Category: Mind-Mapping.Org

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The mind mapping search engine

 

The mindmapping search engine has its own site at MindMapSearch

Head on over to: http://www.informationtamers.com/mind-mapping/mindmapsearch/

razor sharp mind mapping search

I’ve taken all the links that make up the sources on which the search engine draws, added a description, and categorized the links.  Links can appear under more than one category.  Where a site is mainly about mind mapping, the link is to the front page.  If, like Lifehacker for example, it’s mainly about other topics but has good mind mapping references as well, there’s a link to the front page and a link to the specific mind mapping items.

I’ve added forum or newsgroup links for all the mind mapping software that has support or user communities.  MindManager, as the market dominator with many sites originated not by Mindjet but by users, has its own category page.

Please tell me about broken links, as well as any sites that should be added, and I’d like to hear what you think about the site.  Is it useful?

Vic

Google

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New mind mapping search engine

There are now two specialized search engines on concept mapping and mind mapping that draw on well-known sites with information about mind and concept mapping.  I’ve set this up with Google Co-op.

I’m focusing on sites with genuinely useful mind mapping and concept mapping content (avoiding the ad-laden gateway pages that some people have set up, just to draw clicks).

Tell me about sites you think should be added (vic at this domain).

Google puts ads on the web result, I don’t, but I shall contact them to see if mind-mapping.org counts as a non-profit, so I can get them to take the ads off.  I expect “non-profit” only applies to the Red Cross, Oxfam and the like though.

Vic

(Updated)

 two specialized search engines on concept mapping and mind mapping

Google

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Numbers dropping?

The number of current software records on www.informationtamers.com/mind-mapping has dropped a little, the particularly sharp-eyed reader may notice.  There are two reasons for this.  The first was that I found a duplicate: Thinking In Pictures – also appeared under it’s publisher’s name, Logotron.   That’s been sorted now.

Then as I was wandering around the records, I found some items that have sunk since my last visit.  I have changed those to “Historical” if the site is still present but the download link or contact form doesn’t function, or to “Historical (Defunct)” if there is no longer any trace of the website or the software, even on the independent software download sites.  Changing from current to historical were: eXpertSystem; Informaizer; FaveNotes; ModellingSpace; Skwyrul; WinInfo.

Any information that might resurect these entries will be gratefully received!

Vic

Google

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“Seminal articles” section added

There is a new division in the “Articles” section: Seminal papers in information mapping

This presents links to articles on concept mapping and other forms of information map by some of the leading authorities in the area: Joseph D. Novak, Alberto J. Cañas, John F. Sowa, Sigmar-Olaf Tergan and others. There is also the full text of one article.

Topics covered are:

  1. Underlying theory of Concept Maps
  2. Semantic networks
  3. Visual representation of knowledge
  4. An overview of concept mapping
  5. Concept maps and web research

I have more and will add them as time permits, because they contain a lot of very useful ideas, research and analysis.

Vic

Google

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What’s all this about “fully instrumented”?

Past versions of mind-mapping.org were limited and made users search for what they wanted from the “all products” list.

Some users asked if I could add a search function so that they could check if a specific product was there.  Others want to to look at, for example, all mind mapping software that ran on a Mac, or all concept mapping and mind mapping products that could be used from a browser, from the Web, with no software to install.  Many wanted to know the cost of software and one person wanted to be able to check all items added after a specific date so that when they call back from time to time, they can see what’s new.

So I’ve added the selection and filtering in a tab at the top-right of each software list page, and each entry shows what I know about price (it’s not always clear on the publishers’ web sites), and when I added the item to my local database – which is always within a week if the information appearing on line.  I decided to cut out the historical records by default, but you can tick a checkbox to see them as well.

Controls in mind-mapping.org

So that’s what I was vain enough to call “fully instrumented”.  I’ve no doubt someone will soon point out an essential missing item and I shall slap my forehead and have to add more.

I did have a request to add reviews for all products.  Hmmm . . . I reckon a very minimal review would take a couple of full-time days, and with, right now, 162 current products, I could say goodbye to a year of my life.  Jus’ ain’t practical, I’m sorry.  But I’m thinking about how to get user reviews on-line without inviting the spammers in.

Vic

See also The Master List

Google

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At last, by popular demand, an RSS feed for mind-mapping.org

The mind-mapping.org site has been around for almost eighteen months now, and after many requests to provide an RSS feed for new stuff at the site (I don’t know how to do that), I’ve added a blog.  I’ll announce new additions here in this blog, and if you’re interested, you can subscribe to its feed and get to know about the updates that way.

Not only new items – I’ll also include notes about new versions of mind mapping and information management software as it’s released (and as I find out about it).

This site started as a personal collection of information on this type of software.  I’ve been mind mapping in one form or another for longer than I care to admit and was always on the lookout for software that helped.

I started with Mind Manager and still use it, though I find the upgrade prices a bit steep.  Now I play with FreeMind sometimes.  That’s a mixture of rather basic in some ways, and very sophisticated in others – the attribute capability is useful to me.

Once mind mapping was available on computers, I started using it for information management as well.  That wasn’t so successful because of space on the screen, but then Topicscape came along and solved that problem, and wikis with mind mapping capabilities too, so I started adding information management software to the database.  I’ve never taken a rigid view of mind mapping, whatever Tony Buzan says, so I gathered concept mapping products and other diagramming tools.

Outliners came into the information I collected because the idea isn’t so different from mind mapping, it’s just less flexible.  But when you have a mind map and want to turn it into a report, you’re likely to get there via an outline anyway – or at least an indented text format.

I do apply the criterion of requiring a visual element to the presentation of the information shown in the software collected here.

As I collected information from all over, across the years, I stuck it in an Access database.  Once I had enough it started to become a useful source, so I decided to share it so now it gets banged into MySQL on-line and the end result was the mind-mapping.org site.

The original mind-mapping.org site. 137 items, all on one page!
The original site. 137 items, all on one page!

I’ve been collecting the information for more than ten years, so there’s plenty about products and free services that came and went.  I decided to keep those as history, but flagged them so they can be filtered out for most readers.  If you’re looking for information about what once existed, you can see the historical items by ticking the “Historical software” box in the “Refine software” tab.

Many people have written to suggest new items – my thanks to them.  Some have told me what they don’t like, and I thank them as well – their comments have made me improve the searchability, filtering and information shown.

Mind-mapping.org today - fully instrumented . . .
Mind-mapping.org today – fully instrumented . . .

Keep on mapping, and keep the feedback coming!

Vic

Google