Posts Tagged ‘web export’

Search friendly mind maps – Getting your maps in front of non-mind mappers

Tuesday, January 29th, 2013

On Thursday I have a short presentation slot at Biggerplate Unplugged London  on “Search Friendly Mind Maps”. By which I mean maps that can be found by the internet search engines and be used to promote your business, organisation or passion. This blog is to prompt discussion prior to the event and an opportunity for you to improve my presentation by criticism and correction.  As my research focusses on the Mindjet world, I would also be interested to hear how valid my conclusions are for other mind mapping software vendors.

Search engines are looking for indexable text, so how can they see your map?

An image or Flash file on the web is indexed by its file name and the text in the meta tag “alt”. Some Flash files do present more meta text to the search engines but I have no evidence the map exports from e.g. Mindjet make use of this feature. Adding these images and Flash to a PDF file will not help.

Briefly Mindjet’s web exports convert a map into:

  • Outlines
  • Clickable Image Maps
  • Mini web sites where notes become web pages and the map is the navigation

The first and third produce text, and the second can have alt text on every link. These “maps” are visible to the search engines. However the HTML is archaic (developed 10+ years ago), the ability to add social tools e.g. Tweet this map, requires too much work compared to modern web publishing tools and coordinating more than one map into a multi-map web site is a pain.

There two significant map hosting sites for Mindjet maps Biggerplate and Maps for That. When a map is uploaded to Biggerplate, the main topics are extracted as keywords. You can add and subtract from this list. You can write a description but I doubt whether are many uploaders to Biggerplate that describe the full content of their map. Mindjet’s “Maps for That” does not have the keyword extraction.

For a couple of years I have been recording and publishing maps about presentations and speeches which are followed by the full text outline of the map. This has two benefits:

  • Visually impaired people or their text readers came read the map
  • and so can the search engines

And more recently I have published the maps within a WordPress website.

Last Wednesday I attended a presentation about “Mobile Apps” given by a software house in my home town. I mapped it and published it in ConferenceREACTION, Biggerplate and Maps for That. Yesterday I asked some friends in the UK, Canada and The Netherlands to search for the event using a generic search and a very specific search term. Here are the results:

Where do the linked pages appear in Google's Top 100 for a generic and a specific search term?
https://www.mapsforthat.com/map.php?m=3131 https://www.mapsforthat.com/map.php?m=3131 http://www.biggerplate.com/mindmaps/zdgvywFB/apps-matt-clarke-firstthing-at-firstoption-23-jan-2013 http://www.biggerplate.com/mindmaps/zdgvywFB/apps-matt-clarke-firstthing-at-firstoption-23-jan-2013 http://www.conferencereaction.co.uk/client-events/first-option/firstthing-apps-an-overview-by-matt-clarke/ http://www.conferencereaction.co.uk/client-events/first-option/firstthing-apps-an-overview-by-matt-clarke/ Cabre - MindManager Training and Consultancy Cabre - MindManager Training and Consultancy

It’s surprising that ConferenceREACTION is in the top ten for the generic terms! If you want your maps to be seen by people who don’t use the catalogues i.e. the non-software mind mappers, then perhaps you need to post them on other sites. Obviously and unfortunately text is important. If you want your maps to be found (and maybe understood) I believe they need to be fully described.

What is your experience and your suggestions for making maps appear more frequently in search results for the non-mind mappers you want to see them?

Okay map pickers, an update on the Top 100 for “matt clarke firstthing apps” 4 Feb 2013

The UK chart: Google.co.uk

  • ConferenceREACTION remains at No. 1
  • Biggerplate are creeping up at No. 25
  • BUT the new entry at No. 2 is MindMeister (the map was only posted on 30 Jan)
  • Maps for That are not in the top 100

The US chart: Google.com

  • ConferenceREACTION remains at No. 1
  • A repeat new entry at No. 2 is MindMeister (the map was only posted on 30 Jan)
  • Biggerplate are hanging back at No. 44
  • Maps for That are not in the top 100

The Mindjet Map part for Google searches chart: which I presume is via Google.com

  • ConferenceREACTION is at No. 1 and 2
  • Biggerplate are straight in at No. 3
  • MindMeister and Maps for That are not in the top 65 (the maximum Mindjet Google map part will report on)

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Posted in mind map, sharing, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

How to manage shared resources for teams of MindManager users

Wednesday, March 28th, 2012

MindManager Package Folder Types: Images, Background Images, Icons, Shapes, Map Parts, Templates, Themes, Marker Lists, Web Export TemplatesDo you want to share any of the following between team members or versions of MindManager?

