Converting tables (spreadsheets) into MindManager Maps

Have you ever been frustrated about adding a table of data to your MindManager map? There it is all nicely arranged. It could be a list of meeting attendees e.g. Ecademy 12th Birthday Party. You can copy and paste it (just the attendee table) on to a map but the result is not what I want. Each row gets concatenated into one topic.


Here is how I process it in Word to produce the map I want. Paste part of this attendee list as unformatted text in to Word or use a simple two column table with a few rows of data.


Then Insert > Table > Convert text to table


Now you have a tabulated set of data. In this case the Name column comes with some excess baggage. Use search and replace to remove the guff. Delete any columns you do not need.

Select the Name column apply Heading 1 style
Select the Organization column apply Heading 2 style

You could have Location as the Heading 2 style or make it a sub-sub-topic with Heading 3 style. I also added Ecademy Meeting in Title style.


Open a new map in MindManager.

Select the table contents in Word and then click the MindManager button in Add-Ins. Hey presto.



Alternatively save the Word document and the import in MindManager. Ecademy meeting becomes the central topic. You can also copy and paste Spreadsheets in to Word and process them similarly.

Do you have a better way?

Some little known changes in MindManager 8.2

Lars Jensen from Mindjet revealed the following in the Yahoo MindManager User Group forum. Thought you might like to know about these. With my comments.

• Windows 7: Now supports new file dialogs and DPI adjustments. (I am not sure what that means)
  
  
• Timer: Moved from a separate window to the status bar.
  Tools > Timer adds timer to bottom of screen
  
  n.b. The Twit Cleaner is very useful if you have a mass of people you no longer want to follow in Twitter.
  
  
  
• Map background: Added “Watermark” tiling option, which create a staggered, rotated background without having to prepare it specially in an external image editor.
  
  I spent "hours" creating and angled "Draft " picture the other day in a picture editor. Here are a couple of pictures you could add to a Status folder in your Background Images folder.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Map background: Can now drag & drop images onto background image preview within Background Properties dialog. (I don't get this one)
  
  
• MindManager Options (Edit): Added options to preserve scale when copying and replacing topic images. You can set Copy images at full size and Paste images at same scale.
  
  
• Built-in Browser: Ctrl+click now opens hyperlink or attachment in external browser, regardless of Built-in Browser settings. (That works :) )
  
  
• Text Marker context menu: Added Quick Filter and Find Next/Find Previous (to match icon markers). Right click on a Marker to see this menu.
  
  
• Quick Filter context menu: Added “Remove Filter” item for convenience. Right click on a Marker to see this menu.
  
  
• Mini View: Clicking outside the “viewable area” rectangle now scrolls map to the click point. (View Ribbon > Zoom > Mini View - Mine only works in the viewable area rectangle)
  
  
• Keyboard shortcuts: Revised document history shortcuts to be compatible with Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer (i.e. Back = Alt+Left; Forward = Alt+Right). (Can't find this)
  
  
• Keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+N opens a new default map without the Template Chooser dialog. (That works :) )
  
  
• Date & Time: Added keyboard shortcut to insert without dialog (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+T). (That works :) )

It is a useful set of changes. Please can someone enlighten me on the ones I do not get.

Using 6 of the MindManager Short Cut Keys in Presentations

This two minute video will show how the following short cut keys work.

Using Short Cut Keys in Presentations with MindManager

Ctrl-F5
Fit map to screen

F3
Centre focused topic

F4
Hide all except topic branch in focus
Show All

Ctrl-F3
Centre map and collapse all topics

Ctrl-D
Toggle Level of Detail

F11 or Ctrl-T
Open or Close the Notes Pane
Use Ctrl-Shft-PgDn to move to next note
Use Ctrl-Shft-PguP to move to previous note

I regularly use these in presentations.

Do you have any other favourites?

What will you start, stop, continue & investigate in 2010?

Create your own MindManager map which looks something like this and add topics.

Using MindManager to Mock Up Web Sites

Last night I went to a 80s party orgainised by the Like Minded Companies, a bunch of businesses that jointly sponsor the event and invite their friends, clients and suppliers. They are always very eclectic evenings. Last nights highlight for me was the discussion with the fiancee of someone I met at a VizThink evening several months. I won't bore you with the details but you might get the gist of the conversation about an information system requirement we discussed from the mock up I prepared with MindManager this morning.

Hot Spots

Two maps

1. Africa - A map as the background image. With a floating topic for Cairo linked to the second web export. Exported as a clickable image map
2. Cairo - Map with notes exported using the static outline template.

Will this get beyond this stage, who knows!

MindManager Training Opportunities

In December I am running the following events:

Cabre MindManager Master Class
09:00 -12:00 9th Dec - Holborn, London, UK
Classroom session covering 3 or 4 topics selected by the attendees
Fee £146 excluding VAT including refreshments

Cabre MindManager Workshop
18:00 - 20:00 15th Dec- Winchester, Hampshire, UK
Informal session. 30 mins networking. l hour Q&A. 30 mins cool down!
You can join this session on-line via Mindjet's conference tool.
Fee £30 inc VAT and a refreshment. Pay by cash, cheque or electronic transfer.
Online £30 inc VAT in UK. Excluding VAT elsewhere. Pay via PayPal or Credit Card

One to One On-Line Training
At any mutually convenient time
Fee normally £87 plus VAT where applicable
Christmas offer £67 plus VAT until 23rd December 2009 when you quote this code: "Santa Claus is coming to town"

Please email or call 07813 211451 for more information.

