Web Worker Daily

Today sees the release of MindJet Catalyst, the latest edition of MindJet’s mind mapping software. A few days ago, I had the chance to talk to MindJet’s CEO, Scott Raskin, about the new release, his perspective on mind mapping software and where the company is headed.

Imran: It’s almost a year since we covered MindManager, what can you tell us about the newly released Mindjet Catalyst — what’s new and what’s the migration path for existing users? Read the rest of this entry »

I didn’t say that mind maps don’t work — in fact, I have a big post with all kinds of resources on data and information visualization, and mind maps make up a chunk. However, although mind mapping helps many folks explore topics and ideas, it just didn’t work for me. I had tried a few apps, and they just took too much time and effort to be of use.

Moving to Pen and Pad Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve found mind-mapping apps such as MindManager and MindView to be a little clunky and over-engineered. Sometimes, you literally want to sketch some thoughts quickly, with little concern for presentation or correctness.

As luck would have it, I recently came across Markus Müller’s Mindnode, a deliciously simple mind-mapping tool that’s designed specifically for Macs. The free edition of the product does nothing more complex than allow maps to be constructed fluidly and quickly. There are no special notations or symbols, just click and drag to add and place nodes, and watch as MindNode colors them automatically, creating a simple, easy-to-comprehend diagram.

The app also offers some useful integration with the underlying operating system. It uses OS X’s Spotlight search to enable the contents of a mindmap to be indexed, and you can also use Quick Look for visual previews.

Mindnode allows maps to be saved in a whole bunch of graphics formats (TIF, PNG, etc) as well as in its own native format and, more interestingly, as OPML and HTML documents. This implies that the resulting maps can be imported into other packages for further — perhaps automated — manipulation and even CSS styling.

Mindnode isn’t feature-rich; it has just enough features to fulfill its purpose elegantly. Even the Pro edition (just $15!), adds only a handful of useful additional features.

There’s a place for the higher-end applications and services that we’ve covered previously, but it’s reassuring to know that simpler options exist. My only bugbear with Mindnode is the lack of a Windows or web edition. Come to think of it, it’d make a great iPhone app!

Be sure to check out Aliza’s post, Mapping Your Work Madness, which contains some great mind-mapping tips.

What mind mapping tools do you use?

Though my Dad is a clever chap – an old school Maker -  he never had the chance at a higher education and as a consequence would force me to watch historical and educational shows as a kid. One of these were the televised lectures of Edward de Bono, where I first heard learned about mind maps and what are now commonly considered as ‘mind hacks.’

Mind mapping tools inhabit a curious boundary between tools that need to be as fluid and unstructured as doodling with a pencil and those that can harness the structural and processing power of computers to enhance the creative and mental processses.

Mind mapping tools range from the GTD-like methodologies of the Compendium Institute, to the opensource FreeMind and lightweight knowledge management such as DeepMehta; incidentally mind-mapping guru Peter Russell has created a useful roundup of tools.

MindJet’s MindManager 8
One of the more prominent companies in the space is MindJet, who today released the latest edition of their flagship tool, MindManager 8. With the new release, the company is seeking to integrate mind mapping into user’s existing workflows and help create mechanisms for collaboration.

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I’ve been curious about mind mapping and how it might help me with my work. I did a search on Web Worker Daily for references to mind mapping solutions to see what my fellow bloggers have said in the past to help me vet out the best software or site for my needs. That’s where I saw some mentions about bubbl.us, a Web-based “brainstorming” application.

Before I proceeded testing out an application, I wanted to have a better understanding of what mind mapping was all about so I went to Wikipedia for a definition:

A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks or other items linked to and arranged radially around a central key word or idea. It is used to generate, visualize, structure and classify ideas, and as an aid in study, organization, problem solving, decision making, and writing.

The more I read, the more I was excited to try mind mapping in some form because I certainly could use some help with organization, problem solving and decision making in my Web working business.

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