(you can click the thumbnail images to see the full size)

We are happy to announce that today we have deployed a major update of Mindomo. We have redesigned our ribbon bar in order to comply with the Microsoft® Office Fluent UI design guidelines and we have added several new features.

Redesigned ribbon bar

We have rearranged the functionalities of Mindomo in a way which follows the Microsoft® Office Fluent UI and hopefully is much more intuitive. The new ribbon bar contains the Application button, the Quickaccess toolbar and the application title bar.

Ability to open multiple maps in tabs an copy branches between them (Premium Users Only)

Now you will increase your productivity by opening multiple maps and copying branches and other information between your maps.

Spell checker (Premium Users Only)

We have added a spell checker which will check your maps for spelling errors.
The available languages are: English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish and Polish.

Fullscreen view (Premium Users Only)

You can switch between normal(embedded) view and fullscreen view during your presentation or editing.

Map locking for avoiding simultaneous editing

If another user has already opened for editing the map you are looking to modify, on the bottom-right side of the screen you will see a panel which keeps you informed of the map’s status. When clicking the Refresh button, the map will be reloaded with the latest modifications made by the user which currently holds the lock. If the other user has finished editing, upon refresh you will be the one locking the map for editing.

 

Added new boundary types

We’ve added a number of new boundary types to help you make your maps more exciting.

 

Added new relationship types

We’ve added new types of relationships to help you increase the comprehensiveness of your maps.

  

Added new hyperlink types

You can now choose between various types of links which can be added in your map nodes.

 

Added new options to browse your maps

You can now choose between a thumbnail view or a list view when you are browsing your private maps.
You can now easily filter your maps by typing the name into the filter field.

 

Application Menu with recent maps

We implemented an application menu which helps you clearly choose your map operations and also enables you to quickly open one of your recently edited maps.

 

Implemented minimized ribbon bar state

This new feature allows you to minimize the ribbon bar in order maximize your map display area.
In order to switch between the minimized and normal state of the ribbon bar you have to double clicked the opened tab.

 

- Fixed several other small bugs

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MindMeister

• Links on ideas

  Support for internal (between maps, or also to individual nodes) and external (websites, email addresses) links on ideas

• Automatic layouter

  No more overlapping ideas and branches with the new auto layouter – can also be triggered manually on “messed up” maps by pressing F8

• Note and link previews

  Notes and links on ideas can now be previewed by hovering over the respective icon, including site previews

• Reworked, more organic lines

  We’ve changed the line drawing mechanism so that mind maps now hopefully look more organic. The poll in the last newsletter went in favour of the slightly rounded lines (with about 40%)

• Automatic canvas resizing

  The map canvas will automatically resize to the size of the map, e.g. on import of large maps or when adding lots of ideas

• Changes view date slider

  In changes mode the footer will display a date slider that you can use to constrain the time period for which changes are shown. Clicking on links in notification mails will only highlight changes since your last visit.

• Start new map from idea

  You can quickly create new maps from ideas through the right-click menu, and the new map can automatically be linked to the current one

• Export as PDF

  The map canvas will automatically resize to the size of the map, e.g. on import or when adding many ideas

• Enhanced printing

  Choose whether you want to print in full size or fit to page, and with open or closed branches

• Browse public maps

  You can now browse, search and view all public maps on MindMeister – let us know which ones you like through the good old star rating system!

MindMeister has also released an API which opens up opportunities for mash-ups and tool integrations. As well, to help you keep on top of what’s happening with MindMeister, there is now a blog.

MindMeister – think together

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• Mindomo Premium is released!
• Completely redesigned website
• A new page to search, browse and rate the public maps
• Encrypted map storage
• Extended help pages
• A number of bug fixes

Mindomo is a powerful on-line mind mapping tool. They make big claims on the web-site.

“Mindomo has the most comprehensive online map gallery on Earth! You can find maps about science, finance, business, etc. in various languages.”

(Go big or go home! )

There are four versions of Mindomo available:

1. Free – Create and edit mind maps, and share them with your colleagues and friends via the Internet. Learn by doing: apply mind mapping techniques by taking advantage of the experience of our online community.
2. Premium –  Take full advantage of Mindomo. Get organized and increase your productivity. Create unlimited number of private maps, get rid of advertisements, get priority support and password protect your maps.
3. Business –  Run Mindomo locally on your servers. Simply deploy it once and use it everywhere. Reduce your complexity by streamlining your process management, raising productivity.
4. Education – Run Mindomo locally at your school, helping your students benefit from proven accelerated learning techniques. Get the advantages of Mindomo Business at a reduced price.

