Analysing the Strengths and Weaknesses of Mind Mapping Software Applications

You can do this as a solo effort with MindManager. You could invite a few people to your Mindjet Catalyst account to add their comments but they would mostly be MindManager users only. With MindMeister you can set up a map which can be edited by anyone as a no cost Wiki Map. If you want to edit the map below, you will need a free (and limited) MindMeister account.

There are customers for all the mind mapping applications but not all the potential customers can access all the applications or justify or need all the features of the more sophisticated ones. This is not about deciding which is best overall but which is best for your needs. Obviously I am interested in how MindManager stacks up against the rest.

Lets see what happens:

Using the new Share function in MindManager 8.1 via Mindjet Catalyst

The latest version of MindManager 8.1 has a new button which Shares a map and allows you to edit a list of your Shared Content.

This afternoon I quickly created a map of the WinACC (Winchester Action on Climate Change) web site because I knew it would be useful to me and hopefully to some of their users. This is a good example of a map that works well in this new process.

Last week I published a map of Gordon Brown's speech to the Labour Party Conference. It has some floating topics at the top of the map. Unfortunately these get displaced to the bottom in the shared version. I don't want to attach them to the central topic because they are not part of the speech.

Some more experiments will reveal the best ways in which to use this new tool.

Download MindManager 8.1
MindManager 8.1 Service Pack what has changed

You do not need a Mindjet Catalyst account to use the Share option. Tweet from Michael Deutch Mindjet "Yes, all MindManager 8.1 users can 'share' content with our new export. It's faster and easier than before...".

You can still create a Mindjet Player in a PDF file or as a Flash file SWF.

Sharing MindManager maps via Mindjet Catalyst

Mindjet have launched Catalyst today. This is a new collaboration and publishing tool for MindManager users. It builds on the previous Mindjet Connect product. Existing users get a seamless transfer to the new product (I did).

A new feature of Catalyst is an easy process for sharing maps with non-users via a browser. A click on the share button creates a copy or snapshot of a map from your workspace. This is made available for anyone to read and download (if you choose). The readers see the map in a full screen window (best to press F11 or View > Full Screen on your browser menu) which has a toolbar with zoom, open and close branches and print the map buttons.

For instance here is a map of useful travel planning links to train and bus timetables, hire car companies, hotels, traffic jam monitors etc.

MindManager Map of Travel Web Sites

Shared via AddThis

This will be a brillaint way to share some types of maps with your colleagues, collaborators, clients and suppliers.

Some caveats:

1. Links to documents on your PC are not available to sharers. You will have to upload them to your Catalyst Workspace (I need to test this) and link them or host them on a web server.
2. Tables and images in Notes are not visible.
3. The format of the map is simplified. e.g. line thickness and colour in not applied.