Keith S.

The best new feature in WordPress 2.3 is the integration of tagging into the core of WordPress. However, the tag cloud widget & functions that are included leaves a lot to be desired. So, with time on my hands, I decided to whip up my own version of the tag cloud that lets you configure the tag cloud with all the customizations (well, almost, see below) the tag cloud template tag allows.
You can find the plugin home page (and leave comments) <a href="http://keithsolomon.net/ctc/" rel="nofollow ugc">here</a>.
<h3>NOTE</h3>
Development on this plugin has STOPPED! I am looking for someone to take it over. Find more info <a href="http://wp.me/p4xrG-7q" rel="nofollow ugc">here</a>
<h3>Upgrade</h3>
I suggest using the built-in WordPress plugin update feature, but to manually upgrade, follow these instructions: 
1. Deactivate the plugin in the WordPress admin menu. 
2. Delete the existing <code>tag-cloud.php</code> file from the <code>/wp-content/plugins</code> folder. 
3. Upload the <code>tag_cloud</code> folder to the <code>/wp-content/plugins/</code> directory. 
4. Activate <code>Configurable Tag Cloud</code> through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress and add the widget to your sidebar. 
5. (Optional) Add <code>ctc()</code> template tag to your theme. Can be configured either via the Options menu, or via parameters in the template tag.

Configurable Tag Cloud (CTC)

Display a tag cloud customized with your preferences in the sidebar.

WPKube

The plugin renders a tag cloud using a professionally designed tag image as a background.
The plugin’s tag cloud is completely responsive and is correctly rendered in all browsers.
The primary application of this feature is through the “Cool Tag Cloud” widget, but you can also use the shortcode [cool_tag_cloud] to display the tag cloud anywhere where shortcodes are supported.
Here is the list of parameters that can be used with the shortcode, each with its own set of potential values (which are separated by the | symbol):
<ul>
<li><code>style="default|silver|green|red|blue|brown|purple|cyan|lime|black"</code></li>
<li><code>font_family="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"</code></li>
<li><code>smallest="10"</code></li>
<li><code>largest="10"</code></li>
<li><code>align="left|right"</code></li>
<li><code>font_weight="normal|bold"</code></li>
<li><code>text_transform="none|uppercase|lowercase|capitalize"</code></li>
<li><code>number="20"</code></li>
<li><code>order_by="name|count"</code></li>
<li><code>order="ASC|DESC|RAND"</code></li>
<li><code>taxonomy="post_tag"</code></li>
<li><code>nofollow="yes|no"</code></li>
<li><code>animation="yes|no"</code></li>
<li><code>on_single_display="global|local"</code></li>
<li><code>on_archive_display="all|children|siblings|descendants"</code></li>
<li><code>exclude="1,2,3"</code></li>
<li><code>include="1,2,3"</code></li>
</ul>
If you liked my plugin, please rate it.
Special thanks to <a href="http://www.premiumpixels.com/freebies/tagtastic-tag-cloud-psd/" rel="nofollow ugc">Orman Clark</a> for the tag image and to <a href="http://dimox.name/beautiful-tags-markup/" rel="nofollow ugc">Dimox</a> for the CSS code.
This plugin is maintained by <a href="https://www.wpkube.com" rel="nofollow ugc">WPKube</a>, a WordPress resource site where you can find helpful guides like how to <a href="https://www.wpkube.com/list-building-wordpress-plugins/" rel="nofollow ugc">choose the right list building plugin</a>, <a href="https://www.wpkube.com/install-wordpress" rel="nofollow ugc">how to install WordPress</a>, <a href="https://www.wpkube.com/best-wordpress-hosting/" rel="nofollow ugc">choose the best WordPress hosting</a>, and more. 
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Cool Tag Cloud

This came as a blessing when I had written some custom code to show a custom Taxonomy cloud on sidebar. The options to customize are so cool, and I love the option to either show the taxonomy related to a post on a Single post page or all tags, that makes it so versatile. Thanks so much to the author.

Configurable Tag Cloud (CTC) vs Cool Tag Cloud