Biggerplate: A Great Place to Get Mindmaps

February 5th, 2010

If you’re looking for ideas to create your own mindmaps, Biggerplate.com is a great place to start.

At Biggerplate you can view and download mindmaps created by people from all over the world – for free.  These mindmaps can serve as a starting point in developing your own mindmaps.

The Biggerplate mindmap library consists of 3 main categories:

  • Business (currently 615 mindmaps)
  • Education (currently 583 mindmaps)
  • General Use (currently 212 mindmaps)

You can also download any of my 20 mindmaps from Biggerplate:

1. The Black Male Handbook Mindmap: How to Overcome the Odds

2. 5 Keys to Wealth and Happiness

3. How to Live to be 100

4. The Mindsets: What do you believe about intelligence?

5. Top 30 Countries by Population with Flags & Language

6. A Whole New Mind: Mindmap of a Transformative Book

7. Dr. Brinkerhoff’s Instructional Model: Promoting Effective Learning

8. United States Constitution Mindmap

9. Dr. O’Driscoll’s Workshop on Web 2.0  and 3Di Technologies

10. Obama’s Plan for America: A Mindmap of His New Book

11. McCain-Obama Mindmap

12. Personal and Financial Records Mindmap

13. The iPhone Mindmap

14. The Questioning Mindmap: How Do You Frame Your Challenges?

15. What Smart Students Know – 12 Principles

16. Using MindManager to Meet Business Needs

17. The SBI Model: Giving Effective Feedback

18. Stephen Covey’s Time Management Matrix as a Mindmap

19. Performance System Factors – Effective Performance Management

20. Anatomy of a Mindmap

Click here to view and download other mindmaps from Biggerplate.

Productivity Videos for MindManager 8 for Mac

February 2nd, 2010

In an earlier post I provided a review of MindManager 8 for Mac highlighting many of the great mindmapping features.

Recently, Mindjet created a series of videos to help you make the most of MindManager 8 for Mac.

Now is the time to increase your productivity with MindManager 8 for Mac.  These videos show you how.

Click on each video to play:

Export to Microsoft Word

Export to Player

Sharing a Map

In Topic Hyperlinks

Smart Calendar Topics

Importing Resources

Saving Time by Mindmapping

January 31st, 2010

Chuck Frey, Mindmapping Thought Leader and Author of the Mindmapping Software Blog, recently wrote an article entitled “How Mindmapping Software Saves Time”.  This article highlights 9 ways that mindmapping helps you get work done faster:

1. Reach clarity faster on key issues

2. Organize and implement projects

3. Problem solving

4. Meeting management

5. Business writing

6. Executive dashboard

7. Decision making

8. Improve collaboration

9. Ad hoc research

For the details on how mindmapping can help you in these areas, click here to read Chuck Frey’s article.

As someone who uses mindmapping in all these areas, I strongly encourage you to read Chuck’s article and gain a greater awareness of how mindmapping can save you time and increase your productivity.

The Mindmap Blog on the App Store

January 30th, 2010

The Mindmap Blog is now an application available for download on Apple’s App Store.

My new app let’s you read my blog on an iPod touch or iPhone (and soon iPad).  Additionally, you can read my “tweets” on Twitter directly from the app.

See below for a first hand look at my new app:

(Click Images to Enlarge)

So now when it comes to learning how to leverage mindmapping for education, business and your personal  life: “There’s an App for that.”

You can search for my app on iTunes (search “The Mindmap Blog”) and download it to your iPod touch or iPhone.  If you don’t have iTunes, click here for a free download.

MindManager 8 Now on the Mac

January 26th, 2010

Over the past several months I’ve been a part of a small beta testing group for MindManager 8 for Mac, the new mindmapping program from Mindjet made especially for the Mac.  MindManager 8 for Mac was made available to the public today.

Because I signed a Non Disclosure Agreement, I could not blog about the program until today.

As someone who has been using the beta version for months now, let me simply say it’s an excellent mindmapping program for the Mac!

Though I use MindManager 8 for Windows at work, I’ve been using MindManager 8 for Mac at home – as I’m an avid Mac user.  I work on PCs, but I love Macs!

Below are some of the MindManager 8 for Mac features:

  • Integrates with native Mac productivity software, like iCal, Address Book, and iWork, and Microsoft® productivity software for easy assignment of project tasks and reference of documents. Import from Microsoft Word, and Apple® Pages®. Export to Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Apple iWork Pages, Keynote®, OPML, text outline, HTML, JPG, PNG or TIFF formats. Additionally, iChat integration allows users to send a map to someone during a chat for real-time collaboration and information sharing.
  • Sharing capabilities enable users to create maps in MindManager 8 for Mac and open for editing in MindManager 8 for Windows and Mindjet’s Web-based collaboration platform Mindjet Catalyst. Users can also publish maps in social media networks and export maps in a portable, interactive PDF or Flash format using Mindjet Player.
  • Simplifies task and event management with new iCal integration that makes it easy to keep track of ‘To Do’ lists and multiple calendars – one for home, another for school, a third for work, and so on.
  • Standard Apple gesture support on the Multi-Touch Trackpad and Magic Mouse is available. These are actions like “pinch and expand” to zoom in on the map and “three finger roll” for scrolling through the map.
  • A built-in browser, which can be initiated from within maps so users can view Web pages and PDF documents without leaving MindManager 8 for Mac.

