Mind Mapping Tools

Mind mapping tools are tools that people use to represent ideas plans or projects. They arrange words or images around a central idea. Mind mapping tools structure, generate or classify so people can study, learn, make decision or solve problems easier. Don't forget, mind maps are a form of taking notes. Mind mapping tools help you do that in your own way. Their visual basis helps one to distinguish words or ideas, often with colors and symbols.

Mind mapping tools allow greater creativity when adding ideas and information, as well as allowing the note-taking to associate words with visual hints.

If you use mind mapping tools, there are no wrong mind maps. Anything from 1 piece of information to a complex structure of ideas, modeled in a way that you understand, is great work.

Mind mapping tools are a perfect place to store ideas about your project. You can start a separate mind map as your master idea file.

You can easily use your mind mapping tools to aggregate links, documents, reports and other resources to which your colleagues need fast, easy access. Instead of wasting time searching through directories, looking for a key document or spreadsheet you can create a link to it on a mind map and have them accessible from anywhere.

Most mind mapping tools let you attach notes to branches of the mind map. You can use this capability to store additional information related to the items in your mind map. Storing them in this way keeps them out of view until you are ready to look at them. At any time, you can easily drill down to read the notes you have stored regarding that aspect of your project.

When you decide to use a mind mapping tool, keep in mind you can choose one that doesn't require any installation, can be run on all platforms that support Java. Most of the mind mapping tools are web apps, making them really easy to use.

Don't forget that mind mapping tools help you draw diagrams that show relations between ideas, issues or information. For more and more people this seems to be an effective way to take notes that can be more useful.

Mind mapping tools also help you brainstorm more effectively, arrange ideas and inter-connect them. You can call mind mapping tools, a popular brainstorming method.

A simple way to understand the mind mapping tools is to compare a random mind map with a city map.

The center of the city is your main idea, the boulevards are you main branches leading to your key thoughts, the smaller roads representing smaller ideas and thoughts. Your mind map is a mirror of you. Better yet, a mirror of your thinking.

If you started planning or brainstorming on a mind map, and you want to start another one on the same topic, our mind mapping tool lets you copy paste.

You just have to open the map and select what you want to copy. Use the copy button from Home -> Clipboard ribbon section (or just use CTRL+C). After you took all the information close the map and open the other map you want to paste the selected element.

Press the paste button from the Home -> Clipboard ribbon section (or again, just use CTRL+V). This procedure is a lot easier on our premium plan because you don't need to close the map that has the copy pasted option.

Another important feature that you should look for at the mind mapping tools is the social part. You need human touch so you can develop your mind maps. So you need contacts. Our mind mapping tool let's you add contacts to your account by clicking on the Mindomo File button first and then the Options Button. Once the Mindomo options panel is showed up, click on Contacts.

Now, in our mind mapping tool you can find your contacts. If you need to add more you will have to click on Import or add button.

Just a reminder, if you click on the Manual e-mail entry option, you have to manually add emails to Mindomo users in order to have them within your contacts list.

And an important note is for sharing a map to these users, you are going to have to open the Map Properties panel first and then the sharing panel.

If you are already a more than casual user of mind mapping tools, you will have to know how to sync your local saved maps with your online accounts.

It's easy. Open Mindomo Desktop and open the local map (.mom file) and click on the Sync button (First button from the top left corner of Mindomo editor), or use Sync with the server option from Mindomo file button.

The map will be saved on the server. Once the mind map is saved, the local map is to be close and the modifications are made on the online mind map.

Be careful, whenever you open the local mind map you have to click on the Sync button and the mind map will be updated and will be identically with the online map.

Also, if you make some modifications on the local mind map and you click the Sync button, the online mind map will contain these modifications. I told you it was easy.

But what about seeing an online mind map on Mindomo Desktop?

Well, log in to Mindomo and save your mind map locally (Mindomo file button -> Save Local item). Remember, you have to premium. The mind map will be saved on your computer and it may be opened with Mindomo Desktop.

And as the above, if you want to synchronize the local mind map with the online map you have to open it with Mindomo Desktop and click on the sync button

Another method would be to open Mindomo Desktop, click on to Open map button and open your online mind map.

Once the mind map is opened you have to save it locally (Mindomo file button -> Save As button).

Now, we know how to create mind maps with mind mapping tools. What do we do with this information that comes out of our brain?

We make the maps exist. Make them searchable.

For this, you have to move your map within the Public Maps folder. Log-in to your mind mapping tool, Mindomo, and drag (left click and move the cursor over the Public Maps folder) the map within the Public Maps folder.

You have to publish the map on the web. So, select the map and click on the More Actions and Properties item.

Once the Map Properties panel is opened, select the Publishing tab. Check Yes to publish the map.

Navigate to the public maps gallery and click on the author name (yours in this case) in order to open the user profile page with all its public maps. Here you can check out all your public maps, everything shared with other on the web.

Click on the more button at the right top corner of Mindomo Dashboard and Browse item.

But what about sharing a map with a registered coworker in Mindomo?

OK, you have to use the registered email of your collaborator.

So, log in to Mindomo, select your map, and click on the Share button. Once the share panel is opened, click on the Add Collaborators button.

Type the registered email of your coworker; click on the Add button, and after this click on the Invite button.

Now your map is shared with your collaborator, he may open it. You may open it also and collaborate. So no panic here!