Tag Clouds

What are Tag Clouds?

• A Tag Cloud is a tool used to visually show the popularity of a tagged word and how often it has been used.

Example:

How does a Tag Cloud work?

A Tag Cloud is a visual representative of how much a word has been tagged.

The more a word is used and tagged, the larger and darker/ brighter it will appear within the cloud. When clicking on the word, you will be shown a page showing all the articles the word was tagged with.

The Three Main Types of Tag Clouds

The first type uses size to show

the amount of times a tag has

been attached to a single word.

The second variation shows the tag’s

popularity by displaying the items

(using size as well) to which a tag has been

used.

The third type uses tags as a grouping means for content items. Tags are shown in a cloud and larger tags represent the amount of items in the

group.

In what ways do Tag Clouds benefit us?

Tag clouds provide us with a way to see our most used keywords

It allows you to group tags that are similar so that they appear next to each other in the cloud

Depending on the website, some words within your tag cloud will be highlighted a certain colour, which then shows the words and subjects you have in common with other viewers

They show the main subjects and make it easy to access the websites directly .

Tag Cloud vs. Tag Index

Tag Index Tag Cloud

Tips on Tagging

• Tag in moderation, and try to choose words that are descriptive to avoid Tag clutter on your computer.

•Avoid overlapping tags by using words that mean the same:

Ex: Tag words as ‘Red’ instead of having multiple words for the same meaning( maroon, burgundy, cherry red, etc.)

•Stay away from changing tags half way through, if you start by tagging a word as ‘photography’, don’t tag the next as ‘pictures’. This will just cause disorganization in the future.

•It is more efficient to tag using simple words, than to use complicated words.

• Choosing keywords that might be tagged by other users can be beneficial to your social bookmarking page.

Differences in websites using Tag clouds

FlickrUses size to show most used words

Wiki Browser Uses pictures to visually represent the word

Differences in websites using Tag clouds

Some tag clouds show similar tags that you have with other users.

Delicious

Tag Clouds are used around the world.

Visual effects in tag clouds

TAG

CLOUDS