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The map features:

• A Brief history of Father’s Day
• A Tribute to Famous Dads
• Great Father’s Day Gift Ideas
• Suggestions for things to do on Father’s Day with Dad
• Tips on Appreciating Dads

Download: Father’s Day Mind Map

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WikiMindMap is a tool to browse Wiki content in a mind map format. Enter a search term, select the Wikipedia language version your wish to search and WikiMindMap automatically builds a mind map from the topic.

The mind map has the main topic in the centre, topic groups on the first level and and related topics on the outer-most level. Topic groups can be opened by clicking on the group box.

• Text Clicking on the text will bring you to the corresponding position in the Wiki.
• This symbol brings the related topic to the centre and makes it the main topic.
• This brings you to a non Wiki web page

This is one very cool web application.

via Communication Nation

Recommended: The Zen Habits Handbook for Life!

 From the Mindjet press release:

SAN FRANCISCO, May 30 /PRNewswire/ — Mindjet(R) Corporation today announced the highly anticipated and immediate availability of the next generation of its popular visualization software, MindManager(R) 7, along with its new Project Management Jetpack and online map gallery. The new MindManager 7 for Windows and Macintosh have received widespread acclaim for new and improved features that increase effectiveness in managing information and projects.

MindManager 7 optimizes both individual and team productivity and delivers quick results to achieve new levels of project and process improvement, communication and interactions, as well as access to and management of key information. New enhancements in MindManager Pro 7 include powerful integration capabilities with Microsoft Office products and easier browsing in a completely redesigned Microsoft Fluent UI with logically grouped tabs, saved queries and views, new map styles and galleries for faster formatting, and enhanced ScreenTips. MindManager 7 Mac offers a powerful new way to select topics with rules, which can be saved and applied as filters; printing enhancements that allow users to print large maps across multiple pages and add headers and footers and borders to printed maps; enhanced import and export capabilities including OPML, HTML, Text Outline and more.

Click here to read the complete release

As I mentioned in the earlier post, this is a significant enhancement to the feature set available in version 6. If you’re a MindManager user, version 7 is worth the upgrade. If you’re not a MindManager user, check it out. There is a trial version available.

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We are very proud to announce that after a thorough private beta phase MindMeister finally went live last night at 11pm CEST!

As you can see we’ve been busy over the last few weeks building in new features that were most frequently requested by our beta testers (thanks to everybody btw for their extremely valuable feedback and suggestions!). Some of the highlights are:
 

    * Support for font sizes and styles
    * Support for notes on ideas
    * A completely revised map UI (sidebar)
    * Notifications on map changes by email and text message (text alerts via Twitter)
    * Copy / paste between maps
    * Title, descriptions and tags for maps
    * Detailed list view for maps
    * and many more…

Check out the online help for an overview of what’s new and let us know via the feedback button (which has been moved to the footer now) what you think of the new MindMeister features!

Account Changes

With the conclusion of the private beta phase unfortunately the account clock starts ticking – the free Premium trial period for our Basic Mindmeisters will be extended for another 30 days, as if you just signed up now. The trial phase will therefore end on 31st May 2007, at which point the basic account restrictions will become effective.

Oh, and we’ve also counted our 10,000th user these last few days – great to see how many people actually use mind mapping in general, and MindMeister in particular!

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I’ve had a pre-release version for a couple or so weeks and have been able to poke around and try some of the new features. This is not a point-something upgrade with a few feature changes. This is a significant enhancement to version 6.x. One of things that has really caught my attention is the ease of use. Rather than adding further complexity with a bunch of new features, the new features serve to make MindManager 7 easier to use.

New Features and Enhancements:

