The Mind Mapping Software Weblog

Mindmeister announces a major update

MindMeister continues to make frequent improvements to its web-based mind mapping application. Earlier this week, its developer announced these new features:

• Links on ideas - Support for links to other maps and external links (web pages, e-mail addresses).
• Automatic layout - which prevents ideas from overlapping each other.
• Note and link previews - Hover over a note or link icon to see a preview of its contents.
• Organic link lines - Links in Mindmeister now have  a bit of curvature to them, to provide more organic looking visual maps.
• Automatic canvas resizing - When you're adding a lot of ideas to your map, the map canvas will automatically grow larger to accommodate them.
• Slider to view changes by date - This is a neat filtering feature: the ability to constrain which items are shown in your map based on a time period.
• Create maps based on an idea - Essentially, you can create a sub-map from a topic in your current map. Nice!
• Export as PDF.
• A new team edition - Which allows teams from 10 to 500 users to collaborate on ideas and projects.

One of the most exciting new additions to this full-featured, web-based tool is the announcement of a MindMeister API - an open programming interface that will enable developers to write applications that can interact with MindMeister. This is a first for any web-based tool, and should lead to some powerful integrations and new applications that will expand MindMeister in exciting new directions!

Finally, the application's developers have launched a new blog, which will make it easier to keep up with the latest changes to MindMeister.

New release date, previews of ConceptDraw MINDMAP 5 for Mac OS X

CS Odessa recently announced a launch date for ConceptDraw MINDMAP 5 for Mac OS X, and posted three video clip previews of the soon-to-be-released application in its development blog. The new version of ConceptDraw MINDMAP for the Mac platform is now scheduled to debut on August 28th. The video previews cover basic mind mapping, brainstorming and project planning.

Mindjet launches Project Management Jetpack

One of the most powerful applications of mind mapping software is in project management.  It can be used to document the definition of a problem, specify project requirements, gather project requirements, develop a project charter, list project deliverables and more. 

That's why Mindjet has announced a set of tools and resources that it calls the Project Management Jetpack. It consists of a white paper that explains how to use MindManager Pro to improve team delivery of projects,19 map templates and 15 map examples, plus links and information about Mindjet technology partners that offer complementary project management solutions.

The white paper starts by making the case for why MindManager is a viable alternative to the informal project management methods that many teams now use (Excel, anyone?). As a result, the scope of projects managed in this way is often vague, requirements don’t get broken down into measurable tasks and progress usually isn’t measured in quantifiable terms. This can lead to improperly communicated requirements, wasted effort and lower quality. In contrast, visual maps give teams improved real-time access to detailed project data and help teams to collaborate around shared objectives and information more effectively.

Using copious illustrations, the white paper  demonstrates how to use MindManager to:

Plan projects: How to develop a scope statement, create a work breakdown structure and export it to Microsoft Project, how to create a project organizational chart, and how to create change management and risk management plans.

Control projects: Tracking and updating tasks, creating a project portal and running effective team meetings.

Close projects: Gathering lessons learned from the project team and creating a project archive.

The map examples and templates included in the Project Management Jetpack appear to be very detailed and complete, and represent an excellent starting point if you want to employ MindManager to improve your team’s project management practices.

The Project Management Jetpack costs US$79, and can be purchased and downloaded from the Mindjet website.

New features offered in Comapping web-based app

The developers of Comapping, a web-based mind mapping tool that enables people to collaborate on creating visual maps, recently announced the launch of a number of new features. They include:

• The ability to add notes to map branches
• Enhanced import and export capabilities. You can now import from MindManager and FreeMind, and export to MindManager, Freemind, Comap format, RTF for Word documents and HTML for a web page with bullets
• The ability to publish maps on the web. You can send a URL link to a map for anyone to view, without having to register first. You can even embed a comap in a web page or a blog.
• You can share maps created in Comapping with with others via an e-mail link. Recipients can collaborate on the map without having to register with the Comapping service.
• The application's ribbon toolbar has been redesigned to make more room for these new features.
• Numerous performance improvements and bug fixes have been made.

