Frankly, I don't have the problem you're trying to solve. And I'm not even sure what problem you're trying to solve is. I do know I never woke up thinking - damn, my tags are acting up again.
Folks, read and re-read this comment when you are firing up a shiny new web app.
What problem are people waking up with who can't wait to give you their credit card numbers for you to fix? If that isn't a problem you are solving, it may be a long slog uphill.
Actually, if I'm not completely mistaken this is a rather cool site function, so correct me if I'm wrong, but does this site scrape the sites listed on the main page for the tags you search for then produce a results page?
I think that's what it's doing, and if so that's pretty neat. It's a great way if you're doing a research project for example to gather social data in one location based on tags instead of going to each individual website finding what you're looking for.
As far as critique goes:
I can't say much by way of development since I'm the design ninja on my team. We'll start there:
On the front page I'd make the search function much more prominent since that is the central component to the reason your site exists. For the most part, the idea is great but the execution lacks in placement of your design elements. For example, again on the front page instead of listing all of the sites being scraped, put them on an about page or somewhere out of the way, but still easily accessible so users will know where data is coming from. Your banner should go up top, in tried and tested results from many other sites similar to this.
Secondly, on the search results, I wouldn't overemphasize the ability to refine the search results by way of a tag cloud. perhaps using a secondary form element so users can define themselves what details they want to disseminate, and making the tag cloud a secondary matter. But most importantly, on the matter of search results: those should be obvious; don't make the user scroll after rendering the data they've searched for. This is both redundant and pointless.
Thirdly I'm noticing you're making extraneous use of line-height properties. Don't overdo it. I know your copytext is a little sparse, and that's fine but don't sacrifice real estate on the page that could be used on it's own page just to make a point.
Overall, I would reduce the front page to maybe just the banner, and the search form (just like Google and even the Twitter search App Summize), with links at the bottom to your blog, contact and about pages, as you have now. Make your results page more readable and more relevant to the information being presented, and utilize screen space more effectively by reconsidering where some of your content elements are.
But, for what it's worth I think this is a great idea for a site, the design isn't bad. I can see you know how to do it, now just work on how to make it work for the user. Just because you know how to navigate doesn't mean the rest of us do.
:) Good luck, and keep reading this thread. There have been some great suggestions so far from the rest of the community.
But, as a design ninja, you really think the design isn't bad? I was with you till that line. I thought the four paragraphs above it were on the money and pretty strongly imply the design is bad.
The idea is good, and the design will be good too after two or three more iterations. But right now, that design is bad.
Having a sense of design is one thing, execution when it comes to user impression and interaction is another, which is why you'll (almost, read it again, almost) never see a designer for a magazine or newspaper layout working as a web designer.
I can see he knows how to use the tools he has, and the technologies required, and for that he's done well. But it just needs improvement that only comes from practice, practice and practice. My position isn't changed, it's not BAD by any means, it just needs to be more effective.