One Minute MindManager Tips

I have created a series (not finished) of One Minute MindManager Tips. The videos:

• Dragging and Dropping Files from Windows File Explorer to MindManager Maps
• Removing the file extension in the Topic text when you do the above
• Numbering your Topics
• Aligning Topics
• Adding an image folder to the Image Library in the Task Pane Tabs
• Removing the background of a map when printing

I hope you find these useful. If there is something you think, you should be able to do in a minute with MindManager and you would like me to show you how. Please add a comment to this blog

Group Brainstorming with MindManager

It is easy enough to do individually but MindManager's power is in quickly assembling maps from individuals.

Here is a suggested process:

Plan: Let individuals brainstorm first. Then combine into a group map for a further session of group brainstorming.

Group members creat their brainstorm map around the question, theme etc.

• Ask users to add their name as a resource to all topics on their map:
• Select All (Ctrl-A) > Task Info > Resource name (Tip: make sure they have unique name. First and surname is easy, if a little formal)

Combine the Maps

• Link individual maps to a central map. Then 0pen Mulitmap view > Select All > Combine All.
• Right click main topics and map name topic > Remove Topic.
• View > Show/Hide > Task info for anonymous session.

Start Brainstorming again either in an open session using a beamer.

Or give the combined map back to the participants and reiterate, recombine and then go to an open session. This will produce many duplicates on the combined map.

• Show Task info if further information is required from the topic owner.

Do you have an alternate or an improvement to this process?

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.

Sharing MindManager maps via Mindjet Catalyst

Mindjet have launched Catalyst today. This is a new collaboration and publishing tool for MindManager users. It builds on the previous Mindjet Connect product. Existing users get a seamless transfer to the new product (I did).

A new feature of Catalyst is an easy process for sharing maps with non-users via a browser. A click on the share button creates a copy or snapshot of a map from your workspace. This is made available for anyone to read and download (if you choose). The readers see the map in a full screen window (best to press F11 or View > Full Screen on your browser menu) which has a toolbar with zoom, open and close branches and print the map buttons.

For instance here is a map of useful travel planning links to train and bus timetables, hire car companies, hotels, traffic jam monitors etc.

MindManager Map of Travel Web Sites

Shared via AddThis

This will be a brillaint way to share some types of maps with your colleagues, collaborators, clients and suppliers.

Some caveats:

1. Links to documents on your PC are not available to sharers. You will have to upload them to your Catalyst Workspace (I need to test this) and link them or host them on a web server.
2. Tables and images in Notes are not visible.
3. The format of the map is simplified. e.g. line thickness and colour in not applied.
   

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

Can you point me at the best web sites created with MindManager?

Not catalogs of MindManager maps e.g. Mappio and Biggerplate or web sites which use MindMnager map images in them but web sites created using MindManager's web export or with an AddIn e.g Map4Web or Aha!VisualWebExport.

A few have been mentioned in this Question on LinkedIn "Can you point me at good examples of web sites created with MindManager? Or describe intranet sites where possible."

I want to be able to show a client some examples of best practice, so he and I can formulate some ideas about the best way export his knowledge to his clients.

I have a "catalogue" of MindManager export web sites I have produced but I would be surprised if they were the best in class. I must add the one I am currently working on called ConferenceREACTION.


Please add links to the best MindManager web exports in your comments to this blog.

Framing your Images in MindManager

It is easy to add images to a MindManager map. You can take them from the library, insert an image from a file on your drive, drag or copy and paste them from other applications. Here are some ideas for framing the image.

Note: I started by adding the cartoon you see as a floating image and then copied it to the branches. This centres the image in the topic as opposed to taking the top, bottom, left or right postion.

The first option is to place the image in a simple rectangle topic shape, then margin is increased and fill colour added. Note: if you use a GIF image with a transparent background you will not get a frame.

The second option is to add a topic shape from those in the library and then adjust the margins to suit. You could also use a clip art image of a picture frame.

Click the map to see more detail: Frames for Images

Thanks to Simon Ellinas for the cartoon - me and my favourite Tablet PC the HP TC1100.

Using MindManager on the Tablet PC in ink mode

Michael Deutch has written this blog recently:

Touch Me: 10 Resources to Learn More about MindManager’s Touch Capabilities

To prompt discussion about using MindManager on the Tablet PC. For some reason that neither Michael or I can work out my comments are not being published. I have tried from different PCs & browsers. So here is my positive and critical criticism of this mode:

Michael, thank you for referring to my efforts with the Tablet PC and MindManager above.

I have to admit to being someone who has used MindManager Ink mode a few times a week since 2005 when MindManager X5 Tablet became available. It has gone through 4 versions of HPs Tablet PCs currently a 2710p but the TC1100 was the best!

I use it in these three modes:

First: for personal brainstorming. Often standing up and away from the office desk.

Second: for personal note taking and often producing the minutes at meetings.

Third: for recording and publishing events on the web. Frequently I work with teams of people like Maurice mentioned and linked in your blog, to produce a comprehensive record of public and private events. These range from individual speakers, to management meetings, to two day annual conferences, to a rock festival. Using MindManager for three days in a field and in the dark later in the day must be one of the extreme uses.

Using MindManager ink mode is much less instrusive to the meeting than using a keyboard and a more fluid recording process.

MindManager ink mode is a core tool for ConferenceREACTION and the web export is used to produce all the web sites.