  • A set of brand images you want everyone to use.
  • Map Markers for use at specific types of meetings.
  • A watermark that includes a copyright date.
  • Images of your products or people.
  • A set of questions you ask every new client.
  • A web export template which is constantly refined.

The Package Folders tool enables you to do this. Either for yourself, if you are running a couple of versions of MindManager (not sure if this function extends to Mac and Connect) or across a team by placing resources in network, Dropbox, Skydrive etc. folders.  To use the tool open this pane: File > Options > Package Folders

Selecting the resource type and location of your MindManager Package Folders
Your options:

  • Name – descibe the folder e.g. “Brand Logos”
  • Path – select the location of your package folder. It might be a folder in a mapped network drive or a Dropbox sub-folder. If you have sub-folders they will appear in the Task Panes and Template Organiser without adding them individually.
  • Resource Type – You can have everything in one folder but the Task Panes and Template Organiser will only show the relevant files.

MindManager Package Folders in the image Task PaneOnce added the new folders will appear in your Task Panes and Template Organiser. Last week I added a Dropbox folder. Later that week I took some pictures of the Royal Yacht with a mobile phone and saved them in Dropbox. They were available short afterwards to add to a map.  For example this is useful for data gathering during site surveys with a mobile device. Then writing a report back at the office using a standard report map template which exports to Word.

Notes:

  1. When a resource e.g. an image is added to a folder, if the folder is open in MindManager, you will need to refresh the folder to see it. Right click the folder and Refresh.
  2. Web Export templates only work with one version of MindManager. (see Resolving problems with customised web exports in MindManager 9)

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Posted in custom, sharing, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Using Dropbox to share structured knowledge with MindManager

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Do you have a requirement which goes something like this:

  1. You want to share information with a closed group of people
  2. It’s less than 2GB of files but this could grow with the size of the group
  3. They need to be able to access it on and off line.
  4. Anyone in the group can add files to the store but you will look after the indexing
  5. Only some members of the group use MindManager

Had you thought about using Dropbox with MindManager’s web export?

Here is how:

  1. Get a Dropbox account, create and share two folders with the group e.g.
    1. Web site
    2. New files
      You will have to invite them and all that malarky but this will give you extra storage.  The folders will appear in your My Documents folder in the  My Dropbox folder.
  2. Create a map which links to all the files you want to share with the group.
    Do not use multiple hyperlinks, they are not supported in the web exports.
  3. Export the map using the web export. If all the text and explanations is in topic text you just need the Clickable Image export, if you add topic notes use the Static Outline or Dynamic Templates or Simple Outline or One Page.
  4. Export the map to the Dropbox folder web site. I suggest changing the name of the Root export filename in Customise > Advanced settings to something relevant.  A mini web site will be created with a folder called LinkedDocuments with all the linked files in it. Your original documents will remain where they where, these are copies by default. Other folders are created for the more sophisticated web exports to support the styles, images etc. used in the export.
  5. Give the group the link to the root export file and the web site will appear.
    e.g test-site 
    I have saved the web export to the Public Folder in Dropbox.
  6. Ask the group to add new files to the New files folder.
  7. Link the new files to the map and re-export.
Note: You cannot share local files via the PDF Viewer and Flash export. If you just have hyperlinks to web pages on the map then you could also store them in Dropbox and save updated versions.

Obviously there are many other file management systems out there but this may be enough for your needs.  Similar processes may be possible with Microsoft’s Skydrive and Google sites.

Could you use this?

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Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Show/Hide Tool – Implications and Uses

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

On the View ribbon in the Detail section there is a tool called Show/Hide. It operates on objects like: hyperlinks, notes, relationships etc.

Show/Hide tool on the View Ribbon in MindManager 2012

 

Show/Hide Dropdown showing options in MindManager 2012

The full list is in the drop down where you can enable and disable various objects from being visible in the map.

Why would you hide them?

