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.

Latest version of MindManager 7 Pro and Mindjet Connect

The latest version of MindManager and the first release of Mindjet Connect were available from the Mindjet site yesterday. I am treating these as two separate entities for now.

MindManager Pro7 (version 72.E.374) is a service pack which has a Mindjet Connect client. Use MindManager's check for update function or go here to get it.

You do not get access to Mindjet Connect until you subscribe. You can get a trial subscription here.

If you would like to test your trial with me send me an invite from Mindjet Connect.

A map of the Applications of MindManager blogged so far

I have been wondering what to blog next. So I thought I will look at the index on my blog. Well I have not found the whole index in Blogger yet so I decided I had better construct one of my own to make sure I don't blog about something different.

Here it is the index of my blogs so far. Split into eight categories

MindManager map of the Twitter and Related World

This is an example of how MindManager can be used to quickly aggregate knowledge for sharing with others. I started the map at 9:38 this morning and the first version was on the web at 10:46, it was in the Ecademy twitter Club at 10:54 and I Tweeted it at 10:55.

Click for the full screen view. Click the map to go the web page indicated.

For those wondering what this is all about. Twitter is web application which allows you to publish 140 character messages to the web. Sort of SMS on the web but rather than one to one it's one to many. You follow other peoples Tweets and they follow yours. Click my Twitter link to see what I mean.

What you Tweet about is up to you. It can be social, it can be business, it can be a mix. You can have multiple accounts with different purposes. The search tools above allow you to find people with similar interests and start a conversation. Of course if you publish frequently about your niche knowledge, service or product. You may be found. See what Mark Shaw is doing with respect to ebooks.

My thanks to the members of the Ecademy Twitter club for providing all these references in their threads.

The map above is self explanatory. What follows is for Google to find and was created by exporting the map to Word and removing the links because I want you to interact with the ones in the map :)

CCabre's Birdworld

1 Twitter

= 140 character messages to the world

1.1 Bird Feeders - Ecademy Twitter Club

1.2 Blog Baths - GottaBeMobile

1.3 twhirl a twitter client

= Managing your twitter

1.4 Twitter4Skype

= So you can call or chat with a Twit about their Tweet with one click

1.5 The Twitter Club

= Share twitter know how

12 Ways Twitter Can Improve Your Efficiency

10 to Follow

Ecademy club posts & comments to Twitter

1.6 Summize Conversational Search

MindManager

1.7 Real-time Twitter Search Tweet Scan

Ecademy

2 Wakoopa

2.1 Ecademy Team

3 Flock

3.1 The Social Web Browser

4 FriendFeed

4.1 Aggregate all your friends guano

5 Twits

ajwilcox, thomaspower, markshaw, clarocada, hensel, mgpoole, simon_morice

Producing event signs with MindManager

I used MindManager to produce the signs I need for a recent Open Space event on an A3 Canon iX5000 printer. This proved to be a very effective way to do it. MindManager by default fills the printed page. Simple signs can be made using the Central Topic for the text and using the line and background colour to produce signs like the meeting location names.

Note each of these signs is the same width but because of the number of letters the width height ratio changes. Padding out with spaces or changing the topic margins can help.

Slightly more iconic signs can be produced using the image library. For instance the one Law of Open Space is you can use your feet.

For the Four Principles of Open Space I used a music festival as an analogy. 120,000 turned up for this one, it always finishes dead on time (they want to use the same field next year), queuing early is good - you start meeting people and the comic folk singer brings along an opera singer. The audience switched from mass morris dancing to Nessun Dorma. Photos mine, event courtesy of Fairport Convention. Here I placed the images in floating topics and arrayed them around the central topic.



But next time I will make them separate central topics and print them each on their own sheet of paper. They were too small on a big wall.

Or I could use the poster printing function in the print menu to produce a 10 foot banner like this one. Which is just an image and text in central topic with no shape.



You can see what happened at the event in maps, video and photographs at Open Minded Day 01.

I hope this give you some ideas for your events. Any questions, please ask.