BUT MindManager ink mode has been frustrating me since 2005. Why?

1. The eraser on the end of my stylus does not work in MindManager. It does in all other applications.

2. The colour of the ink is not the colour of the converted text. It becomes the default colour.

3. The ink to text conversion was comparatively good on release in 2005. Better than XPs TabTIP but Vista overtook it and Windows 7 streaks away into the distance.

4. The conversion of ink to graphic images is poor. Primary concern is the conversion of sketches but it also applies when you want to put an Ink mind map in a document or on a web page. Borders appear around the ink and there is a granularity not present in the native MindManager map.

5. The clicking the ink colour tool does not return the stylus to ink mode from eraser mode but clicking the ink thickness tool does.

6. The lasso tool (ink dragging) is often sluggish taking several seconds to settle into the new position.

7. The high CPU usage of MindManager in general and the extreme CPU usage e.g. > 60% CPU time when the stylus is applied to the screen. Not good for someone who inking all day! This halves the battery life of Tablet PCs.

8. That there has been no significant development of ink mode since 2005!

9. I would like the mode to be associated with the map. That is when I change from a map I am editing in ink mode to a map that was previously being edited in mouse mode I want the the mode to change to mouse mode.


Despite all the above I will continue to use MindManager Ink mode because it does a brilliant job. You can just do it in pictures.

Excel Spreadsheets and Ranges in MindManager Web Exports

Yesterday I was training a client team. They had already been using MindManager to create a series of internal web sites for sharing information within their multi-national group, suppliers and clients, They had created a new web export template to suit their purpose and produced some elegant web pages linked to different sources of information. One area in where they reached the "It's not doing what I really want" limit was the handling of spreadsheet information. Here are some suggestions that arose from that discussion, many of which I have tried previously and some which may be relevant to other file types e.g. Word and PowerPoint.


The Standard Link

Add a hyperlink to the spreadsheet file in the topic or in the topic text. There are more options in a topic link e.g. adding an argument which opens a specific worksheet in the spreadsheet. The standard link to a file will take a copy of the spreadsheet and place it in the Linked Documents folder of the web export. You can create a web link to a networked version of the spreadsheet with read only rights. Thus web site users will see the current data.

Advantages:

• Easy to do
• The original is not accessed by the user. They can do what ifs on the spreadsheet.
  

Disadvantages:

• Excel has to be loaded and the file opened which takes time.

The Excel Range

In MindManager 7 and 8 you can add an Excel range to a topic. This works well when viewing the map in MindManager. The data is refreshed every time the map is opened and can be refreshed with F5 at any time. Data can be placed in relationship to other information on the map e.g. sales data next to a list of outstanding invoices.

Advantages:

• Works if you are using a clickable image export. You see a snapshot of the spreadsheet ranges in the map.

Disadvantage:

• In other web export you see nothing except for a Data Container marker i.e. the spreadsheet was here but MindManager does not handle it in this export :( !

The Cut and Paste

You can cut and paste a spreadsheet range in to the topic notes. This creates a table.

Advantages:

• Easy to do.
  
• Information appears when the web page is loaded.

Disadvantages:

• Formatting is not the same and in my experience cell heights get larger. For ranges more than 4 x10 cells the post paste editing required to tidy up makes this unacceptable.

The Excel Web Export

Use the Excel "Save as Web Page" option. There are several options when doing this but the principles are that you either create web page which is a static snapshot of a range or whole spreadsheet or a more interactive web page which permits e.g. changing data and data sorting. Use a hyperlink in the map to point at this HTML file

Advantages:

• The data owner can republish the Excel web page after each update or save (an automated option in the publication process) of the spreadsheet.
• The formatting of your spreadsheet is reproduced
• The web page loads quickly
• The publisher can create several views of the spreadsheet for different users and save them as individual pages e.g. for an improvement process monitor: Completed actions, over due actions, department X actions
  

Disadvantages:

• The Excel web page is external to the MindManager web export i.e. the content does not appear inside the export page template. I suggest you use the open in new web page option in the Hyperlink. Workaround: You could post export paste the Excel HTML into a "blank" web page created during the export but I really wish Mindjet which allow HTML snippets to be added to topic notes!
  

Do you have any better strategies?

Devising a new game with MindManager - Cricket Darts

This afternoon it's raining in Alresford and probably three miles away in Cheriton. I am the games leader for a social evening and the sunny weather plan was cricket! There will have to be a form of cricket played in the Cheriton Cricket Club pavilion using darts (I hope the board is still there). I did find a game of darts called Cricket on Wikipedia but it is not close enough to the original for me. So here are my rules:



After the practice game the batsmen will have to throw in batting gloves and the bowlers will have to hop on one leg!

Adding new topic shapes to your MindManager library

In the MindManager Library there is a section called Shapes. It contains three folders: Ovals, Rectangles and Rounded Rectangles. Any of these shapes can be applied to a topic by dragging and dropping or selecting a topic and then clicking the required shape. This can be used to give another level of emphasis to your maps. If you need to change the colour of a shape or remove / add a dot, duplicate and then open in your image editor.

What about adding your own shapes to the library? Very easy add a new folder (right click the shapes folder) and then follow the instructions on my Creating New Topics Shapes in MindManager map.

I created a new shape from my logo by editing it and adding a boundary in Paint.net. I also gave a it a transparent background. Then I added it to Shape Library and used it for the central topic of the map. You can see in the map some of my choices may not be that clever. If the shape had been applied to the main or subtopics the background would not be an issue.