  • To declutter the map
  • To enable you to focus on certain objects
  • Because you need them for creating the map but not when it is exported to Word or the Web. e.g. Comments or Notes Icons.
  • Remember not to confuse people by sending them maps with relevant items turned off e.g. Notes Icons in a book map. They may not know about this tool.

Hiding some objects does have side effects which are reasonable after you have thought about them for a moment.

Here are the ones I can think of if you hide the object:

  • Relationships, Call Outs and Floating Topics – You cannot add a new ones. The tools are greyed out on the ribbon.
  • Hyperlinks – You cannot click on the link anymore. You can hide them for web export to declutter and the topics will still be clickable. If you select the topic and type Ctrl-j the link will work.
  • Attachments – Similar to hyperlinks and Ctrl-Shift-t will open the management panel.
  • Icons – You can still Power Filter using them.
  • Tag Group Names – If you are only using one group for instance “Departments”, you don’t need to repeat it on every topic with tag text.

Do you have any more uses or implications for the Show/Hide feature?

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Creating linked information maps for the web with MindManager

Friday, December 16th, 2011

This week I have worked on a  job for a client creating a set of web pages which are maps of links for different topic areas. The maps are now on the web and visible to his global group of collaborators.  Unfortunately he does want me to share the maps publically but I thought I would remind you (as I did for myself when doing this) or inform you for the first time about customising the clickable image map web export.  The process below is not complete and assumes some knowledge of the MindManager web exports and HTML.

  • Structure: An index map with links to child maps.
  • Copy the Clickable Image Map web export template folder and give it a new relevant name.
  • Create the child maps first.
    • Drag and drop the favicon next to the URL of the required web page, from your browser to the map. This will create a topic with the link, the title text of the web page and the favicon
    • When you have all the required links, arrange and format the map to suit the purpose. You can save this as a Style to use with the next child.
    • Save the child map in map folder for this project.
    • Create a sub-folder where all the web exports will be saved.
    • Export the map using the NEW clickable image map web export. Enter the folder path for the above folder and use a unique name (e.g. the topic name without no spaces) for the Root Export File Name for each map.
    • Repeat this for all the child/topic maps.  Save them all to the same folder.
  • Example index mapCreate the Parent or Index map by dragging the *.html files of the Child maps to the Index map.
    • Note: I used floating topics and hid the hyperlink icon.
    • Format and arrange as required. Try and make this a compact map.
    • Save to the same folder as the child maps.
    • Export the Index map using the clickable image export to the same folder as the other web exports.
    • If you open the index.html with your browser the links to the child web exports won’t work! Open the index.html with a text editor and search and replace “../” with nothing. Save. Reload index.html and it should work now.
  • Edit the ImgmapPage.htm in your new template
    • Add the opening <body> below the </head> tag (It had gone AWOL in mine. So you might want to do that in the original one as well)
    • Open the index.html file. Copy the text from <!–START CLICKABLE IMAGEMAP–> to <!–END CLICKABLE IMAGEMAP–>.
    • Paste this into the ImgmapPage.htm after <body>
    • Save
  • Example with mapRun all the child map web exports again and they will have an index map at the top.
  • Check that it works.
  • Transfer all the contents of web export folder to a folder on your web server and it should work there as well.

The complete ImgmapPage.htm should have this structure:

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN”
“http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd”>
<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv=”Content-Type” content=”text/html; charset=%WebExport.CharacterSet%”>
<title>%CustomParameter.PageTitle%</title>
</head>
<body>
<!–START CLICKABLE IMAGEMAP–>
html from index.html
<!–END CLICKABLE IMAGEMAP–>
<!– Command: Expand(“Imgmap.mmbas”) –>
</body>
</html>

Using more html you can:

  • Add <div> tags with CSS style commands you can position the index map.
  • Add some text to the header alongside the index map
  • Add a footer.

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Posted in web | No Comments »

The MindManager Topic Notes Editor: Time for a big change?

Monday, October 17th, 2011

The Topic Notes editor has remained virtually unchanged for a decade.  A format painter (copier) has been added in MindManager 2012 and way back in 2002 the ink tools were added.  Nothing else has happened.  I met Blaine Mathieu Chief Products Officer at the Mindjet Revolution Roadshow, a few days ago.  After a short discussion, he invited me to send him an email on this matter. Here are my thoughts and your chance to help me write that email to encourage Mindjet to be evolutionary and well as revolutionary!

