Mindjet August Newsletter Now Available!

The August Newsletter is now live in the Mindjet Connections portal on Mindjet.com. Please take a look at my new video showing how I used MindManager and JCVGantt Pro to plan my visual mapping conference.





Summary of Highlights:

- Map of the Month: Map Your Way To Better Presentations

- Top Story: Creating PowerPoint: The Man Who Changed the Way the World Presents

- Tips ‘n Tricks Video: Using MindManager with JCVGantt for Powerful Project Management

- Customer Columns: Creating a 3D Learning Experience Using MindManager and How Franklin Templeton Library Uses MindManager to Identify Gaps

- Customer Showcase: Author Newt Barrett Uses MindManager to Illustrate Content Marketing Strategies

IQ Visual Mapping Update

The excitement continues to mount as we move towards the October 2-3,2008 IQ Visual Mapping Conference to be held in Morristown, NJ. I am very happy to share with you that Michael Scherotter who is well known to the Mindjet Community has agreed to speak. Michael was the force behind Mindjet Labs when he was working at Mindjet and was an active member of the mind mapping community. Michael is is currently an Evangelist with Microsoft Corporation. As part of Microsoft’s Communications Sector evangelism team, Michael focuses on enterprise development tools and technologies for telecommunications, web hosting, and media & entertainment companies. Educated as an architect with both a Bachelors of Architecture and Masters of Architecture specializing in design tool development, Michael brings a sense of creativity and design to synergistic software development. Throughout his 13-year career in software development, Michael has specialized in combining software in innovative ways. You can read up about what Michael is up to at his blog called the Synergist.

Also check out Michael's blog post about the conference, I know that you will enjoy it. Hope to see you at the conference!

Using aHa!Visual Web Export

I thought it would be a good idea to share with you information about the the IQ Visual Mapping Conference by using a mind map. What better way to convey information about the speakers and their bio's, then to export it to a mind map! In the process, I had the opportunity to use aHa!Visual Web Export which is a MindManager add-in from aHa!Coaching in the Netherlands. The aHa!Visual web export allows you to publish the results of a brainstorm or strategy session in the same visual map format the participants saw on their computers without the need for any other plug-in or viewers. Using a standard browser you can view your map complete with attachments and notes. I found using aHa!Visual Web Export to be be very easy and straight forward. Once aHa!Visual Web Export is installed you simply click on the Export tab and Select Export as Web Pages. (View the Process by Clicking here.) At this point you will see that you have a new export template call aHa!Visual Web Template. You simply select the aHa!Visual Web Export template, select where you want the output files to be stored and click OK. Once the process is complete you can view your map in your default browser. The mind map is interactive and you can click on the topics as well as the embedded documents and attachments to view the contents. To view it on the web just use your favorite FTP program to upload the files on your server and you are ready to go. After uploading the files I was able to view the map. I do wish that the mind map could appear bigger on the screen and that you could open and close the nodes as you would when using MindManager 7 application- but overall I was very satisfied with the ease of the the process and how aHa!Visual Web Export worked. This really was very easy to do! You can view the mind map on the web by clicking here.

Sharing with Crossloop

A couple of days ago I had mentioned that I came across a screen sharing application called Crossloop and just yesterday evening, I finally got a chance to work with it with my colleague Wallace Tait. Both of us were talking over Skype and decided that we wanted to take a look at how JCVGantt worked with MindManager in preparation for the IQ Visual Mapping Conference that is planned for October 2-3, 2008. We both started up Crossloop and exchanged our access keys that we entered into the Crossloop widget. In a matter of seconds we were connected and a dialog box popped up asking for permission to share each other computer screens. Once I clicked on the OK button I was able to see Wallace's screen and I could control his computer as if I was looking over his shoulder. The screen was very clear and there was no noticeable delay when I was moving icons or double clicking on applications to start them up. Since Wallace could also use the mouse as well, there were times when we would both try to do something and realize that we had to wait for the other person to relinquish control of the mouse. Other than that it was easy to go back and forth with sharing our screens by clicking on control icons that I would consider to be a very easy and intuitive to learn how to use. Crossloop is a free tool for Window's users that would be ideal for one on one webinars and for doing remote support. Using this technology both computers would need to have Crossloop client installed. Once installed it is very easy to use to get your session started. Download Crossloop and let me know how you successfully used it in the work that you do. If you are looking for training in the comfort of your home or office, over the web, in the area of assistive technology, visual mindmapping, or project planning- shoot me an email and I will let you know how we can get started.

Interview with Shelley Hayduck of Brain Technologies

I had the pleasure today of interviewing Shelley Hayduck from Brain Technologies, the developer of the PersonalBrain and BrainEKP. During the interview I had the opportunity to ask Shelley about the PersonalBrain and how it is being used to help solve real world problems. The PersonalBrain is a very unique software application that is ideal for information and knowledge management. The underlying technology allows you to create linkages to your thoughts, files, folders, and URL's in a very quick searchable database. If you would like to try out the PersonalBrain just go to their website and download the free version. I hope you enjoy this interview!

If you are interested in meeting Shelley, she will be presenting at the IQ Visual Mapping Conference on October 2-3, 2008. If you are a PersonalBrain user then please consider attending the conference, and who knows maybe there will be some new announcements:-)

INTELLIGENT VISUAL MAPPING CONFERENCE

INTELLIGENT VISUAL MAPPING CONFERENCE:

October 2^nd and 3^rd 2008

AT:

COLLEGE of ST ELIZABETH, MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY

·Become a more visually-oriented systems thinker, decision maker and problem solver.