This morning I was creating a new shape from a sandcastle image during an online client training session. It soon be came apparent that the aspect ratio of the shape image is dependent on the text string height and width. You need to choose shapes that look good when crushed, stretched or otherwise distorted!

There are a few ways to mitigate the distortion:
1. Control the text width in Format Topic or by dragging the left and right text boundaries
2. Font size and type
3. Edit Content Margins in the Library Shape or Format Topic > Size and Margins. See the map.

Does anyone have some great examples of custom shapes in their MindManager maps?

Writing books with MindManager

It's a very simple process assuming you are going to export the map to Microsoft Word.

The Central Topic is the Title.

The Main Topics are the level one headings.

The Sub Topics are the level two headings and so on.

The Notes are the paragraphs and or tables that appear after the headings. Use a Note on the Central Topic to produce a frontispiece for the book. Notes can contain images and tables. Use tables to create text columns and to align images and text on a page. Unfortunately there are not the image wrapping facilities that you get in Word. Use linked images if the image is still being edited or will be updated. Every time MindManager is opened the image will be updated in the Notes or you can refresh it (right click the image and refresh).

Relationships are cross references uni-directional or bi-directional if you have an arrowhead at both ends.

Many of the other items on a map will appear in the Word document: Icon markers, callout topics, review comments, text markers, task information (appears in a small table).

You can also include the map as a graphic below the title and insert a table of contents. You can control the numbering style and insert header and footer information. Finally you can choose a Word Template to use for the exported document. You might have one template for the printed book - A5 portrait double sided booklet and another for the eBook - A4 landscape 2 pages per sheet. For fiction book you can use the Word Template style to hide all but the chapter heading.

Floating topics do not appear in the exported document, so they can be useful places to write notes to yourself. Use View > Show/Hide to hide them before exporting if you do not want them to appear on the map graphic!

Use filtering to hide topics which are not finished or not required e.g. clauses in a quote before exporting.

This is how I produced my 20 page training manual "An Introduction to MindManager" The map on the cover of the booklet is the map that produces the book.

Only available from Cabre for £7.50

Now for the most important part of this blog. MindManager is a great tool for containing and publishing your book. It's easy to reorganise, to write the parts of the book you have just had the inspiration for and to identify the completeness of sections with the task complete icons. However this is only one part of writing a book. I think you should have a map for many of the following (obviously some are not required for non-fiction):

• Audience - Who is going to read it. What do they want to read. etc.
• Research - The background, your sources, references etc.
• Characters - Create a word and image map(s) which describe your characters and their relationships to other characters and the plot.
• The Plot - What leads to what etc.
  
• Writing process - Your plan for writing the book
• The Publishing Plan - Who will do it. How will it be promoted. etc.
• Finally - Why are you doing it? This could be a financial or philanthropic map!

You may like to suggest some more by adding a comment to this blog. If you have any experience of writing books with MindManager please tell me about them.

If you need any help with using MindManager to produce documents, please contact me.

MindManager Add Ins and other related software

This is work in progress. I am compiling a map of the MindManager add ins and related software. There are many more to be added to the map but I thought there were enough now to share with you.

Click the map to see the full size clickable image map.

Please add your suggestions by commenting on this post.

Using MindManager with your bicycle or bike

This is one I did earlier and a video I found on YouTube.

First my map of how to programme a two button cycle computer. the sort that tell you how far you have gone and how slow you have been. I average about 12 mph on my road bike. I was getting lost as to how many buttons to push and when. I think the process of mapping it fixed it in mind but I always had the reference on one sheet of A6 when I needed it.



Does that make it clearer?

Here is a video by Paula where she shows how she runs and tracks the maintenance of her Pegasus bike MindManager.

That is definitely getting value out of using MindManager.

3 Speakers - 3 Different MindManager maps

I am attending a monthly meeting of Entrepreneurs World. It has networking between entrepreneurs and people who can fund their activities: banks, venture capitalists and other entrepreneurs. At each meeting there is a speaker. Here are the maps of the three most recent ones and some technical notes for MindManager users.

What Ehud Furman did after Shopping.com got acquired by eBay

Note: I have hidden the lines from the central topic. You can use a no lines format option or make the lines the same colour as the background.

Uzair Bawany CEO Contact Recruitment talking about developing a recruitment business and the current environment

Note: I have post compressed (possibly a bit too much) this map image so it will load faster. MindManager produces a high resolution and therefore large JPEG file in the web exports unless you select no background in Web Export > Customise > Advanced Settings, where a smaller GIF will be produced. GIFs are great when there are no photos involved in the map but most photos will look as though they have been through an undesirable special effect if turned into a GIF.

JPEGs can be post compressed before upload to the server using on-line tools e.g. Chami or desktop tools e.g. Photoshop, Gimp or Paint.net. Unfortunately Microsoft Picture Manager only compresses when you resize to standard sizes. A clickable image map must remain the same size or the links will be in the wrong place.

John Viney talking about his life as a head hunter and his approach to investments

Note: This is two clickable image exports. The first creates the header, footer and top map. The second is added to the first by copy and pasting the exported index.html.txt file into the index.html of the first map. Make sure you set the index file name of the second export to something different to the first. I replaced index by parallel_interests in the example giving a file parallel_interests.html.txt and an parallel_interests.gif. This image must be uploaded with those produced by the first export and the edited index.html.

And I did use GIFs for both images in this export. The text is very clear and the images of John Viney slightly distorted.

