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.

Christoph

Make your WordPress site stand out with a colorful tag cloud. Display your tags in a spiral or in waves.
<h3><a href="https://demo.chattymango.com/creative-tag-cloud-demos/?pk_campaign=ctc&pk_kwd=readme" rel="nofollow ugc">★ Try The Demos ★</a></h3>
<a href="https://chattymango.com/creative-tag-cloud/?pk_campaign=ctc&pk_kwd=readme" rel="nofollow ugc">Features</a> | <a href="https://documentation.chattymango.com/documentation/creative-tag-cloud/?pk_campaign=ctc&pk_kwd=readme" rel="nofollow ugc">Documentation</a> | <a href="https://chattymango.com/?redirect_to=latest&cat=140&pk_campaign=ctc&pk_kwd=readme" rel="nofollow ugc">Latest Development Blog Post</a>
This plugin provides two tag clouds:
<ol>
<li>Display your tags in a spiral, starting outside from the most-used tags.</li>
<li>Display your tags in horizontal waves, starting left from the most-used tags.</li>
</ol>
These tag clouds can be inserted in posts and pages with shortcodes or in widget areas with widgets.
Please don’t expect the tag clouds to look perfect out of the box. There is a variety of parameters to fine-tune the size, the number of waves, cycles, distances and so on and you will need to adjust them to the number of tags, the available space and so on.
You can find more information on the <a href="https://chattymango.com/creative-tag-cloud/?pk_campaign=ctc&pk_kwd=readme" title="plugin website" rel="nofollow ugc">plugin website</a>.
The documentation is available <a href="https://documentation.chattymango.com/documentation/creative-tag-cloud/?pk_campaign=ctc&pk_kwd=readme" rel="nofollow ugc">here</a>.
If you find this plugin useful, please give it a <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/creative-tag-cloud/reviews/?filter=5" title="reviews" rel="ugc">5-star rating</a>. Thank you!

Creative Tag Cloud

Make your WordPress site stand out with a colorful tag cloud. Display your tags in a spiral or in waves.

Configurable Tag Cloud (CTC) vs Creative Tag Cloud