This is a heads-up for people who create new tags, or have in the past. Most users are unaware that Stack Exchange has an automated tag cleanup system that deletes little-used tags.
On a main site (Arts & Crafts), undefined tags associated with only a single question for more than six months will get deleted. On a Meta site (Arts & Crafts Meta), that time period is extended to a year.
Some implications on the main site (if you create a tag on A&C Meta, substitute 12 months for the time frame):
- If you create a new tag, it will disappear in six months unless one of two things happens:
- You write at least the tag wiki excerpt (usage guidance blurb) to define the tag, or
- You or someone else uses the tag on at least two questions within six months.
- If you created a new tag in the past without at least a tag wiki excerpt, and the tag was used on multiple questions, it will get deleted six months after its usage drops to one question. That can happen through tag cleanup efforts that remove the tag from questions where it is not a useful tag, or questions with the tag get deleted (e.g., migrated away or closed and eventually Roomba'ed). So if you previously created tags, make sure they have at least a wiki excerpt or keep your eye on the tag usage.
