1. You can only tag content with existing tags.
2. New tags can only be added to the system by Support Desk Tickets.
3. Continue to Tag, but focus on fewer more relevant tags.
4. Tagged content can be used on your new program pages using the "Tag News Block".
5. We will reducing the total number of tags significantly in the coming months.

With the change from our Wordpress system to Wagtail, you've probably noticed a lot of very visible differences. One thing that is not quite so visible is how we have changed the way tagging works.

This change is both a mechanical change to the way you will add tags as well as a conceptual change.

In the new Wagtail system, tags can only be chosen from the list of already created tags. When you begin to type in a tag you will see a list of tags populate in the form of an autocomplete. You must choose a tag that already exists and is available in that list.

If you would like to add a new tag to the list of available tags you can do so by submitting a support desk ticket.

We have imported every tag from the Wordpress system. There are roughly 30,000 tags in the old system, most of which are used a single time. To add to this, a number of tags include misspellings or additional characters that prevent the tags from connecting content together.

That is the real purpose for tags, to connect content. When a user clicks a tag, there should ideally be more than one news article under that tag. The tags should be used to tie the news content to existing programs, or news article series.

With our new system we also have the ability to add great new features like the "Tag News Block". These features only work well if we have a smaller, specific number of tags that consistent across sites. In order to achieve this goal we are locking down the current tags and beginning work on reducing the total number of tags to a more useable and actionable amount.

1. Limit your tags. Choose between 2 and 4 tags per article.
2. Focus on the main topic. Only tag what the article is actually about.
3. Be specific. Pick the most precise tag available for your subject.
4. Think of the reader. Only use tags that help someone find related stories.
5. You can have a series. Feel free to use tags to link specific content together. "Summer Recipe Series"

We currently do not have a timeline for when the tag reduction will happen. As we move forward we want to ensure that the new website is working well for all of our users before undertaking another major change. We will keep you updated when another a more concrete timeline is available.