Stephen

For pure brainstorming, I still most prefer BrainStorm. I find that
mindmapping is useful only if I compress branch titles into tight informative
phrases.

I think we may be using the brainstorming in a slightly different way, as I only use mind mapping where one or two words are all that is needed for each branch. I may occasionally add a note if I feel something needs explained.

So if I was preparing a lecture on animal behaviour I might have a branch called "communication" and then sub-branches called "sound", "vision", "chemical", electrical, etc. I may then further extend each of these sub-branches with one word headings. This would be thrown together rather quickly and would be refined by moving branches around to try and create the lecture structure.

I would then turn then turn that into an outline, which may be in Brainstorm or NoteMap and write the lecture notes. The same outline would also form the basis of the PowerPoint. But then I would use the Mindmap, probably modified now to match the final presentation, to keep my place during the lecture, and make sure I dodn't miss any key topics or sub-topics.

If I was brainstorming something that was based on writing paragraphs wherr I had no particular order in mind, then I would use Brainstorm, but then by the time I start to write paragraphs, I normally have a structure in mind.

I use mindmapping to explore and clarify the relationship between the items I have
brainstormed,

I suspect that I am using the visual relationship in the mindmap to prompt me to think about the topics that need to be included. In some respects this is against the idea of brainstorming.

I think its rather nice to have the option of different tools.

Graham

Derek

back-burner, at the least. I notice that VisiMap's own support forum has been closed,

That is a shame. I have just downloaded it and it is rather attractive in its simplicity, while still having some failry powerful options.

Graham

Graham -

That is a shame. I have just downloaded it and it is rather attractive in its simplicity, while still having some failry powerful options.

I've just been looking at VisiMap and was impressed, too. As I have somewhat different requirements, though, I thought I'd better start a new thread before talking about them.

Derek

Derek -

For those who know little or nothing about "mind mapping" (moi, for example), I
found the comparison at http://www.cul.co.uk/software/istruct.htm to be a useful
start.

Thanks for the link. I read their review of MindManager Pro 6 and decided I to re-evaluate it. I've been fiddling with NovaMind and VisiMap the past few days, thinking I need to finally settle on a visual mind-mapping tool, but I'm probably just looking for another CRIMP fix.

I tend to use Brainstorm or ActionOutline for brainstorming, so I come from the text-oriented POV.

I evaluated Inspiration in the past, both on the desktop and on the Palm, but ran into bugs and annoying quirks.

NovaMind's maps are indeed quite visually pleasing.

VisiMap does seem a more complete program, and it does have the ability to toggle between outline view and map view, which is nice. I have one complaint so far: it doesn't use anti-aliasing when drawing lines on the screen, and I find the jaggies distracting.

Which brings me to MindManager. It seems to fit me better than any other mind mapping tool I've evaluated. The keystrokes for adding nodes to the map are intuitive: enter for a sibling and insert for a child - just like AO, which I've been using forever. It creates beautiful maps. I may end up purchasing it this time.

- Wes

Wes -

Like you I mostly do text outlining so mind mapping hasn't in the past grabbed my attention. I use Inspiration as a text outliner fairly often and it does grow on one, although the child-friendly aspects are a little irritating. I was surprised to find how useful it can be for simple diagram drawing as well as mind mapping. In fact I may experimenting with a lot of diagram drawing over the next few months, so it will be a good excuse to explore the field further. I'll take a look at NovaMind.

MindManager certainly looks the most polished of the programs I have briefly scanned, and has a lot of the features I could persuade myself that I need :-). But I'm reluctant to buy it for the current project - or at least until I've played around with these type of programs for longer.

Derek

Wes

Which brings me to MindManager. It seems to fit me
better than any other mind mapping tool I've evaluated. The keystrokes for adding
nodes to the map are intuitive: enter for a sibling and insert for a child - just like AO,
which I've been using forever. It creates beautiful maps. I may end up purchasing it
this time.

Have you tried Mind Genius? http://www.mindgenius.com/

This is more felxible than Mind Manager and has several useful features where you can change the focus of the map to make a sub-topic the centre, a wider range of layouts giving it some diagramming options, and a nicely integrated outline and note facility.

I bought a copy only a few weeks after buying Mind Manager. However, it requires activation and is locked to the one PC, as I work on three different PCs (not at the same time) extending the license to let me use it properly was just too much money. But otherwise, well worth a look before taking the plunge and paying for Mind Manager

Graham

Graham Smith wrote:

Wes

Have you tried Mind Genius? http://www.mindgenius.com/

This is more
felxible than Mind Manager and has several useful features where you can change the
focus of the map to make a sub-topic the centre, a wider range of layouts giving it some
diagramming options, and a nicely integrated outline and note facility.

I bought a
copy only a few weeks after buying Mind Manager. However, it requires activation and
is locked to the one PC, as I work on three different PCs (not at the same time) extending
the license to let me use it properly was just too much money. But otherwise, well worth
a look before taking the plunge and paying for Mind Manager

Graham

Not yet; thanks for the advice. I'm downloading it now, and will evaluate it.