My favourite MindManager shortcut keys

Here are the shortcut keys I regularly use:

1. F4 to hide all but the selected topic and it’s subtopics. Press F4 again to toggle back.
2. Ctrl+F5 to zoom the map to fit the screen
3. Alt+F3 to centre the map on the selected topic
4. F3 to centre the map on the selected topic and close down the level of detail on all other topics
5. Ctrl+S to save the map
6. Ctrl+D to toggle the level of detail on the selected topics
7. Ctrl+T to toggle the Notes window
8. Ctrl+K to add or edit a hyperlink
9. Ctrl+Z to undo the last action
10. Ctrl+SHIFT+ALT+V to paste inside a topic. Useful for adding images copied elsewhere.

You can see all the rest in the Learning Tab – Keyboard Shortcuts

What are your favourites?

Managing Files and Folders with MindManager

1 Using the File Explorer Map Part

MindManager comes with a tool for mapping folders and files. You add one of the Map Parts to a map and point it at a folder. Depending on the choice of Map Part you will get the files, folders or files and folders added to your map.




2 Dragging and Dropping from Windows File Explorer

Open Windows File Explorer and select file(s) and folder(s) (hold down the Ctrl Key to do multiple selects) and drag to the map.










3 Adding a hyperlink
You can use the Add Hyperlink tool to add files or folders links to the map.













4 What's the difference?

4.1 Sub Folders
The Map Part will show one level of subfolder(s). If you right click the Map Part icon on a folder and Refresh you will add the next level down.


Folders added by dragging and dropping are just a link.

4.2 Refreshing
Map parts can be refreshed. Any files or folders added or deleted after the map was edited will be added or deleted.


5 Sharing with Associates

You can share your map of files and folders with others by
• Using Export > Pack and Go or Send > As Attachment
• Export as Web Pages. Use the Clickable Image Map template and then copy the exported folder and the sub-folder called Linked Documents (which contains all the linked files) to your web or network server.

6 Attaching Files
You can attach files in MindManager using the Paper Clip tool. This takes a copy from your disk and embeds it in the map file or allows you to create a new document and embed it in the map. Opening, editing and saving an attachment changes the file in the map not the file stored on the disk drive.
Attachments can only be accessed by MindManager users from the map. Attached files are not exported with the clickable image map web export.

Using Background Images with MindManager

MindManager has the ability to include background images and colour. This can be used to brand and watermark your maps, to have a background image which is relevant to the map content or create a subtle and pleasing graphic effect. You need to experiment to get this right. A bad background can distract from the purpose of the map. You have seen people do it with PowerPoint beware of doing it to your maps.


The easiest to way to set these up is to right click the background of a map to reveal the Background settings. These include colour, image selection, transparency, a variety of tiling effects and access to a background image library.




A few tips:

• In the Print > Page Setup, you can enable/disable the background from printing. Best to disable when you have single colour background. You will use a lot of ink and with some printers have a soggy sheet of paper! You can do this for PDFs as well.
  
  
• The Paper set of background images can be used to give you a grid to line up your topics horizontally and vertically. You can turn it off before publishing.
  
  
• You can have both an image and colour. Adjust image transparency to let the colour show through.

Chuck Frey has provided some more general advice in his blog: How to add visual dimension to your mind maps with a background image or color

Sharing your MindManager Maps with non-users

MindManager maps soon become rich containers of information. My process tends to go like this:

1. Brainstorming or a record of an event or meeting
2. Then I add images and hyperlinks to topics,
   
3. Followed by notes in topics which may have more links and images.
4. I could then add Excel ranges and/or Outlook items (email, notes, contacts, events, tasks)

As you go down this list your ability to share the map with people who do not have MindManager becomes more and more difficult or complicated.

At level 1 I can export to PDF or an image file and email it.

At level 2 The hyperlinks do not work in images or PDFs. They do in the web export to clickable image map but you then have to upload the files to share them first. The Mindjet Player in PDF or Flash file does not quite reproduce the map, the style and topic positions change.

At level 3 I now have to use one of the full web site exports to allow viewers to see the notes. The PDF Player and Flash do show notes but not images and links in notes. Word export can also be used. Non of these gives a overview of the orginal map, if it has more than a few topics.

At level 4 The Outlook and Excel placeholders appears in some of the exports but my experience is key data is not visible.

MindManager Web and Mindjet Connect do allow non-users to access the map and edit it. But it's not cost effective for you (you have to pay for an account) or time effective for the user (logging in, learning how to use it) compared to emailing a PDF for example.

Have you any good strategies for or barriers to sharing MindManager maps with non-users?

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.

What is the missing link for MindManager? The killer add in you really want!

There are a multitude of add-ins for MindManager ranging from free to those costing more than a MindManager license. Some enable MindManager to emulate processes both proprietary and public. Others enhance an existing MindManager export or make a connection to a non-MS Office application.

Probably like me there are some you use frequently and others which you have no use for. There are probably many you unaware off or only just on your radar.

BUT what add-in would make a big difference to you? Here are a few of mine:

• Social networking dashboards for LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter & Ecademy
  
• Synchronisation with Above & Beyond
• A tool to help me manipulate XML files either pre-import or when in the map to add or remove information based on content of the file.
• Alternative ink sketching tool e.g. embedded ArtRage2
• An HTML based notes word processor

Or perhaps a better way of looking is there a market waiting for a MindManager combo?

