Word clouds are useful graphics that display visitor responses to a museum and or activity. Many museums post their beautiful word clouds on their social media accounts in order to emphasize how much they engage with visitors. However, this can be very difficult to create for those that are technologically inept like me. Fortunately, there are word cloud generators online that make the process easy. Wordle is a helpful word cloud generator with a range of different options for users. One of the best things about Wordle is that getting started is quite easy.
Users can go to Wordle.net to use the online version of the program or download it to their computer. Downloading the program is recommended for the best possible experience as even the website states that their online version is not accessible to everyone. The creators of Wordle stress that the download version is equally as good as the online version. One key thing to note is that the website alerts users that security warnings will pop-up when trying to install it. These security warnings can be frighting for users. Still, this reviewer took the plunge for the sake of being fully informed before reporting on this software. Thankfully, the download did not include any viruses.
Once installed, the program is nothing flashy but is extremely easy to use. The first step is to either type or paste the list of words you want to use in your word cloud. Once the words are in the text box, the next step will be to press the “Go” button located in the lower right-hand corner.
The program will automatically give the user a random pattern and color for the word cloud, but this can be customized. Wordle‘s toolbar allows users to choose what colors, orientation, and font they want. The background can also be changed to different colors, which adds more possibilities.
Wordle is a simple program that can help users create pretty word clouds, but it is not without its flaws. One of the things the users will find most annoying is that they can not change the layout manually. Unfortunately, it is not possible to change the angle of one word without changing the entire layout. Along with this, it is not possible to pick what color a word can be. The only option that users have is to keep hitting the “re-color” button until the desired color appears on a specific word.
Whether Wordle is a good word cloud generator for you depends on the type of person you are. It is because of these minor shortcomings that it would not be recommended for those that enjoy having full creative control of their word cloud. If you are a person that does not mind having a limited say in the design process for the sake of saving time, then Wordle is a solid choice.
Nonetheless, Wordle is very straightforward to navigate for those that cannot create a word cloud for themselves on programs like photoshop. I personally enjoyed the experience I had and will use the program in the future.