Thanks!

- Wes

Wes

>Have you tried Mind Genius?
http://www.mindgenius.com/

Not yet; thanks for
the advice. I'm downloading it now, and will evaluate it.

I look forward to hearing how you get on.

Graham

Any one got suggestions of what else I should look at.

Well, after a very non-scientific review of what I aready have and what else is available, I think I have decided to just stick with Mind Manager. In the end, although I liked aspects of all the programs I tried they also all had things wrong with them.

One issue seemed to be the difficulty of moving maps between programs, for example Visimap was the best for rapid mind mapping, but I couldn't get it out of Visimap and into something else for further work. The tabbed outline export didn't actually produce a tabbed outline.

It may be that I if I spent more time on understanding the nuances of each program, some of my issues might be resolved. But nothing struck me as being so much better than the programs I have, to make me want to invest the time or money on an alternative.

Graham

Graham Smith wrote:

Have you tried Mind Genius? http://www.mindgenius.com/

This is more
felxible than Mind Manager and has several useful features where you can change the
focus of the map to make a sub-topic the centre, a wider range of layouts giving it some
diagramming options, and a nicely integrated outline and note facility.

I bought a
copy only a few weeks after buying Mind Manager. However, it requires activation and
is locked to the one PC, as I work on three different PCs (not at the same time) extending
the license to let me use it properly was just too much money. But otherwise, well worth
a look before taking the plunge and paying for Mind Manager

Graham

I did try MindGenius, and I found I really liked it. I got busy with work, and ended up letting the trials on both (Mind Manager and MindGenius) run out. I ended up receiving a trial extension from Gael, and started using it on a complicated phase of a project I'm working on. I quickly fell in love with it, and registered it.

The most impressive feature to me right now is the Map Explorer. I love how it hoists the mind map, so you can focus on one part of your map and still see the overall map structure. I still feel it has a number of rough edges; I intend to compile a list and send it to Gael. I also think it has many more features than I'm currently aware of; I look forward to finding them in the next year, once this project I'm on settles down a bit.

Graham, thanks again for pointing me in this direction!

Regards,
Wes

Wes Perdue wrote:

I also think it has
many more features than I'm currently aware of;

Regards,
Wes

Hi Wes

One of the more powerful features of mindgenius is the caregory system - they are one of the few who provide nested categories - you might call them category groups - but nesting is not limited) - so in a sense there is similar categorization power as infohandler, maybe more, - and like infohandler you can filter items with an arbitrarily complex category intersection. The filters take a little more effort than IH to create, but they can then be saved and reused thereafter.

Cheers, Ian

Graham Smith wrote:

Although I have several different mind mapping programs (Mind Manager, Mind Genius,
Inspiration, FreeMind and Axon) I don't feel that any of them really what I am looking
for. All of them are excellent in their own way, but I none have found a place in "my
comfort zone"

Any one got suggestions of what else I should look at

I am a teacher and I think mindmapping is a wonderful tool for opening the capabilities of the mind and allowing natural relationships between notions to be expressed in a practical, flowing way that itself develops the entire process. I think ConceptDraw Mindmap www.conceptdraw.com is the perfect tool for the creation of wonderful, individual and truly useful mindmaps.

Graham and Wes -

Which edition of MindGenius are you using? The home version is clearly more limited, but it isn't clear whether or not the business and educational uses offer the same or a slightly different set of features. The comparison on the website is amongst Version 1, Version 2, and Home, so it is only of limited help.

I was interested to see that the Scottish Parliament has debated encouraging its use in education.

Derek

Jane

I think ConceptDraw Mindmap www.conceptdraw.com is the perfect tool for
the creation of wonderful, individual and truly useful mindmaps.

Actually, I have this as well.

The problem I have is that sometimes I am blasting off a quick brainstorm mindmap, sometimes I am drawing a structured mindmap for teaching purposes and sometimes, I am wanting a diagram to illustrate a set of relationships which isn't a Mindmap at all. The problem isn't the capability of any of the programs I own, but more a feel that they aren't right.

Concept Draw Mindmap, as I remember was a bit too stylish for what I want.

Graham

Derek

Which edition of MindGenius are you using? The home version is
clearly more limited, but it isn't clear whether or not the business and educational
uses offer the same or a slightly different set of features.

I have the education version which I was told is identical to the Business edition but comes with different templates. In practice as I trialled the business version then bought the education version, I just copied the business templates into the education version.

interested to see that the Scottish Parliament has debated encouraging its use in
education.

Do you have a link for this. As a Scot living in Wales and working in England, I am still interested in Scottish education issues.

Graham

Derek Cornish wrote:

Graham and Wes -

Which edition of MindGenius are you using?

I'm using the professional version.

Regards,
Wes

Graham -

Thanks for the MingGenius info.

As an Anglo-Scot now in the US but recently living in Cardiff (where my wife used to work), here is the URL :-)
http://www.mindgenius.com/website/presenter.aspx?type=doc&uri=/news/scotparla.htm#topofpage

Derek

Wes -

Thanks,

Derek