, it would need to be added to every question that is about a show that aired on that channel - this requires very localised knowledge (or research).
  • If the channel specialises in science-fiction/fantasy content (I gather this is the case with SyFy) then it seems likely that a vast majority of the TV series questions will get this tag; that makes the tag considerably less worthwhile (and it bumps useful tags out of the primary position).

On the other hand, I see no benefits in these tags. Would someone really want to follow questions about shows that happened to air on a particular channel? (Perhaps this is actually possible in some countries; it's certainly not in others). Would someone want to 'ignore' these questions?

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    I agree that sy-fy makes no sense if it means “broadcast on Sy-Fy”. If it means “produced by Sy-Fy”, it just possibly maybe might make sense. But I'm for killing it unless the proponents can make a good case that it makes a major difference whether a series is produced by Sy-Fy or not. We don't have a baen or tor, after all.
    – user56
    Commented Nov 22, 2011 at 1:12
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    I at least object to 'sy-fy' because it's not two hyphenated words. If anything, it'd be 'syfy'.
    – user1027
    Commented Nov 22, 2011 at 3:45
  • @Keen: You are correct, silly me... Problem is, I can't create the tag syfy because sy-fy exists... Sigh...
    – PearsonArtPhoto
    Commented Nov 22, 2011 at 4:10
  • There are Sy-Fy original series produced by them, so the tag is actually appropriate in light of "things are broadcast on different places". This doesn't mean I support the existance of the tag - i'm agnostic.
    – DVK-on-Ahch-To
    Commented Dec 2, 2011 at 20:10

2 Answers 2

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I created this tag for series which are produced by the SyFy channel, such as Eureka and Warehouse 13. These series seem to have enough in common where it seems possible that someone might search for them, plus the fact that the shows from which they are based have so few questions that their tags are in danger of getting canceled.

I should say, there are a good many shows which are broadcast on SyFy that I would never tag, such as Dr. Who, Stargate, etc. It's only for the small, off the beaten path series that I would consider tagging them as such.

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    Can we also use it for Syfy's acclaimed series of made-for-Syfy movies?
    – user1027
    Commented Nov 22, 2011 at 4:47
  • If we have producers does that mean also book publishers? Also tags for Disney, 20C Fox, Universal, BBC, CBS, MGM, HBO, and so on? (We do have Marvel and DC tags).
    – Tony Meyer
    Commented Nov 22, 2011 at 4:59
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    If this is the intended use, then that should definitely be in the tag wiki.
    – Tony Meyer
    Commented Nov 22, 2011 at 5:02
  • How does a tag get cancelled?
    – Nick T
    Commented Nov 25, 2011 at 7:28
  • @NickT tags that are on fewer than 2 questions are periodically swept from the system. So removing usage of a tag effectively gets rid of it.
    – Tony Meyer
    Commented Nov 25, 2011 at 10:15
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    I'm not sure using a the tag for a SyFy series is necessarily a great idea, but on-the-other hand how many SyFy series really get syndicated (at least in the US). Stargate is, but how many others? I really think it is useful for the HORRIBLE HORRIBLE movies they run because it really is a useful tag for denoting that it will be extremely difficult to reconcile anything in those movies with reality. Maybe the tag should be changed to made-for-tv or m4t... well, maybe not m4t (curse you craigslist).
    – erdiede
    Commented Nov 25, 2011 at 15:56
  • @TonyMeyer Just edited the tag wiki to reflect that it shouldn't be used for everything aired on there, just for the originals (if at all).
    – SQB
    Commented Feb 5, 2014 at 10:26
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Yes, media outlet tags are awful and should be stricken from the site. They're inherently temporal in nature and bound to change when a show goes into syndication (or more likely in this day and age, online streaming).

I don't really see the value in the tag anyways; the body of knowledge from one Sy-Fy question to the next is so disjoint that it doesn't really make sense to group them. Sure, Eureka has had trivial, stand-alone crossovers to W13, but SGU and other shows are totally isolated. Things that are all wound together—like some comic book stuff is (based on my limited knowledge of those universes)—then it would make a bit of sense.

If someone wants to see what shows Sy-Fy has at present...www.syfy.com.

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