The developer also claims to have some very interesting and unique features under development, which they hope to release in the near future. I continue to like this application's strong focus on collaboration, which is undoubtedly important to many users of mind mapping software.

NovaMind 4.0 for Mac OS X released; Windows update coming soon

NovaMind Development Pty. has just released version 4.0 of its NovaMind mind mapping software for Mac OS X, which is available in Pro and Express versions. The Pro version is more full featured, while the new Express version is designed for new users of mind mapping software.

Based on several video clips that NovaMind founder Gideon King recently posted to the developer's website, here are a few highlights of what's new in NovaMind 4.0 for the Mac platform:

The new user interface features a set of palettes in a vertical pane on the right side of the workspace. They contain the most commonly-used map creation and editing functions, and are context sensitive. Each palette can be "flipped" over to display more advanced options. The animation of this is pretty cool! Pallettes can also be minimized to take up less vertical space - nice!

NovaMind 4.0 also features branch styles, which enable you to select from a number of pre-created looks for your map branches. Each style consists of a set of branch colors, fill colors and, text styles, much like the text styles in Microsoft Word. Child topics automatically "inherit" a style when it is applied. If a topic boundary is selected, a style can also be applied to it. This is a great feature for new users, who may otherwise spend lots of time trying to perfect the look of their maps. You can also create styles to meet your particular needs. The styles command can also be extended to the entire map; if no map elements are selected, the styles palette box displays a set of styles that can be applied to the entire map.

Gideon also posted a video clip of some of the functionality that we can expect in the Windows version of NovaMind 4.0, which is due to be launched in approximately one month. When you view the drop-down list of branch styles, as you mouse over each style, the currently selected branch changes to give you a kind of "instant preview" of it. As in the Mac version, styles can also be applied to map boundaries or the entire map.

The Pro and Platinum versions of NovaMind 4.0 will enable you to embed multiple maps within one NovaMind document, displayed within tabs in the program's workspace. To the left of the tabs is a "document view" button that, when clicked, gives you a high-level overview of all of the maps contained within the document. You can then select one or more map thumbnail images and apply styles to all of them at one time from this view. Gideon also indicates that he and his team have done extensive usability studies on the ribbon toolbar that first appeared in NovaMind v3.2 for Windows, and they have made a number of tweaks to it in order to make it easier to use.

iMindMap version 2.0 is now available

The Buzan organization has just announced the release of iMindMap version 2.0. This mind mapping program for windows and Mac OS X provides users with an organic visual mapping experience that adheres closely to the mind mapping principles developed by Tony Buzan.

New and improved features in version 2.0 include these:

• An integrated icon library
• Relationship arrows, which include options for dotted, dashed and solid line options, as well as single and double arrowheads.
• Topic boundaries, which enable you to encircle a group of topics with a scalloped "cloud" background.
• "Speed mapping," which provides a streamlined method for adding topics to your map using only your keyboard.
• Map background color
• Additional exporting options, including export to PowerPoint and PDF
• The ability to set the order in which you want topics to be displayed when exporting to other applications
• Improved handling of external images, which makes it easier to search for, insert and manipulate images and pictures in your mind maps.
• Branch flipping, which enables you to easily move branches or sets of branches from one side of your map to the other without losing their basic structure or shape.
• Keyboard shortcuts to insert branches at the same level or at levels below or above the current topic

What makes iMindMap unique is the ability to drag new branches from existing ones, a process that mimics the act of drawing new branches on a written mind map. Version 2.0 retains this functionality, while providing improved map handling for businesspeople who need to quickly record and manipulate their ideas.

I hope to give you a more in-depth analysis of this program in the next month or so. Watch for more details in this blog.