Using MindManager for price comparisons from on-line shops

I have a simple process for doing this.

• Open a map
• Run a search in your browser
• Visit relevant results
• If interested drag hyperlink on to map from favicon or web page or use the MindManager button in IE
• Select and drag the price on to the new topic
• Keep on going until you have enough comparisons.
• You may need to sort by price as you go along or you could try making the price the parent topic to the URL and then you can Format > Sort by price.
• When you have decided which is the best buy. Click the topic and purchase.

I just did this for some M2 memory for my new mobile phone.

A few little tips when using MindManager for presentations

Without going to presentation mode:

1. Make sure you have the tools you need on the Quick Access Bar
2. Minimise the ribbon
3. Point the beamer so the Quick Access Tool bar, Ribbon command bar and Worksheet bar miss the top of the screen and are not visible to the audience but are to you on your PC.
4. Right click the background and select Full Screen Mode. (not always available)
5. Right click the icon in the bottom right hand corner and hide the Task Pane tabs.
6. Now you have an uncluttered screen.
7. Pre-load any applications and files you are you going to call up during the presentation.
8. Don't forget where you turned the various parts of the screen off.

Challenging and Varied MindManager Applications

I have had a wide range of requests and activities in the last fortnight:

• An old friend from school (35 years ago) has asked can he write a book with MindManager and create timelines (with JCVGantt). Yes.
• A local friend has asked about training and other applications in a county government organisation.
• I have been providing maps for someone else's email newsletter and web site.
  
• Discussions around the use of Outlook, Outlook Folders and MindManager for a project management company.
• Providing a map for a cricket club fixture card to give an overview of things you can do as a member on our web site.
  
• And I have been planning and managing a meeting of the Alresford Pigs Association - Duck Race Committee. Must publish the minutes and update the MindManager generated web site.

Of course I will be pleased to take on any other challenges you care to discuss with me.

Ink to Text - What is the best strategy in MindManager?

I tried a new strategy this morning. I have been going through topic by topic using the 5 drop down choices or editing the topics to correct any "anomalies". This works well on the single screen of my Tablet PC.

Yesterday I inked two speeches or presentations. I delayed my ink to text conversion until I was back in the office this morning. In my large extension screen situated above my Tablet PC screen I had the ink map. I saved a copy to a new file e.g. meeting_text.mmap and opened it as another window in MindManager. MindManager is now stretched across both screens and I used Arrange View to split the maps across the MindManager work area. In the Tablet PC screen I automatically converted the ink to text using the Accept All option. I was then able to scan the ink and text comparing good and bad conversions, editing any bad conversions as I went around the map.

I think the new strategy was quicker but may be prone to the occasional missed anomaly.

What do you do?

Brainstorming with Whiteboards, Post-Its, Mind Maps or MindManager

I just saw a Tweet about someone feeling more comfortable about brainstorming with a whiteboard than using software and a friend Rod Sloane - No Bull Business has just poked me about doing more brainstorming with businesses. Some argue that the manual process is more engaging than an automated one but I don't want to stir that comparison up.

I think the real issue is the competency of the facilitator with their tools of choice. It takes practice to become competent with these tools. If you are going to draw freehand and write in front of audience, you need to practice. Your competency needs to be greater than most of the audiences you will interact with. I bet Jamie Nast - Idea Mapping has hours of drawing experience with her tool kit and her audience (including me) likes what she does.

Good facilitators know the short cuts (keys) and restrictions imposed by their tool. They know when to start a new sheet or use a different coloured Post-It or send the topic to a new map. It's also about recognising your limits. Tony Buzan uses some very competent graphic artists in "The Ultimate Book of Mind Maps" Note in the Wikipedia link he is using a computer. ;)

One of my core competencies is being able to use MindManager in front of a live audience either at the keyboard or on the Tablet PC and leaving the audience thinking that was easy and simple.

The manual v software comparison is like saying Jimi Hendrix is better than Julian Bream or vice versa. Both are leading exploiters of their tools and both work well with normally different audiences (well I have albums from both of them but I have only seen Julian live) .

So here are the strengths of brainstorming with me:

• Items can be deleted, moved, copied, grouped and linked very quickly.
• It unusual for the projector screen to fall down or off the wall.
• I don't run out of paper or pens.
• I have access to more than 16 colours.
  
• I have 8 hours of batteries to cover power failures. With small groups I can brainstorm in the dark.
  
• I bring a spare PC, projector and screen.
  
• I can paste images on the map.
• I can add spreadsheet ranges.
• I can add links to web pages, files and folders.
  
• The brainstorm can be published and / or emailed immediately the meeting ends to the participants and others.
  
• I don't stop at brainstorming. It's easy to assign action owners, dates, priority, duration and send filtered maps or lists to the action owner and meeting owner.
• Those actions can be seen as timeline or Gantt chart at the meeting.
• I can organise on-line asynchronous brainstorms accessed via your browser (no need for MindManager desktop license).

Should I be doing something else on a Saturday morning? Perhaps cycle out to see the first steam train built in England for a while smoke past.

You comments please?

Managing and giving access to document sets. Example Prince2

How do you get an overview of a complex document set?

I developed this map back in 2003 when reviewing Prince2 and how it could be used at a Systems Integrator. Click the map and a RTF template document will download.

You will see a few highlighted documents. These did not exist in the Prince2 set in 2003 but were part of our project management system. It was easy to link to either company or client templates such as Permits to Work and live data such as Finance. This map can be on an intranet giving access to all employees to the current document set. With a simple document approval process (one or two people have the rights to post the current templates to the web site) it can be used to ensure that everyone uses the current version of the template.