Using MindManager to track the promotion and the results for an event

On Tuesday 22 April, I facilitated my first Open Space Technology event. It was attended by 29 people from Ecademy and their theme was "How can we work better together so that we all get more from Ecademy?". The event was the result of three months of discussion between principally four people. Most of our discussion was on-line using Skype chat and conference calls, and using the Ecademy forums. Two of the people I have never met face to face. One of them attended the event. Apart from the obvious note taking during these on-line meetings, one of the uses for MindManager was to track the promotion of the event and results of that activity.

Use 1 - Monitoring Progress

Initially we had two dates and the map tracked those registering, those who said no or maybe and those that had paid, each linked to their Ecademy profile. I had a MindManager spreadsheet (not Excel range) in the map which noted how these numbers changed on a daily basis. It also showed the home page views for our host Ecademy club for the event.

Each promotional activity was tracked by linking to all the blogs and adverts for the event. Click the image below and you will see the map I shared on line with my colleagues. Each topic with an Ecademy icon clicks through to a page on the Ecademy web site,



Some things I learnt I would like to share with you.

- The MindManager spreadsheet does not work beyond column Z. Mindjet are aware and will fix this.
- Regardless of the bug next time I would use an Excel range for a large spreadsheet such as this. This would allow me to show the summary in one topic and the details in another.

I will publish some more ways in which I used MindManager with these events over the next few days.

Planning a meal with MindManager

An annual event for the local charity I work with called the Alresford Pigs Association is our progressive or safari supper. This year I offered to do a main course. My speciality is Chinese cooking. Below is the map I used to plan the menu and the shopping. I also used MindManager's built in spreadsheet to see how I was doing against my budget of £42 including drinks. Providing it does not all get drunk I might make it under budget.



p.s. MindManager does not do the cooking.

Phew! They left me with a bottle of wine (very nice French White - Picpoul de Pinet from The Naked Grape) and a beer! Leaving me £3.50 under budget.

Collaborating with MindManager - the next iteration

I am now able to write about the Beta product from MindManager called Mindjet Connect.

Some of the features:

- Workspaces for different groups of people to share maps
- Simultaneous editing of maps
- Record of who, did what, when.
- Chat
- Whiteboard
- Application Sharing (not just MindManager)

My reactions to it :-

• Long overdue - I still have my MindManager 2002 map server which did not take off. This will!
• I would recommend the Beta for use by experienced MindManager users to collaborate. You get the rich functionality you are used to.
• There are some important questions to be answered before general release.
• No pricing information available but I expect to see small groups using it on Mindjet's subscription servers and enterprises buying their own server. ( This is pure speculation on my part).
• There are no significant changes to MindManager Pro 7. Mindjet Connect more a host than an add in (but who has, edited what, information, is added to the map).
• You get a revision store.
  

To try it you will need to install a Beta version of MindManager which cannot be concurrent with an existing installation of MindManager 7.

If you would like to share maps and documents with me in the Beta please make contact. It's best if you have a project or collaboration you wish to work with me on.

You may still be able to get Beta account in Mindjet's Early Look Program

There is a longer summary in the MindMapping Software blog - Mindjet debuts beta version of shared workspace tool for MindManager

Using MindManager in the writing process

Tom Evans uses mind mapping and MindManager to assist him in writing books. He is passing these applications of mapping to everyone in his blog particularly in these two articles:

• Why authors should use Mind Maps
  Structure and releasing ideas
• Embedding Personal Timelines in Mind Maps
  Looking back and planning forwards

If you do have a book inside you and we all do, then Tom is getting excellent testimonials. Friends who have attended his courses have been very positive.

Using MindManager to write a script and be the teleprompter (Part 2)

The second phase was to convert the script in to keywords or prompts.

I used Insert > Parent Topic to add a dummy topic before each of the script topics. I marked each script topic with an map marker and then started to add keyword or prompt topics. I emphasised the key benefit keywords with a blue backgrounds.

This is the final map.



Then I filtered it with the Power Filter to hide all the script topics. This was the map I used to make the final recording which is viewable below.

The next stage is just to learn the script and not have the prompt. Perhaps I should do shorter videos or do them in scenes and bolt them together afterwards. From a video process viewpoint I will also turn off the autofocus and the auto white balance, and wear a darker shirt.

