Raleigh, NC (AKS-Labs) January 16, 2006 -- AKS-Labs has released a version 2.6 of inexpensive and competitive mind mapping software, Mind Pad. The key idea of Mind Pad is to exploit the potential of an object-oriented approach to mind and concept mapping. This approach allows Mind Pad to serve as an personal or company informational center, representing various data in a most suitable way.

In Mind Pad people can use custom designed objects. Using "Contact" object at map allows to visually show employees and the processes they are involved in. With Mind Pad one can create a Contact object on map and incorporate in it some graphical and text information. For instance, it's possible to put employees' photo, name and describe his role within the process.

With the new version of Mind Pad people can link to their favorite web resources. Mind Pad now allows to pass any object's property as a parameter to URL. So, user can easily point web-browser to some web-site, for example, read the latest news about your subject or get up to date financial quotes.

Changing the position of child-objects is always a routine in mind mapping software, especially, if map is big. In Mind Pad 2.6 this problem was solved, now instead of moving across a map with a lot of objects and using drag-and-drop function, one can run a "Reorder children" dialog and re-arrange objects represented as a lines in a text list. 

Two more function in version 2.6 make it easier to create maps. First, if it is needed to print map one can use a new printing option, where Mind Pad can be configured to print map on a specified number of pages. For instance, Mind Pad can fit map to a single page. Second, in new version of Mind Pad user have more free space on workspace where he or she can design map. Now, you will have a lot of free workspace even if running Mind Pad at laptop.

Mind Pad supports Image and Style libraries.

Style library is a way to manage Mind Pad frame and link styles. It possible to copy style from library to project. Style in Mind Pad is a single file, so it's easy to share it with others.

Image library provides users with a way to apply small pictures (icons) to objects within map.

Mind Pad suggest a new techniques for managing frames and links. Now it allows writing text on links. Double click on link between two frames and put some comments into the text box.

Frames 'Hot Linking' is now available. Instead of moving single frames user can now move whole branches and link it to another frame by just drag-and-dropping.

Also, New tree layout algorithm was design to help building tree and automatically manage frames' positions. It is now easy to build and layout a whole map or disable map layout and apply this function only to some branch.

Mind Pad supports reporting feature. User can now generate a report that will contain all topics from map. Two types of report are available - plain text and htm.  Full screen mode is now available in Mind Pad. Once map was designed go to the Full Screen mode to have an overview or show the map to someone else. For instance, it's a good way to manage presentation.

Download and check the latest version of Mind Pad. It's a features-rich mind and concept mapping software at low price. Is an ideal choice for small businesses.

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About AKS-Labs:

Headquarters of AKS-Labs are located in Raleigh, USA and Moscow, Russia. AKS-Labs was founded in 2000 and now is focusing on creating powerful and easy to use solutions for getting and managing valuable information. The most known file management project is Compare Suite - file compare utility. Now AKS-Labs is promoting a new approach to mind and concept mapping that was released in Mind Pad product. AKS-Labs is a member of Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP) since 2001. 

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I promised to write about creating mind map for revision situation with your current projects. Creating a list of your current projects also corresponds to Getting Things Done (The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen) method. You can read more about GTD here. And here is the blog of its author, David Allen.
This post is about creating the list of your current projects. With these projects you ended last year and begin the new 2006 year.
Steps are very simple:
1. Main topic of your map: "Projects list".
2. Next level topics are the names of your projects. Remember, "project" is any problem or task which requires more than 2 steps to solve it. Be careful and try to recall all your projects. Don't hurry, because usefulness of this map directly proportional to its completeness. After filling your list go to the step 3.
3. Now you should review each projects and answer for the following questions. Each question - is a subtopic under the topic of the project. If you have more than one answer - you should create branches for this subtopic.

Questions:
 - What is the end result of the project?
 - What problems could appears during this project?
 - How many ways do you know to execute this project? (Each way is a branch)
 - What you can do with all this right now?

4. As the result, you will have a simple view of your current situation.

I advise you to list your "right now actions" (last question) on the peace of paper and to follow this list.
To make it all work you should regularly review your map with projects.