• Ribbon UI – MM7 UI will have the same “look & feel” as Office 2007
• Saved Queries – Allows saving queries in Power Filter/Select/Bookmark dialogs and re-using these queries later.
• Saved Views – Saves current view (filtered topics, collapsed topics, zoom factors) and allows reusing these views later.
• Central Topic – The Parent Topics are hidden and the new central topic becomes the (Central Topic) and the hierarchy starts from what
  was formerly the Subtopic.
• Topic Styles – Allows creation of named topic styles and using these styles across current map regardless of the level at which topics are
  located.
• Split topic – Create new topic based on text sub-selected in topic editor
• Highlight Multiple Topics – Shift + Mouse click selects multiple topics
• Integrate MM7 within Microsoft Applications – Link to topics from external applications.  (i.e.  Launch maps from Word docs.)
• Option to turn off smooth/animated scrolling – Tools -> Options ->Enable animated scrolling
• Multiple Markers within Topics – Option to add more than one marker
• Added Shortcuts:
• Ctrl-Alt-Up/Down – Move current topic above/below the previous/next sibling topic
• Ctrl-Alt-Home/End – Move current topic to the top/bottom of the
  topics list
• Add Multiple Attachment to Map – Use multi select in file browse dialog to add multiple attachments to a topic
• Power Filter: Topic Alerts Support – Makes it possible to find all topics with topic alerts
• Dragging Central Topic Drags/Pans Map
• Replace Sub-Selected Image Using Paste or Paste Inside – Enable Paste Inside when image is sub-selected
• Advanced Sorting  - Implemented sort options for icon marker groups and colour marker groups. Allow reverse sorting of text marker groups. Available via markers group context menu, but not available for priority and task complete groups.
• Add/Flip Relationship Arrows – This command flips ends of relationship arrows within the map and between topics.

Mindjet also announced MindManager 7 Lite, streamlined entry-level software to introduce MindManager to students and home users. MindManager 7 Lite provides these users the ability to visually capture, organize and prioritize ideas. There will also be a version for Macintosh users, MindManager 7 Mac.

The English and German language versions of all of the MindManager 7 applications will be available on May 30th. Pricing is as follows: MindManager Pro 7 US$349, upgrade US$119; MindManager 7 Mac US$129, upgrade US$69; MindManager Lite 7 US$99. In the month of May, anyone who purchases MindManager 6 will receive a free upgrade to MindManager 7 when it becomes available. For more detailed information about features, pricing, and more international versions, please visit MindManager 7

In response to overwhelming demand from our customers and available for the first time is Mindjet Project Management Jet Pack™ created specifically for project teams to kick start project planning and management. The pack includes a whitepaper and 15 related maps, an example project process with 19 additional map examples and templates, and information about our technology partners that support project management solutions. The Jet Pack, in English or German, is available now and free with the purchase of MindManager for a limited time. Please visit www.mindjet.com for more information.

Additionally, Mindjet Technology Partners will have MindManager 7 compatible solutions available for purchase on May 30. Offerings include solutions from aha!Web, BENEfit, BOSSDev, Gyronix, HBB, I and A Research, In4Tools, Mindsystems, MindBusiness, Ontaris, ProjectWizards, Realize AB and TeamDirection. Trials, demonstrations, pricing information and more partner solutions can be found at www.mindjetsolutions.com

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How would YOU map out your favourite team facts, history, press releases, associated sports blogs, interviews, pictures of your favourite players, your team’s 2007 schedule and more?

The only limitation to an amazing baseball map will be the constraints of your imagination.

Email your map to Mindjet at: gaelen.oconnell@mindjet.com and tell us the story of you and your favourite baseball team. We’d love to know how you became a fan! Feel free to include pictures in your map of your favourite players or maybe even yourself at the ballpark. Just make sure to use MindManager to tell your story. Entry deadline is MAY 9, 2007 by Midnight, PST.

The Mindjet Blog » Mapping out Baseball Season 2007: Mindjet Wants to “Take YOU out to the Ballgame”.

Tags: baseball, contest, mind+map, MindManager

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One of the most useful ideas within GTD is the simplification of the personal filing system. How do you file your own reference materials?

Two parameters drive the system:

1. It must be easy to file materials otherwise you won’t
2. It must be easy to retrieve materials, or you won’t trust the system.

Having used all sorts of elaborate, cross-referenced, index-card, electronic, with filing cabinets, bankers-boxes and card-box systems, I can tell you, they don’t work. There is nothing simpler than alphabetical order.

This is the beauty of the alphabet: categorize what you have in your hand, put it in a file folder, label it and file it under the first letter of the label. All in order and quick to retrieve. When you need something, you will find it in one of a couple of places.

For example, my gas bill will be under G for Gas or D for Direct Energy, my supplier. A more complicated system might have the gas bill filed under Bills>>Home>>Utilities>>Gas. More difficult to recall, and difficult to set-up. You have to know the rules and categories ahead of time and have some way of keeping track of them.

Electronic file systems sort alphabetically by default, so applying the system to your electronic documents should not require too much brain power.

You can download a free pdf from Davidco, with David Allen’s thoughts and ideas on General Reference Filing.

(This post is based on material originally published on the now-long-defunct thought?horizon blog.)

Tags: GTD, KM, personal+knowledge+management, filing, organization, productivity

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