What are your favorite applications of Mind Mapping software and why?

I recently posed this question to my friends and to the general membership on LinkedIn.

A friend replied:

I use MindManager for the following:

1) Project management planning: I create templates for projects that are re-usable, this means I save time on subsequent projects. I also like the fact that an incredibly complex project can be managed from one dashboard. With the ability to link every conceivable form of document and media in one source I don't know how I could plan and manage projects without MM.

2) Client workshops and problem discovery sessions: Clients find MM a great tool when I use it for workshops as it helps us brainstorm but always in a focused framework, it also means that nothing gets lost. I always record brainstorming sessions with a dictaphone and attach the audio file to the MM file for a complete record of the session.

3) Website design & planning: I now run 3 websites so it really helps to design, plan and administer my sites using MM as I can store all my images, pages, content and updates in one place.

4) Presentation planning: MM is fantastic for designing a presentation as you can create a basic template and then build out from that based on the specific requirements. I find it provides a more creative medium than just relying on powerpoint templates. I frequently save time by just using MM as the presentation tool, clients appear to prefer it to Powerpoint etc.

5) Knowledge management: Part of our core service is providing detailed audits and reports to clients. One of the deliverables we now provide is a MM of all the findings. It provides a much richer and simpler way of navigating through all of our results as opposed to a bland, one-dimensional Word document or printed report.

This is from Dylan Jones at IQ Solutions Online and his recently launched Data Migration Pro a global professional community.

You can see other answers at LinkedIn at What are your favourite applications of Mind Mapping software and why?

Mapping and rapidly publishing to the Internet is one of MindManager's strengths.

Last Thursday I attended Ecademy's 10th Birthday Party at the Selfridge Hotel. The centre piece of the event was speeches by two of the founders of Ecademy, Thomas and Penny Power. I mapped both speeches in ink on my Tablet PC (an HP TC4400). Penny's speech in ink is shown below.

This type of map is not a verbatim record of the speech but a key word reminder of what was said. Much like Tony Buzan described 30 years ago in his mind mapping book "Use Your Head".

• Those who attended will be able to jog their memory.
• Those not present may see something of interest and contact the speaker or an attendee.
• The speaker gets feedback from one member of the audience about what they heard.

And the finished map as blogged on Ecademy. You can click it.

There are two drawbacks to using MindManager to create clickable image maps. First Google is not indexing pictures by what you can see (quite a lot of text in this case) and MindManager uses the URLs for the alt text on the links not the topic text (which could be found by Google).

To make this map visible I really have to add the text outline below. Not very pretty but makes the point about the value of mind maps versus lists rather well.