You might have a set of documents you use for Customer Management or Accident Reporting or Recruitment or ................. MindManager can be used to quickly gather together disparate sources of information and turn them in to a coherent process map. For instance in finance you may wish to show internal, accountancy best practice and HMRC (tax authority) documents in a set.

These documents were obtained from the PRINCE2 On-line Ordering and Downloads part of the Official PRINCE2 website in 2003. They are not the current set. A single zip file of all the documents could be downloaded from there in 2003. This is the current Prince2 web site. Now there are MindManager Add Ins such as Olympic's QP2 which provide a complete management system for Prince2.

Cabre can work with you to create a customised map(s) for your project or company process which links to an existing or new document set. Please contact me to discuss.

First Anniversary Index of Applications of MindManager

Its been bugging me for a few days that I can't see an index of my blogs. I am hoping that someone will point me to a useful Blogger add-in after this posting. In the meantime I have constructed a few with MindManager by dragging and dropping titles and links via a Google search.



You can view the index:

1. As a large clickable image map
   
2. By downloading the Mindjet Player PDF
3. By viewing the Mindjet Player Flash Page
4. As a text linked outline
5. And I only just thought of this, you can download the MindManager map.
   

The clickable image map shows the original map full scale but I replaced the standard jog file with a gif so it loads faster.
The PDF file alters the formatting and produces a very large file.
The Flash is also big which is why I put it on a separate page.
I need to write a version of the outline template so it is fit for the purpose of adding linked text to a blog. The styles and structure make it too complicated at the moment. Use view source to see what I mean.

The easiest way has got to be publishing it as map and letting you download it. It is also bar far the smallest file size.

Who are the potential users of MindManager during the Credit Crunch

This hopefully short period of global financial upheaval has a variety of effects. One aspect is that some people are getting incredibly busy dealing with the fall out and others may be less busy now but need to plan for the future. Some obvious examples of the busy people are Human Resources and Insolvency Practitioners. Other who have been made redundant will be planning their future, perhaps realigning themselves.

Here is my brainstorm about this issue.



Who do you feel needs the extra help MindManager can give them during this period?

I remember when I first used mind mapping 14 years ago it was to map out the business I had just joined. I had moved from the centre of Unilever in The Netherlands to Anchor Foods in Swindon. I had worked for Unilever for 17 years and understood the people, culture and processes. Anchor Foods was at the far end of the New Zealand Dairy Board and I knew nothing about them. I used mind mapping during all my induction meetings to create a picture of how this business worked, what my role as Chief Engineer was, the relationships and the priorities of the business. When you walk into a new situation, you need to quickly assess what is happening and what to do. Creating maps and being able to see a big picture made me much more comfortable with the situation. Have you had a similar experience?

A Compendium of MindManager Tips from Twitter

Occasionally I post a MindManager tip on Twitter when I come across something I have forgotten existed or a fantastic new feature I have never seen before. You can see them along with all the other stuff I tweet about at http://www.twitter.com/ajwilcox. I tend to use Twhirl as my Twitter client.

My MindManager Tips on Twitter:

• Right click the empty space in the Workbook Tab toolbar to get some useful options: Properties, arrange, show in explorer
• MindManager 8: The new built in browser does not have a print button. Right click to get print and several other options.
• Web Export - Testing your templates - Use Filter to hide all but central topic - Export is then very quick!
• When starting a map about a new contact use the Map Part > Outlook Linker > New Contact to create the contact in Outlook
• You can right click a topic and split it. Select text in the topic or let MindManager create a topic for each word.
• If you "lose" files or folders. The Map Part - File Explorer can help you find them http://is.gd/4DaT

I also have many more extensive MindManager tips and tricks in the Cabre Community Forum.

Fastest session for me using MindManager

This evening I recorded a meeting for the Winchester Action on Climate Change which had about 20 attendees. It was the brainstorming to start a 3 year plan for CO2 reduction in Winchester. Target 7% per year! The content remains private for now but here are some interesting stats from a event recorder using MindManager.

I walked in with a parent map with some information on it e.g. the attendees but I did not have an agenda. During the meeting I created 6 maps using the Right Click Topic > Send to new map command. Two summarising introductory presentations and three to cover the brainstorms on Transport, Domestic and Business/Government/Organisations plus their group feedback.

I have just used the Multimap View > Combine All to combine all the maps in to one. The statistics say I have 993 words (perhaps 100 of those existed when I walked in the room) in 316 topics (40 were there already).

Not bad for a 105 minute meeting. 3 topics a minute on average proably 10 topics a minute at peak.

Tha facilitator was really impressed by what I did and the load it took of him. He could concentrate on leading the meeting not writing on flip charts. Although he did some flip charts to start with but then realised there was no point.

Now I have to tidy them up and publish them as a web site, Word document and a set of PowerPoint slides by Thursday 17:00. Plus do the day job.

All in an evening's marketing and my bit for tackling climate change.

Is that a record breaker? It was definitely a personal best!

The MindManager Brainstorm Test

Many of you will be using MindManager to brainstorm, mind storm or word storm. I wonder how quick you are at it?

Take this test and then publish your results by commenting on this blog.

Normal brainstorming rules apply:

1. Don't argue with yourself as you enter the words
2. Try to use single words. Perhaps word pairs but not sentences! It will slow you down.
   