I have used the Notes editor to create hundreds of web sites: the notes become web pages.  Until last week I used it to create the Cabre web site but I had to do too much post processing to include bits of HTML for videos etc. and had other issues around site management not to do with the Notes Edtor. I have switched to WordPress with MindManager content where required.   The ConferenceREACTION web site is currently produced with MindManager but will switch to WordPress soon.  It’s a pity because all the content is produced with MindManager.

With the Word export I use Topic Notes to create the paragraphs in “Introduction to MindManager” (to be transferred to new web site),  a 20 page  booklet with 50 plus images in it.  I started with Mindmanager X5 and I will updated it to the sixth edition 2012 shortly.

So why change?

It lacks:

  • Word wrapping: you have to use tables.
  • The tables are unstable when they get big (more than 5 rowsish) and if you use cell merge.
  • You cannot include HTML, only links. So no embedded videos, maps or other “gadgets” e.g. mail list capture, twitter streams etc.
  • You cannot resize large images to suitably sized images as you add them to the Notes (or Topics) thus preventing map bloat!
  • It is difficult to manage the formatting in the notes to get the correct format in Word. If you transfer the MindManager Topic Notes format to Word, you can’t (easily) use the Word Styles to manage the formating.

Please add to this list by commenting below.

What would I like to see

Three and half editors:

  1. Keep it simple i.e.the current one.  For simple note taking
  2. A Word editor which uses the style selected for the Word export. Perhaps it opens a Word window and saves the file as an attachment to the map visualised in the Notes pane.  you can support this idea in Mindjet’s User Voice – Editing Topic Notes with Word.
  3. An HTML editor. Something like the ScribeFire for Firefox.  It’s great for editing and storing frequently used HTML fragments.  With the option of using Micrsoft Expression?  You can support this idea in Mindjet’s User Voice – HTML Notes Editor 

3.5 An editor for creating WordPress content. That is one which creates clickable image maps and other content that can be directly exported to my WordPress blog(s). I will write about this seperately.  One respected internet commentator Graham Jones said in his newsletter last weekend: “In my view, though, there is only one way to go: WordPress.” Repeating my dream: Just imagine if Mindjet had developed the HTML editor they had in early versions of MindManager we would be using MindPress now!

 There, that’s this week’s rant (so far) off my desk (chest).  Please add your thoughts here and in Mindjet’s User Voice.

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Posted in Uncategorized | 8 Comments »

The MindManager Web Export is great for summarising discussions?

Thursday, February 3rd, 2011

A couple of evenings ago I attended a discussion about “Community is Essential to Building Brands”. As is my habit I inked the discussion on my Tablet PC using MindManager. Today I have processed it in to a web page which summarises the discussion, links to the web pages mentioned and “borrows” a few logos from their sites. The content is very interesting but here are some tips on how this map was created.

The central topic uses an image “shape” rather than the standard shapes on the ribbon. You will find these in the library under Shapes!

You can drag hyperlinks from links or the favicon in the address bar of your browser on to your topics. If the topic goes green, the link will be in the topic and if it goes red, it will be add as a subtopic with the title text from the web page.

Mostly the logos were grabbed, by right clicking on them, copying the image (not the link) and then pasting them in to a topic using Ctrl-Shift-Alt-V. This does not work with Google Chrome, it just adds the image link. So I reverted to Mozilla Firefox (Internet Explorer will work as well).

Occasionally you will get an image which has a black background. I then use the Windows Snipping Tool that comes by default with the Tablet PC. You can enable it on other PCs by turning on the Tablet PC tools in Control Panel > Programs and Features > Windows Features.  Many image applications have screen capturing tools built in.

The web page is two exports combined:

Main Page:  Is produced from one map. It is a customised combination of the clickable image and outline web export templates that I use for ConferenceREACTION and other reports. It’s nearly in a state that I could let others use it.  Are you interested?

Social Networks Map:  A clickable image export of the social networks map was pasted into the main web page. It’s easy to do: Copy the map image to the same folder as the main export. Copy the text from the mapname.html.txt file and paste this into an appropriate part of the main web page .html file. Change the default file name for one of the exports from index.html to something else e.g. map.html or you will be wondering why things don’t work.