This blog is running by authors of Mind Pad  (www.mind-pad.com)

Here you can find new mind mapping software blog from the founder of the InnovationTools website.

The main idea of this blog is to give some tips about using mind mapping tools, visual mind mapping and its applications.

This blog is running by authors of Mind Pad  (www.mind-pad.com) 

Happy New Year!

Everything begins again and again) And now, in the beginning we need to review last year and to plan new year. I'll try to help you.

1. Here, in Life Beyond Code Blog, you can find a post about new year resolutions. Author suggest to ask yourself some quastions about last and next years. Also, he posted some thouhts (or suggestions), such as:

1. "New year resolutions work
2. Create a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
3. Decide and implement a reading plan.
4. Develop the right relationships
5. Mind your attitude
6. Mind your language
7. Distinguish yourself"
8. I would like to add "Mind map your life"))
9. In addition to reading plan, you can also create an "eating plan". There is a whole book about it - "Never it alone" at Amazon. The main idea is to use your eating time for meeting people.

2. I would like to introduce an interesting podcast about personal productivity. Here it is - The Personal Productivity Show.

3. Use mind mapping to review your current projects which will pass to the 2006 year. You will find some instructions about it in the next post.

This blog is running by authors of Mind Pad (www.mind-pad.com)

A new visual mapping e-book Visual Mapping: A Systematic Framework for Business Improvement has been released recently. Its focus is on how to use mind mapping software to improve business processes and to encourage systems thinking. Visual mapping is the same that mind mapping, I think. They also talk about improving brainstorm sessions, vizualizing business standards and using software tools for mapping instead of hand-writing for business needs.

As a software tool such programs as Mind Pad can easily be used.

If your job involves information management or process improvement, you'll find much to like in this new e-book. Click here to download a 9-page excerpt.

This blog is running by authors of Mind Pad  (www.mind-pad.com)

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.

Post in MindJet blog about using mind mapping techniques in education. I do personally think that mind mapping is a must-have technique for students and other people. It's the way people can collaborate with each other, it's the way people can represent information.

 

More over, it's not necessary to be a student. People can use mind mapping for .. life management or for some other information-related activities.

Great post in Beyond crayons weblog. Author, Nick Duffill comments on MindManager's new browser-based software. It's now possible to browse MindManager map online. Find some sample map and how to instructions in this weblog. As for Mind Pad -- we are now thinking about on-line maps... Hope we will bring our object-oriented approach to mind map on-line too.

Find two directories that have a list of good mind mapping softwares, both free and commercial:

http://loosewire.typepad.com/blog/2004/08/directory_of_mi.html

http://www.peterussell.com/mindmaps/mmsoft.html

Note: when you compare Mind Pad to other software remember that it has a unique feature - it supports object-oriented approach to mapping.

I have just recieved newsletter about new Mind Manager! It's great product, it some way we do compete with it, but it's really great! Read more about release.

AKS-Labs has released v 2.0 of Mind Pad, a .NET mind mapping software for Windows. The new version is much more user-friendly, the new interface was designed, some new techniques were created for managing map topics. Also, Mind Pad 2.0 now has ability represent new custom-designed frame called Person.

Read more: http://www.mind-pad.com/solutions/new_in_mind_pad_2_0.htm 

TiddlyWiki is an experimental Micro Content WikiWikiWeb. It allows anyone to create personal Self-Contained hypertext documents that can be posted to any web server, sent by email or kept on a USB thumb drive.

 

It could be very interesting if mind map software could output and input into this approach, especially in producing simple wikiwebsites,

either for personal on desktop or even websites.

 

Read more: http://www.mind-pad.com/support/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=71

KeyNote  is a virtual tabbed notebook for organizing information. It has a tree structure that is highly useful. It could be used to augment the notes function on mind map software.

Read more: http://www.mind-pad.com/support/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=52

CmapTools is a software environment developed at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) that empowers users, individually or

collaboratively, to represent their knowledge using concept maps, to share them with peers and colleagues, and to publish them.

 

Read more: http://www.mind-pad.com/support/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=51