diff --git a/app/models/tag_cloud.rb b/app/models/tag_cloud.rb
index e4598971a..020f44e49 100644
--- a/app/models/tag_cloud.rb
+++ b/app/models/tag_cloud.rb
@@ -7,7 +7,26 @@ class TagCloud
   end
 
   def tags
-    resource_model.last_week.tag_counts.order("#{resource_model.to_s.downcase.pluralize}_count": :desc, name: :asc).limit(5)
+    resource_model.last_week.tag_counts.
+    where("lower(name) NOT IN (?)", category_names + geozone_names + default_blacklist)
+    order("#{table_name}_count": :desc, name: :asc).
+    limit(5)
+  end
+
+  def category_names
+    ActsAsTaggableOn::Tag.where("kind = 'category'").map {|tag| tag.name.downcase }
+  end
+
+  def geozone_names
+    Geozone.all.map {|geozone| geozone.name.downcase }
+  end
+
+  def default_blacklist
+    ['']
+  end
+
+  def table_name
+    resource_model.to_s.downcase.pluralize
   end
 
 end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/spec/models/tag_cloud_spec.rb b/spec/models/tag_cloud_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bab902a18
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/models/tag_cloud_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+require 'rails_helper'
+
+describe TagCloud do
+
+  describe "#tags" do
+
+    it "returns proposal tags" do
+      create(:proposal, tag_list: 'participation')
+      create(:debate,   tag_list: 'world hunger')
+
+      tag_cloud = TagCloud.new(Proposal)
+
+      expect(tag_names(tag_cloud)).to contain_exactly('participation')
+    end
+
+    it "returns debate tags" do
+      create(:proposal, tag_list: 'participation')
+      create(:debate,   tag_list: 'world hunger')
+
+      tag_cloud = TagCloud.new(Debate)
+
+      expect(tag_names(tag_cloud)).to contain_exactly('world hunger')
+    end
+
+    it "returns tags from last week" do
+      create(:proposal, tag_list: 'participation', created_at: 1.day.ago)
+      create(:proposal, tag_list: 'corruption',    created_at: 2.weeks.ago)
+
+      tag_cloud = TagCloud.new(Proposal)
+
+      expect(tag_names(tag_cloud)).to contain_exactly('participation')
+    end
+
+    it "does not return category tags" do
+      create(:tag, kind: 'category', name: 'Education')
+      create(:tag, kind: 'category', name: 'Participation')
+
+      create(:proposal, tag_list: 'education, parks')
+      create(:proposal, tag_list: 'participation, water')
+
+      tag_cloud = TagCloud.new(Proposal)
+
+      expect(tag_names(tag_cloud)).to contain_exactly('parks', 'water')
+    end
+
+    it "does not return geozone names" do
+      create(:geozone, name: 'California')
+      create(:geozone, name: 'New York')
+
+      create(:proposal, tag_list: 'parks, California')
+      create(:proposal, tag_list: 'water, New York')
+
+      tag_cloud = TagCloud.new(Proposal)
+
+      expect(tag_names(tag_cloud)).to contain_exactly('parks', 'water')
+    end
+
+    it "orders tags by count" do
+      3.times { create(:proposal, tag_list: 'participation') }
+      create(:proposal, tag_list: 'corruption')
+
+      tag_cloud = TagCloud.new(Proposal)
+
+      expect(tag_names(tag_cloud).first).to eq 'participation'
+      expect(tag_names(tag_cloud).second).to eq 'corruption'
+    end
+
+    it "orders tags by count and then by name" do
+      3.times { create(:proposal, tag_list: 'participation') }
+      3.times { create(:proposal, tag_list: 'health') }
+      create(:proposal, tag_list: 'corruption')
+
+      tag_cloud = TagCloud.new(Proposal)
+
+      expect(tag_names(tag_cloud).first).to  eq 'health'
+      expect(tag_names(tag_cloud).second).to eq 'participation'
+      expect(tag_names(tag_cloud).third).to  eq 'corruption'
+    end
+  end
+
+end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/spec/support/common_actions.rb b/spec/support/common_actions.rb
index 437a3c7ca..f9331d328 100644
--- a/spec/support/common_actions.rb
+++ b/spec/support/common_actions.rb
@@ -175,4 +175,8 @@ module CommonActions
      create(:debate, :with_confidence_score, cached_votes_up: 80)]
   end
 
+  def tag_names(tag_cloud)
+    tag_cloud.tags.map(&:name)
+  end
+
 end