Now available: Power Tips & Strategies for Mind Mapping Software Second Edition

I'm pleased to report that Power Tips & Strategies Second Edition is now available for purchase. It has been a real labor of love to put together, and I feel really good about how it turned out. I'm especially excited that it contains so much new content that was provided by users of mind mapping software, who shared what works well for them, and trainers and consultants, who have distilled many best practices.

I don't pretend to know everything about visual mapping - but I am a pretty good hunter/gatherer, I think. Relying on users and experts to share their best practices, tips and strategies with me adds a new level of value to this publication - one that you will benefit from!

Here's a brief summary of what's new in Power Tips & Strategies Second Edition:

20+ case histories: In the surveys I have conducted, one of the things that came through loud and clear when I asked about the needs of mind mapping software users is that you really want to see examples of other people's maps, and to learn why they designed them the way they did. So I solicited "case histories" from my readers, and a number of you generously responded. These "how to" pieces add a whole new dimension to this e-book!

Interviews with leading experts: My position as the leading reporter of news and trends in the world of visual mapping software makes it possible for me to be in regular contact with some of the best and the brightest minds in this software genre. I have tapped their ideas and strategies in a series of fascinating Q&A interviews, which are also new to this e-book.

Other updates: I have added more tips, and have significantly expanded the resources section with all of the latest tools, resources and "best stuff" that you need to be an effective visual mapper.

For more details, please visit the product page for Power Tips & Strategies Second Edition.

OutlookLinker provides industrial-strength Outlook integration for MindManager

German developer Ontaris recently launched a new MindManager Pro add-in called OutlookLinker that replaces its built-in Outlook linking capabilities with its own high-powered set of tools.

When you install OutlookLinker, it places a new tab in MindManager 7’s ribbon toolbar, which enables you to access all of your e-mail messages, contacts, tasks, notes and appointments - without leaving MindManager.  It displays the data from Outlook in a vertical pane on the right side of the MindManager workspace.  This window contains a series of tabs across the top, corresponding to each area of Outlook. The panel itself is divided into two sections; the upper pane displays a summary view (if you're looking at e-mail messages, it displays only the subject lines, for example) while the lower pane displays the detail (in our e-mail example, it displays the body text of the e-mail). 

You can easily drag an item from OutlookLinker into your map; a checkbox at the bottom of the panel lets you decide if you want the link to be a live one or not.  In other words, if if the link is live, the data is updated in your MindManager map any time the item is updated at Outlook, and vice versa.  If it is not linked, OutlookLinker displays it as a static item..

The marvelous thing about Outlook link or is that you don't have to keep switching back and forth between MindManager and Outlook, as MindManager's implementation of Outlook linking forces you to do.  As I played around with OutlookLinker, I quickly became comfortable without having to switch to Outlook. Of course, if I was working my way through the morning’s tidal wave of e-mail, I’d want to do that in Outlook. But for routine project work, it functioned just fine. One minor negative: OutlookLinker will only display e-mails from your Inbox, Sent Items, Deleted Items and Drafts folders in Outlook. Why Deleted Items? Who knows! I’d like to see future versions of this application include all Outlook mail folders, because that’s where I store the bulk of my project information.

You can download a trial version of OutlookLinker for MindManager Pro versions 7 or 6 from the Ontaris website. To continue using this powerful utility after the trial period will cost you US$142.  If you utilize both Outlook and MindManager, I think you owe it to yourself to see what OutlookLinker has to offer. It's like taking MindManager's built-in Outlook linking capabilities and putting them on steroids!

Teacher's Guide to Mind Mapping book is now available

About a month ago, I told you that Gideon King, founder of NovaMind Software Pty., was planning to publish a book entitled The Teacher's Guide to Mind Mapping. This new resource is now available, according to a post on Gideon's blog. While the focus of this book is primarily on primary and secondary school teachers, it does contain an entire section on professional development - in other words, corporate training.

For a complete outline of the book's contents, please visit the NovaMind website. I just received my copy of The Teacher's Guide in the mail the other day; once I've had a chance to peruse it, I'll share my thoughts with you in this blog.