If apps allow multiple people to tag the same resource then you should be able to figure out synonyms statistically.
It's probably a mistake to show top tags at all.
Flickr allowing you tag an entire upload set is definitely a big mistake. Browsing/discovering on the tag "tokyo" to find 20 pictures of the inside of a nondescript hotel room (even though the owner was on his way to or in tokyo) is not really a great experience.
Overtagging/hypertagging is definitely a symptom that something is wrong.
Tags should mostly be describing the object itself (photo, in this case.) They are also overloaded to describe a set of things (see previous) and a group organization of people. This last is very fragile.
It's probably a mistake to show top tags at all.
Flickr allowing you tag an entire upload set is definitely a big mistake. Browsing/discovering on the tag "tokyo" to find 20 pictures of the inside of a nondescript hotel room (even though the owner was on his way to or in tokyo) is not really a great experience.
Overtagging/hypertagging is definitely a symptom that something is wrong.
Tags should mostly be describing the object itself (photo, in this case.) They are also overloaded to describe a set of things (see previous) and a group organization of people. This last is very fragile.