Another new web-based mind mapping tool: MindMeister

Web-based mind mapping tools must be all the rage these days. In recent weeks, I've reported on Bubble.us and Thinkature. Now there's MindMeister, a web-based mapping application that actually provides more than just simple mapping capabilities. With this well-designed app, you can:

• Change topic color and add symbols/icons to map branches
• Cut, copy and paste map elements
• Undo and redo buttons in the application's toolbar
• Freely move map branches from one location to another
• Use the insert key to add new branches and the delete key to remove them, just like on many desktop mind mapping software programs
• View recent revisions to your map, and perform "roll backs" on them - especially useful when collaborating with others!
• Export your maps to a Rich Text File (RTF) outline or a GIF image file (it would be nice to be able to export to XML, so you could import a map created in MindMeister into one of the popular mind mapping programs like MindManager)
• Invite others to collaborate on or simply view your map

Click here for more details on MindMeister's capabilities and some of the thinking behind it.

For an application that is still in a private beta stage, it's surprisingly polished and well-behaved. Everything works just as you would expect it to. For example, if you drag a topic to the right or left of another one, the second topic displays a highlight box, to show that it will become the parent of the topic you're dragging.

At first glance, MindMeister looks very promising - certainly the best of the three web-based mind mapping applications I've seen so far. I look forward to seeing how MindMeister will improve in the weeks and months ahead!

Comments

[Dave Riley]

But do they deliver? That's the question hanging over all this MM software. To capture ideas quickly, they are fine. -- very useful. But to link ideas via a series of relationships they are a bit limited I find. They are relentlessly hierarchical.

So I'm back exploring coloured pencils on paper. 'Tis a totally different and more organic experience that forces you to think on the run both spontaneously and consciously. But I think the software really kicks in for those ongoing BIG projects where you come back every now and then to tweak the plan.

Paper based MMing doesn't offer that editing capability-- but I recommend it for various thinking thru challenges.

I'm keen to explore how I can integrate the paper exercises with their digiutal cousins.

[eychenne]

I would like to test the site, how can i obtain an invitation. I would like to make a review of the site on my french web site

[jr]

Hi Chuck

You don't happen to have an invitation code that you'd be willing to share? MindMeister looks insanely great and I would love to enter the private beta.

Regards
jr

[Raghu]

MindMeister looks great and I cant wait to get a invitation code to try it out.

I still however think there is a whole lot of Web 2.0 potential that it can harness - have some ideas if any one wants to listen drop me a mail.

[Till Vollmer]

Who ever wants an beta invitation, please send an email to [email protected]

No guarantee, but as long as our server takes it, we want your feedback ;-)

Regards
Till

[mak]

I got a private invitation and just tried it. It looks really neat and promising, yet not "organic" enough.
Being a web app mindmeister has a great value and potential.

keep the good work!

[Eric Blue]

This looks very promising!

[Doris]

I tested MindMeister - it has a great performace and it is really easy to use. I like it. I would love some more text formatting options (e.g. fonts, bold style) and design options for instance to put a logo behind the map :-)

[Mark Harrison]

I've just found MindMeister this evening, and think it's excellent.

I guess that I'm their ideal target - I'm someone who has used Mind Maps a few times over the years, but not made them part of my regular toolkit, partly because I've never found software with an easy enough learning curve.

I don't know I'll ever be a "mind map regular", but their site seemed to me to pretty much work straight out of the packet (sorry - British Ajax joke there - Ajax used to be the brand name of a leading soap powder.)

More to the point, within about 10 minutes of creating a mind map, I found myself typing the names of a couple of business partners into the "invite", because I wanted their feedback on MY CONTENT rather the MindMeister application!

[gene]

Hello,

Can you help me with this?

Do you know what parameters are used to log on

www.mindmeister.com

I already tried the following:

https://www.mindmeister.com/users/login?username=test1&password=12345

Unfortunately this does not work

Waiting for you answer

Greetings,

Gene