So You Want to be a Mind Mapper?

April 19th, 2007 · 8 Comments

I have several invites to MindMeister available if you want a test drive.

One of my goals for 2007 is learning about mind mapping. That goal is still progressing and I thought that April was a good time for an update.

Since January 2007, I have read hundreds of articles (probably thousands) about mind mapping and have attended one online seminar. I am having a blast. Learning all I can about a subject of interest is always fun.

At the beginning of the year, I was using FreeMind as the tool of choice, because of the price. Since then, I received a copy of ConceptDraw’s MindMap and all I can say is … WOW! There really is a difference between FreeMind and a commercial product when you start getting serious.

For basic mapping, FreeMind, MindMeister, and Mindomo are tools that will get you started, but if you want a deeper relationship with your mapper, there are plenty of options. Here is a list I compiled for a presentation about mind mapping.

Yes, I know all of these are not true mind mapping tools, but all serve the purpose of creativity. Of the above, four are free, two are online, and one requires an invitation.

I find the two online mappers, MindMeister and Mindomo, on par with FreeMind in ability. They handle basic duties well, and MindMeister gives a new meaning to collaboration.

This evening I am giving a mind mapping presentation and demonstration to a business group, and will also facilitate a brainstorming session using MindMap. That report is coming soon. It should be fun.

[tags]mind mapping, MindMap, NovaMind, MindManager, FreeMind, Topiscape, iMindMap, CMap, TheBrain, MindMeister, Mindomo[/tags]

Tags: Information · Leadership

8 responses so far ↓

1 Gaelen O'Connell (1 comments.) // Apr 19, 2007 at 4:06 pm

Hi Larry,

I just came across your mind mapping blog posting here, what a great goal for 2007. I hope you’re having fun with it so far. If you haven’t personally tested out MindManager yet, let me know and I’ll set you up with everything you’ll need to get up and running on it quickly.

Gaelen
2 Larry Hendrick // Apr 20, 2007 at 11:16 am

Gaelen, thank you for visiting Motivation on the Run. It is a pleasure to have contact from Mindjet, maker of MindManager. I have to admit, I’ve never used MindManager based solely on price.

Having said that, I appreciate Mindjet giving back to the community. As indicated in the article, I attended the Eric Mack webinar hosted by Mindjet and enjoyed it enormously. I vote to have him back again, and I don’t use Lotus or MindManager. The ideas though were great and I have began to implement them into my daily processes.

After the webinar, I browsed the Mindjet site and found other webinars available for free viewing. I applaud your company for its dedication to educating people about this technology. Please, Keep up the good work. It is appreciated in the business world, and I will continue to spread the news, too.
3 Richard (1 comments.) // Apr 21, 2007 at 5:07 pm

I think mind maps are a great way to brainstorm and plan. I’ve used Mind Map software in the past and find them useful for archiving large projects.

For quick problem solving and brainstorming I prefer paper. I created pdf mind map templates for this purpose. They are available on my site for download.

http://www.mymindmap.net

Cheers!
4 Larry Hendrick // Apr 23, 2007 at 8:24 am

Thanks for the link, Richard. Others might appreciate the templates for a paper option.

I appreciate you stopping by and sharing with the readers and me. Keep up the great work.
5 The Daily Flag » Blog Archive » Staff Meetings // Apr 26, 2007 at 9:13 am

[...] items are normally more topical. He writes much faster than I do, and is amazingly organized, and he mind-maps much of what he does. He is digital and I am analog, and thus we maintain a balance of [...]
6 Pali Madra (1 comments.) // May 2, 2007 at 2:44 pm

Seems like mindmapping is here to stay!
7 Larry Hendrick // May 2, 2007 at 3:02 pm

Pali, I think you are correct. The more I learn, the more I see solutions presented by mindmapping.

The more I brainstorm about uses for mind maps, the more ways I see them improving productivity.
8 ConceptDraw’s MINDMAP 5 Professional // Aug 22, 2007 at 2:12 pm

[...] of my 2007 Goals was to seek out the many aspects of mind mapping and the related software. Kicking [...]