Analysing the Strengths and Weaknesses of Mind Mapping Software Applications

You can do this as a solo effort with MindManager. You could invite a few people to your Mindjet Catalyst account to add their comments but they would mostly be MindManager users only. With MindMeister you can set up a map which can be edited by anyone as a no cost Wiki Map. If you want to edit the map below, you will need a free (and limited) MindMeister account.

There are customers for all the mind mapping applications but not all the potential customers can access all the applications or justify or need all the features of the more sophisticated ones. This is not about deciding which is best overall but which is best for your needs. Obviously I am interested in how MindManager stacks up against the rest.

Lets see what happens:

Using the new Share function in MindManager 8.1 via Mindjet Catalyst

The latest version of MindManager 8.1 has a new button which Shares a map and allows you to edit a list of your Shared Content.

This afternoon I quickly created a map of the WinACC (Winchester Action on Climate Change) web site because I knew it would be useful to me and hopefully to some of their users. This is a good example of a map that works well in this new process.

Last week I published a map of Gordon Brown's speech to the Labour Party Conference. It has some floating topics at the top of the map. Unfortunately these get displaced to the bottom in the shared version. I don't want to attach them to the central topic because they are not part of the speech.

Some more experiments will reveal the best ways in which to use this new tool.

Download MindManager 8.1
MindManager 8.1 Service Pack what has changed

You do not need a Mindjet Catalyst account to use the Share option. Tweet from Michael Deutch Mindjet "Yes, all MindManager 8.1 users can 'share' content with our new export. It's faster and easier than before...".

You can still create a Mindjet Player in a PDF file or as a Flash file SWF.

I am not a Mind Mapping Guru

A short interview by Rod Sloane of me using his iPhone and AudioBoo to publish it. The interview took place at the Institution of Engineering and Technology at Savoy Place, London. I am a Chartered Engineer and Member of the IET.

A grand building. The BBC used to live here when radios were powered by steam.



With a quiet and comfortable members lounge.


Which overlooks the Thames by Waterloo Bridge


Excellent conference and meeting facilities

Using MindManager to store and link to Twitter Searches

My preferred Twitter client is Twhirl and it has a stored search tool but it does not do advanced searches. For instance I do not want to know what is happening on the highways and in the restaurants of Winchester, VA, USA. I want to see Tweets about Winchester, Hampshire, UK.

Twitter Search allows me to do this but I could not see a way to store the search like a group in Tweetdeck for instance. I could save it as a favourite in Firefox or IE, I suppose.

Then the obvious hit me between the eyes, store them in a MindManager map. I can have a private one on my desktop and publish the general ones for other to use on a web page.

This is my starter for ten of predefined Twitter Searches on a MindManager map.

A serious dashboard in MindManager

By which I mean a seriously big one. Michelle Thompson has published these articles in her blog, a "A Scrapbook album Dashboard in Mind Map Form using MindManager" and MindMapping a Scrapbook Album. Check out her blog Scrapability to find out more.

Inspiration to publish some of mine.

Summertime with MindManager - The PERFECT Presentation

"It's summertime and the living is easy". Not quite.

In my breakfast and evenings off, I go out mapping my friends talks and presentations.

This is Dexter Moscow's PERFECT presentation last Monday to Petersfield Ecademy at the delightful 57 restaurant in Liss. It was most enjoyable (and Dexter seemed to be enjoying it as well). A great reminder plus some new insights into all those things you need to do or be aware of, particularly when trying to make an impression on a potential customer.

Click to get the big picture

Technical aside: MindManager 7.1 Pro worked very well on my HP2710p Tablet PC. Don't install 7.2 on a Tablet PC if you want to use the ink mode. Too many ink features do not work.

Promoting MindManager and Mind Mapping with a display in my local library

Today I set up a display in the window of Alresford Library, my home town. Being right next to Tesco Express means 100s of people walk past every day and my display is there for two weeks. Unfortunately the library is only open for 21 hours in the week.

I had some feedback from an IBM friend who said "I need to explain it more" and my neighbour said "Drag the school teachers down for a look".

Here are some photos of the installation:

The Location

The front view

The inside view

Note: I have a blank mind map which I hope visitors to the library will add to.

Alresford is a commuter town for London, has many IBM residents and who knows who else will be visiting the steam railway - Watercress Line.

Mind Map of Presentation about Blogging & setting up WordPress