I think those are the interesting bits of the export but if you have any questions please ask them below or contact me.  To see the full maps please visit

Community is Essential to Building Brands

Community is Essential to Building Brands

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Posted in web | No Comments »

Useful Tools for increasing MindManager Web Exports visibility to the search engines

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

Here are the steps I take to make websites created with MindManager visible to the search engines. e.g. Cabre, ConferenceREACTION, Auctions in Day

  1. Get a  Google account or use an exisitng one.
  2. Create an XML site map of your sites web pages and upload to the top directory of your web site. I use SitemapDoc
  3. Register your site with Google Webmaster and submit the sitemap.
  4. Whenever you change or add a page, update the sitemap.

Now Google knows you exist and will index you. If you don’t do this, Google will take its time finding you via links to your web site on other pages.

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Resolving problems with customised web exports in MindManager 9

Monday, September 27th, 2010

I have not been able to use customised web exports which were working in MindManager 8 and earlier versions in MindManager 9.  Which is a bit of a blow because I publish a new web page or site via MindManager most days, ConferenceREACTION event record pages being one example.  Copying the folders from your MindManager 8 web templates to the MindManager 9 templates is not enough.

Here is the answer:
Replace this string
‘#Reference {A41FC8F5-ED0F-4333-9843-51C0539B19D3}#4.0#0#C:\Program Files\Mindjet\MindManager 8\Mm5WebExport.dll#Mm5WebExport 4.0 Type Library
With this string
‘#Reference {F2454FB8-64C3-48fe-B0DD-E7EDEA107825}#5.0#0#C:\Program Files\Mindjet\MindManager 9\Mm5WebExport.dll#Mm5WebExport 5.0 Type Library
in all .mmbas and .cls files
I use Useful File Utilities -Batch Replacer with this RTBL file UpdateCustomWebExports to do this for each web export template folder.

If you would like me to update any web export folders for you, please zip up to five  folders and email them to me. I will send you a PayPal invoice for £7.99 inc VAT in the UK and the same price for all other countries.  On receipt of payment I will return the updated files. If you have more than 5 folders to process please send an inquiry email for a price.

An alternative process may be to copy the .mmbas and .cls files from MindManager 9 to your related customised folder.  You could do that with File Explorer.

This was my process of elimination to find the source of the problem.

  • I have a map which has exported via the clickable image template successfully.
  • I have made a copy (COPY 1) which also exports successfully
  • I have a customised template which works in MindManager 8
  • I have copied the four edited .xml files to COPY1 and the export works
  • Stopped this copy and test route and went to file compare
  • Comparing MindManager 8 clickable image template folder with MindManager 9 using Total Commander 7.50 shows all mmbas files are different in content. Opening identical files in Notepda++ and using Compare utility show first line is different.
    And its obvious why.
  • ‘#Reference {F2454FB8-64C3-48fe-B0DD-E7EDEA107825}#5.0#0#C:\Program Files\Mindjet\MindManager 9\Mm5WebExport.dll#Mm5WebExport 5.0 Type Library
  • v
  • ‘#Reference {A41FC8F5-ED0F-4333-9843-51C0539B19D3}#4.0#0#C:\Program Files\Mindjet\MindManager 8\Mm5WebExport.dll#Mm5WebExport 4.0 Type Library
  • But this is a comment! Perhaps not.
  • The reference is the same in all mmbas files in the original folder
  • Does replacing them in a custom export template solve the problem? Time to use Useful File Utilities – Batch Replacer
    to change the reference in my “old” template to the new reference.
  • It did for 48 out of the 54 files. What is different for the other six?
  • They are tables of parameter names and other files specific for my customised export.
  • Time to try it out.
  • Failed at the BeginExport.mmbas ???
  • Copy MindManager 8 “Clickable Image” folder to MindManager 9 web templates renamed to “Clickable Image ex 8″
  • Run the search and replace on the .mmbas files and the web export works!
  • More investigation of my custom export template required
  • First let me try one of my simpler custom web export
  • Tried and failed. Ran the search and replace on all files. The reference is also include *.cls files.
  • Ran simple custom web export. SUCCESS!
  • Ran Search and Replace on more complex web export. Ran export and SUCCESS!

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Posted in Uncategorized, web site | 2 Comments »