Live word cloud with a QR code
Ask a room a question and watch the answers turn into a word cloud on the screen. People scan the QR code, type a word or a short phrase on their phone, and it shows up in the cloud within a couple of seconds. The more people send the same answer, the bigger it gets.
It is for the moments a show of hands can't capture: a teacher checking what a class already knows, a speaker opening a talk, a workshop collecting ideas before a break. Nobody needs an account, the presenter included:
- A QR code and a 5-letter code: phones scan the code, or go to limeconvert.com/join and type the letters
- Whole phrases: "climate change" is one answer, not two words
- Answers per phone: one, three, five or no limit
- Moderation: remove any answer, and it stays out if someone sends it again
- Full screen: the code and the cloud fill a projector, and the result downloads as a PNG
Already have the answers, say from a survey export? Paste them into the Word Cloud Generator instead.
When someone types something rude
In a room of thirty teenagers, somebody will try. Three things keep it off the screen:
- The filter: Hide rude words is on from the start and drops common swear words and slurs, also spelled as f*ck or sh!t
- Remove: the cross next to an answer in the list takes it out of the cloud, and the same answer sent again never shows
- Pause: stops new answers while you deal with it
The phone that sent it still sees "Sent", so trying again gets nobody a reaction. The filter catches English words only. For anything else, the remove button is there.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to make a live word cloud
Collect answers from a room on their phones and show them as a word cloud.
- Open the Live Word Cloud at limeconvert.com/live-word-cloud
- Type a question, such as "One word for how you feel today?"
- Press Start a live session, then Full screen
- People scan the QR code, or go to limeconvert.com/join and type the 5-letter code
- Answers appear in the cloud as they come in; press End session when you are done
Is this a free alternative to Mentimeter for word clouds?
For word clouds, yes. It is free, has no limit on sessions, and neither you nor the audience needs an account. It does one thing: there are no polls, quizzes or slides, so if you need those, Mentimeter, Slido and AhaSlides still have them.
Do participants need an app or an account?
No. The QR code opens a web page in the phone's browser, with one field and a Send button. There is nothing to install and no name to type. Without a camera, people go to limeconvert.com/join and type the code shown under the QR code.
How many people can join?
Up to 1,000 phones in one session, and 2,000 answers in total. You choose whether each phone may send one answer, three, five or as many as it likes. Even with no limit, one phone can send at most 10 answers a minute, so a single person cannot flood the cloud.
Can people answer with a phrase instead of one word?
Yes. Every answer stays whole, so "climate change" is one item in the cloud and grows each time someone sends it. Case and extra spaces are ignored when answers are counted: "Tired", "tired" and "tired!" all count as the same answer. An answer can be up to 30 characters.
What happens to the answers?
They are deleted when you end the session, or 12 hours after the last answer if you forget. Each phone is told apart by a random id its own browser makes, so no names or IP addresses are stored. The final cloud stays on your screen after you end the session, so you can still download the PNG or copy the word list.
