Often, when I start creating mind map, I think:
  What is the best way for creating mind maps: using special software or writing and drawing by hand on the piece of paper?
Here are some tips about it, based on my experience.
  Use hand-made mind map, if:
1. you need to do it quickly, during talks or discussions;
2. you are making notes during some activity;
3. you still need time to think; your idea is unformed yet and drawing process can help you with concentration;
4. your map is short, complex and does not have complicated details.
  On the other hand, use special software if:
1. your subject is clear and you can imagine what you will get in the end;
2. your map is detailed and you want to add different comments and notes;
3. your map is not just for idea fixing but also for further work on this project. For example, you need to link some branches to other maps or documents;
4. you need to have a beautiful report or presentation. Alternatively, maybe you want to share this map with your friends or colleagues.
  Bear in mind, that both of these approaches have advantages and shortcomings. In general, hand-made maps are better for your mind activation, for example, while book reading; but only electronic maps can be used if you want to organize large amounts of data or to represent your ideas.

Have you ever had difficulties with visualizing long periods of time?
For example, you have a business idea. According to circumstances, you can’t realize it in a short term period. However, you want to remember this idea or maybe you need to make some serious steps to it and so on. Once you realize that your long-term plans are very blurred. Notes cannot really help you, because if dates are stand far one from another – date symbols and numbers will tell you nothing. And that is the problem.
However, digress of this problem and think about such question. What is the time for you? What picture do you see, when you try to imagine a year?
For example, for me one year is an oval. Bottom is a summer, top is a winter, left side is a spring and right side is am autumn.
Moreover, I circle as times go by counter-clockwise.
Remember, it is my personal fancy! Maybe your image will be different. The main thing is to find your personal fancy.
Once you have found it, create a mind map with your plans for one, two or more years. Just place months and seasons as branches in your personal manner accordnig to your fancy. Next-level branches should be your steps to this time. In the end, you will have a plan, which let you easily visualize your life for a ling-term period.

Review of “Power Tips&Strategies for Mind Mapping Software” e-book.

E-book: Power Tips&Strategies for Mind Mapping Software.

E-book home page: http://www.mindmap-ebook.com/index2.asp

Purchase fee: $29,95

Author: Chuck Frey

Author background: Chuck is running very interesting and informative resource about various innovation

techniques, such as mind mapping.

Chuck Frey, author of “Power Tips&Strategies for Mind Mapping Software” provided us with opportunity to review his new e-book.

In short: it is very interesting reading as you will learn much more about using mind mapping for your daily business and personal tasks.

What do we like about this e-book:

1. All information is structured in most useful way: short introduction + some most important ideas + some samples + some related links.

2. It covers not just mind mapping technique, but it’s applications to various problems.

3. You will find real-life tips and tricks regarding mind maps. Many tips were suggested by mind mapping professionals.

What we were missing: A good comparative review of various mind mapping software. There are a lot of tools for mind mapping such as Mind Jet or our Mind Pad, but readers of this e-book will be familiar mostly with Mind Jet. The good news are that Chuck is now working on this review and suggesting it to e-book readers as “free bonus report”. This comparative report is now covering 13 of the most popular mind mapping tools.

Our conclusion: those who are at mind mapping business know that this technique is very effective, but most people don’t use it’s power. We think that 29,95$ investment in this book would help your increase your productivity greatly.

Find in Jim Berkowitz’s e-Journal quotation about sales force equipped with order-processing software. It’s a common practice to supply sales force with contact management tools, but Beaulieu (Carpet company, Beaulieu Group) didn’t want that “We know who our customers are and really have no need for contact management”.

 

Good experience about necessity of integrating contact management with some other business tools. Our studies shows that most businesses don’t looking for any advanced contact management functionality, but for linking some customer related data with it’s contact information. Our response is making contact information visual in a contact map.

 

It’s something about one of the “real thing” that people feel comfortable with. As mind mapping is a natural approach to note-taking, contact map is a natural approach to linking various contact information with related data.