---

1. Has a Leap Year Birthday

---

2. It's a team

2.1 But a special mention for Glenn Watkins

See related topics and documents

http://www.ecademy.com/account.php?id=2

---

3. Committed to this world

---

4. My journey

4.1 Not a physiotherapist

4.2 Telesales course in a Monmouth

See related topics and documents

http://www.monmouth.org.uk/Home/Default.aspx

4.3 Call to customer with cold

4.3.1 Sent them a packet of Ttunes

4.3.2 Got unexpected contract (the biggest that month)

4.4 Selling is about the relationship

---

5. Ecademy has a heart

---

6. Back 10 years

See related topics and documents

http://asia.ecademy.com/node.php?id=98380

6.1 3 x 0 to 5 year children

6.2 Pizza Express

See related topics and documents

http://www.pizzaexpress.com/find-a-restaurant/restaurant/771/?pc=farnham

6.3 Filled up with Lone Entrepreneurs

6.4 Sucked into the e-commerce Bubble

6.4.1 Valued at £22m

6.4.2 But

6.4.3 We could not sell out on our community

6.5 But then struggle to survive

6.5.1 Back to day job

9-6

---

7. Captain Plum

See related topics and documents

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/p/parachute.htm

7.1 Went to Vietnam

7.2 Then built a Big Business

7.3 One day in a restaurant he was served by

7.4 His parachute packer

---

8. Community

8.1 Support

8.2 Testimonial

See related topics and documents

http://www.ecademy.com/module.php?mod=guestbook&id=1001

8.3 Credibility

8.4 Recognition

---

9. Acceleration is good

9.1 But slow development is best

---

10. Ecademy is Organic

10.1 Much happens by Osmosis

---

11. Business Evolution

11.1 Growth by Collaboration

11.2 Candle

11.2.1 Flame

Where you need to be

11.2.2 Wax

What you need to burn brightly

---

12. Team

12.1 Julian Bond

See related topics and documents

http://www.ecademy.com/account.php?id=1

12.1.1 Web Site

12.2 Lesley Morrisey

See related topics and documents

http://www.ecademy.com/account.php?id=37944

12.2.1 Support

12.3 William Buist

See related topics and documents

http://www.ecademy.com/account.php?id=37979

12.3.1 BlackStar

12.3.2 Membership

12.4 Sophia Watkins

See related topics and documents

http://www.ecademy.com/account.php?id=19308

12.4.1 London Meetings & Administration

12.5 Kate Power

See related topics and documents

http://www.ecademy.com/account.php?id=22057

12.6 Jude Germain

See related topics and documents

http://www.ecademy.com/account.php?id=78129

12.7 Jamie Roy

See related topics and documents

http://www.ecademy.com/account.php?id=229497

12.8 Christine Clacey

See related topics and documents

http://www.ecademy.com/account.php?id=30245

---

13. Thomas Power Early Meetings

13.1 Pasta Suppers

13.2 Wine Bar

---

14. Advocacy

14.1 Dave Clark NRG

See related topics and documents

http://www.ecademy.com/account.php?id=42737

14.1.1 Advocating others

14.1.2 Brings you advocates

---

15. Institute of Networking

See related topics and documents

http://www.ecademy.com/instituteofnetworking.php

15.1 Our objective

15.2 Chartered

---

16. Touch the keyboard

16.1 Power of Ecademy

16.2 Whispers

---

17. Me

See related topics and documents

http://www.ecademy.com/account.php?id=1001

17.1 I am not the Entrepreneur

17.2 I have a purpose

17.3 Thanks to

17.3.1 Parents

17.3.2 Thomas

17.3.3 Children

17.3.4 The Team

Using MindManager to commentate and play music at a cricket festival

For the last six August Bank Holiday Mondays I have used MindManager to assist me with the commentary and play the team's anthems etc. at the Cheriton Sixes Cricket Competition. How does MindManager get involved? I have my Tablet PC connected to the PA and several maps which link together to provide a virtual jukebox / mixing desk.

One click on the right place in the right the map, and the crowd and players, hear "It's All right Now" or a duck quack (for those out for nought) or perhaps a snippet of Geoff Boycott's comments (someone's alias in 2006 was Jeff Boycott).

My top level map has the opening anthem "Fanfare for the Common Man" played by ELP and then links to the team maps and various song and sound effects maps.

The (eight) team map is colour coded to match the team strips. For each game, I open that team's branch and hopefully I have a numbered list of cricketer's names whose shirt numbers match the list. I can make notes against the names for the various prizes or identification. One click on the teams hyperlinked tune sounds their anthem out of the speakers. So a good dismissal or a six is quickly rewarded with a blast of "Wild Thing" or similar.

Click to see larger image:



The MindManager icon in the centre of the map links back to the parent which links to the sound effects map and a map with all the tunes I am likely to use e.g "Here comes the sun" or "Here comes the rain again"

Secondly I have taken the organiser's Word document, tidied up the styles and imported it into MindManager.

Then by arranging the map and notes pane suitably, I have immediate access to relevant parts of the rules. Breaking up all the paragraphs in to sentences helped readability. A click on any of the rules topics brings up the relevant sentences in the notes pane.

Easier than handling pieces of paper when under a blustery gazebo at the edge of the boundary

The screen grab has been resized to 600 pixels wide and does not reflect the quality of the actual screen.

Click to see larger image:



I also use MindManager to build a web site providing a record of the events - Cheriton Sixes 2006 & 2007.