MindManager 8 for Mac is available in four languages: English, German, French and Japanese and can be purchased through Mindjet.com for the upgrade price of $129 or as a new license for $249. Customers who currently own MindManager 6 or 7 for Mac who purchase an upgrade before February 28, 2010 can do so for the special price of $99.

To purchase MindManager 8 for Mac or download trial, click here.

Click on Mindmap image to enlarge:

MindView 3 Offers Great Templates to Get You Started Mindmapping

January 21st, 2010

Matchware’s Mindview 3 mindmapping software provides some of the best mindmapping templates to help you get started mindmapping.

They have a robust offering of mindmapping templates that come standard with their software.

Below is a list of the mindmapping templates in the Business section alone:

  • Meeting Agenda
  • Budgeting
  • Change Management
  • Critical Thinking
  • Delegating
  • Effective Decision Making
  • Getting Customer Feedback
  • HR Interview
  • Managing Customers
  • Marketing a Product
  • Motivating People
  • Organization Chart
  • Outsourcing
  • Preparing for a Negotiation
  • Preparing to Sell
  • Presenting Effectively
  • Problem Solving
  • Project Management
  • Prospecting for Sales
  • Risk Management
  • Time Management for Managers
  • Building a Website

MindView 3 also has template libraries for Geography, History, Language Arts, Life Sciences, Organizational Tools, Personal, Physics and Chemistry, and Science.

Below are a few MindView 3 mindmaps to give you an idea of the detail in each mindmap (both are from the Business template library):

“Preparing for a Negotiation” Mindmap Template:

(Click on Mindmap to Enlarge)

“Time Management for Managers” Mindmap Template:

(Click on Mindmap to Enlarge)

To download a free trial of the software and experience these templates for yourself, go to Matchware.com. Click here.

The Black Male Handbook Mindmap: How to Overcome the Odds

January 19th, 2010

So often when it comes to African-American men and boys, we are bombarded with negative statistics such as high school drop-out rates or incarceration rates.  And while it is important to understand the dimensions and scope of these problems, it is equally, if not more important to put forth solutions that begin to improve matters.  At some point we have to stop talking about the problems and start talking about viable and feasible solutions.

A book that takes this “solution-oriented” approach is the “The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life” Edited by Kevin Powell, poet, essayist, hiphop historian, public speaker, entrepreneur, and political activist.

His book is truly needed in a society that overemphasizes the problems associated with Black males.  It focuses on what can be done to improve the situation, rather than bemoaning the problems.

I’ve created a mindmap to highlight the content of this extraordinary book.  This mindmap illustrates what an incredible resource it is for any Black male:

(Click Mindmap to Enlarge)

So, if you are an African-American male, buy this book.  And if you know an African-American male, buy it for him!

Click here to purchase the book.

Also, the proceeds for this book go to charity.  So not only do you help a Black male when purchasing this book, you help others as well.

You can download my mindmap at Biggerplate.com.

Manage Your Time Effectively: A Time Management Mindmap

January 17th, 2010

In 2008, I wrote a blog post on Time Management using Stephen Covey’s “First Things First” Time Management Matrix.  As a part of that post I created a Time Management Mindmap and made it available for download from BiggerPlate.com.

As of  January 2010, my time management mindmap is one of the five most popular mindmaps at BiggerPlate.com and has been downloaded 1,248 times.

In case you missed it the first time around, click the mindmap image below to enlarge:

If you want to download it from BiggerPlate.com, click here.

Hope you find it as useful as many others have.

Mindjet Customizes Mindmapping to Business Roles

January 12th, 2010

Mindjet, the creator of MindManager 8 software and a mindmapping industry leader, has redesigned their website to meet the needs of a broad range of business professionals.

When you click on the “Why Mindjet?” link you are taken to an interactive screen that asks you,  ”What role do you play?” with the following graphic:

(Click to Enlarge)

As you place your mouse over each individual it highlights one of the following roles:

  • Project Managers
  • Sales
  • Marketing
  • Consultants
  • Executives
  • Engineers
  • Personal Use

When you click on a professional you are taken to a description of how Mindjet solutions are helping these professionals do research, brainstorm, plan, execute, and collaborate.

I use Mindjet MindManager 8 everyday and I can tell you from personal experience it has changed the way I manage information and most definitely has increased my productivity.

Click here to learn more about how you can leverage these tools to increase your productivity.

How to Live to be 100: A Mindmap and Video

January 8th, 2010

Death is the final act for us all.  No one lives forever.  However, we can live longer, healthier lives.  Provided we are willing to do the things that increase our longevity.

But what are those things?

Well, recently I came across the work of Dan Buettner, a National Geographic writer and explorer who studies the world’s longest-lived peoples, distilling their secrets into a single plan for health and long life.

His research has identified 9 common denominators shared by the world’s longest-lived peoples.

I’ve created a mindmap highlighting these 9 common denominators:

(Click Mindmap to Enlarge)

You can download my mindmap at Biggerplate.com.

Click here for an engaging video presentation of Dan Buettner explaining his findings and how if followed can increase your longevity.

You can learn more about his remarkable research at http://www.bluezones.com/

Be well.