Just like real clouds, tag clouds make it rain, but with information and none of that dangerous lightning stuff. Now don’t get me wrong, I definitely think tag clouds look cool, and they are on a ton of websites (even on ours in the footer), but I tend to question exactly how useful they are, kind of like The Amazing Fish Pen which for those of us that need an explanation, is a fishing rod looking writing device that fits into your briefcase. Sounds cool right? But does anyone use the fish pen? Am I wrong? What do these accomplish that an ordinary list doesn’t? Do people actually use these (especially in 3D) or are they just a hot trend we showcase on a page for just because we can do it? Let’s hear it.

Every time you vote DOWN a tag cloud gets punched in the face.

References:

• Wikipedia – Tag Clouds
• Smashing Magazine – Tag Clouds Gallery: Examples And Good Practices