Here is how I would like you to proceed:

1. Make sure you can see a clock with a second hand.
   
2. Clear your mind.
   
3. Pick your topic and think about it for 30 seconds. For this speed test I suggest it is something you have been thinking about recently or are currently working on and not a brand new topic.
   
4. Start the clock. You have three minutes.
   
5. Open a new MindManager map and enter the Central Topic
   
6. Start entering your words as Main Topics. Don't organise them or add Sub-Topics. Main Topics only.
7. Stop when three minutes have elapsed. Count the Words and Topics entered. Hint: MindManager Button > Prepare > Properties > Statistics
8. Publish your result as a comment in this blog.

I will publish my result and my tips for this process in a couple of days.

If you want a more elaborate test. Record how many topics and words after 60s, 120s & 180s. Just put a marker in the map and count them at the end of the test. I wonder if there is a trend that one third is more productive than another.

If you are not a MindManager users but you do the test, please publish your results and the application you used.

Have fun.

Forget the Text. Just use Pictures. MindManager and the Tablet PC does the job

On Wednesday evening I went to a presentation by Mike Pounsford of Couravel at the VizThink London meeting organised by my friends at Cognac the Big Picture company. Mike took us through his companies process for visually facilitating the communication of business strategy. More on this in my next blog.

Mike challenged us at the end of presentation to split into three groups and discuss three issues. The group I joined discussed this. Here is your Sunday paper question:

What do these sketches represent individually and collectively? (click to see full size)


How did l do this? With an HP TC2710p and MindManager 8 (but you could do this with MindManager X5 Tablet and a TC1000 four years ago). The map is the record of a 20 minutes discussion between six people. For each phase of the discussion I created a topic and inserted a sketch using gestures. As I became more comfortable with what I was doing I used different pen colours. I did not contribute to the discussion very much.

At the end of the discussion I converted them to floating topics and placed then randomly on the map but so that the map proportions would match the projector screen. When we presented our conclusions to the other attendees we had a graphic artist's picture of our conclusion on a Flipchart sheet and these on the overhead projector, showing how we got there.

I occasionally use this sketch functionality in MindManager but my feeling is that I am under exploiting the opportunity.

MindManager Technical note:

I and others have been disappointed by the rendering of the ink writing or sketching when exported to images. When I export direct to png, jpg or gif, the ink and sketches are not of the same quality as on screen. See below. Here are two ways to improve it:

1. Save to bitmap. Do not resize. Open bitmap in Paint or similar resize and save in png or jpg. Gif will give a smaller file size but not the quality.

2. Use the Windows Tablet PC snipping tool or similar to cut the picture out of the screen and save as png or jpg. Then resize in your picture editor. This is what I did for the above.

Something for you to sort out properly Mindjet!

MindManager Year Planner for 2009 created with Excel

I normally post something to help MindManager Users plan for the new year. I struggled to find something and then I thought about getting the whole year on a map!

It was a challenge but on the way I discovered a useful way of cutting and pasting from Excel. If you structure your spreadsheet like this you can create the dates quickly in Excel and then paste to MindManager.

The first column becomes the main topic. Offset the content of the next column by one row and it becomes a subtopic. The third column creates seven sub-subtopics.

The good thing about Excel is you can quickly create these groups by starting a series e.g. 1, 2 and then dragging it down to fill to 7.

The third column was formed by combining columns 4 and 5.

I then pasted the first three columns on to the map. Hey presto the year appeared.

The organigram format created a compact map to the second level. Increase the level of detail to see the days in a week, month or year.

Download the MindManager map and the Excel 2007 spreadsheet.

It would be interesting to hear if anyone finds these of use.

Useful set of utilities for MindManager

Olympic Limited have developed an add in to MindManager which adds a ribbon containing the following new functions:

• Topic Text Locker
• Convert Topic to Call Out and vice versa
• Convert subtopics to text markers
• Convert topics to notes
• Left sided map
• Vertical topic text
• Sum topic values
• Convert link to attachment
• Add date to topic
• Topic calculator - converts a topic value in to sub-topics in different units e.g. miles to kilometres

Free trial available here at Olympic Utilities

Upgrading from MindManager 6 to 8

A friend has just updated from MindManager 6 to 8. I gave her these quick tips to alleviate some of the transition pain from drop down menus to ribbons.

• Right clicks on items e.g. topics produce drop downs. As do the tiny triangles and the “down right” arrows on the ribbon.
• Right click favourite commands on ribbon and Add to Quick Access bar
• Right click ribbon and minimize
• Right click ribbon name bar to un-minimize

Using MindManager to facilitate the reading of business plans

Over the last week I have produced twenty maps to illustrate a business plan for a start up business. What an interesting exercise. First to produce maps which summarise the following paragraphs of text in a few words using the connectivity and relationships MindManager maps provide you with. Secondly to supply the maps and manage the editing process.

Summarising means taking out all but the keywords. Will the audience (venture capitalists and angel investors) understand them. The business owner had a problem with working from 1 o'clock round to 11 o'clock. They saw 11 o'clock as the starting point. Not sure whether my suggestion "Look at the central topic, relax, where do your eyes go next?" worked.

I supplied the maps and pictures via a web site created with MindManager. My index map for all the maps became the web site. A page for each section of the business plan displayed the picture of the map plus links to the original MindManager map file and the print quality picture file.

Now I have to a wait a little while to see whether my work has worked on the investors. I will comment on this post as I get information.