· Increase your worth value to your clients, colleagues and employer.

· Take your information management strategies to a higher level of effectiveness.

· Streamline your business processes and procedures, becoming lean and effective.

· Discover how to develop a comprehensive and effective marketing plan utilizing visual mapping.

· Network with and learn best practices from visual mapping thought leaders.

· Realize your information management potential and conquer information inertia.

· Become a superior business manager who can utilize and integrate linear and non-linear information.

· Understand the monetized value of your business information economy.

IF YOU DON’T WANT TO EXPERIENCE THIS SUCCESS:

DON’T REGISTER AT: https://www.regonline.com/checkin.asp?eventid=608611

Why I'll Be There!

Thanks for all of your interest in the upcoming October 2-3, 2008 Intelligent Visual Mapping Conference to be held in the Greater New York City Area. What better way to express to you why you should attend the conference then by putting the reasons in a visual mind map. I would like to thanks two of my presenters Wallace Tait and Chuck Frey for putting this together.




If you have been thinking about attending the conference now is the time to register to take advantage of the Early Bird Registration discounts. At this time we have firm commitments from TPAssist 2007, Mindjet, CS Odessa, PersonalBrain, and Simetech that they will be exhibiting as well as presenting on their products and solutions. It is going to be a wonderful conference- so stay tuned for some really exciting announcements in the next couple of weeks.

New Mindjet Connect Customer Vignette Up

For those of you that are considering using Mindjet Connect, take a look at my vignette to give you some insight as to how I have been using it for the last couple of months. I have found Mindjet Connect indispensable for planning the Fall Visual Mapping Conference. I have been able to share my MindManager 7 visual maps, as well as PDF and Word documents in the workspace. When I have needed to I have been able to in real time to co-edit my MindManager 7 maps with my co-presenters which has been really fantastic. So if you have the chance view the vignette to find out how I have been using Mindjet Connect.

The Mindmapping Softwareblog

Anyone who has been following the visual mind mapping arena for any time certainly has heard of Chuck Frey. Chuck has been a vigilant leader in the field who keeps all of us abreast of the trends and software developments in the field of visual mapping. I for one am grateful for the work that Chuck has done and honored that he will be one of the guest speakers at the Intelligent Visual Mapping Conference on October 2-3, 2008 in the Greater New York City Area. Chuck recently started a new mind mapping blog which I wanted to make you aware of. Once you goto Chuck's new blog you will treated to one of the most informative blogs on visual mapping that you can imagine. So click here to take you to Chuck's new blog.

Mindjet Connect and More

I have had the opportunity to beta test Mindjet Connect before its initial release last week and have really enjoyed the ability to collaborate in real time on my visual maps. Once you use Mindjet Connect, there is no going back. Mindjet Connect is a wonderful and easy to use collaborative technology that lets you not only store your maps but other files types as well. I have been using Mindjet Connect to plan the Intelligent Visual Mapping Conference in the Fall and it is great having one single access point that all of my presenters can go to for all of the conference information. I am now storing Word and PDF files in my workspace along with JPEG files which makes it easy for me to access wherever I am. To see Mindjet Connect in action you can click on this link.

Along with Mindjet Connect, Mindjet announced the availability of MindManager Web which lets you create visual maps using an application that is served up through your browser. As long as you have a Mindjet Connect account you can launch the MindManager Web client from your computer and create and access your visual maps from your workspace. While you will need to have a Windows computer with a Mindjet Connect Account you can successfully use MindManager Web on a Macintosh to edit and create new maps. Having access to my visual maps from any computer is a great feature and one that I am going to really enjoy. Mindmanager Web was very easy to use and is functionally the same as the desktop application. MindManager Web has a great look to it and is very responsive when using it. Once you start using it you will soon forget that you are using a program through the browser. The interface is very well done and it looks as if the client was written using Adobe Air and Flash. When creating topics and subtopics MindManager Web behaves just like the desktop version and so you can easily use the Enter and Control Enter keys to add topics and subtopics to your visual maps. All of the standard markers, symbols, flags, and smileys are available to you for use. You can also add boundaries and relationships as you would on the desktop version of MindManager. Adding your own images to your topics can be easily accomplished within the application. One of the really nice features is the ability to open your MindManager visual maps and import them into your Connect workspace. Similarly, you can also add attachments and hyperlinks on your visual maps that you create with MindManager Web. With access to all of the features you would expect from a visual mapping application having them available to you 24/7 is really terrific. Check out Mindjet Connect and see what all of the excitement is about.

Mindjet Connections Newsletter

If you have a chance go over to Mindjet where you see a total redesign of their website. With the release of Mindjet Connect and the recent acquisition of JCVGantt there is a lot happening at Mindjet these days. Each month I have the opportunity to share a Tip 'n'Trick via the Mindjet Connections Newsletter. This month I created a screencast giving you an overview of Mindjet Connect which is a great collaboration tool. For the past month and a half I have been using Mindjet Connect with my team of presenters as we prepare for the October 2-3, 2008 Visual Mapping Conference to be held in the Greater New York City Area. Mindjet Connect has been indispensable as we plan the conference. All of our maps, Word documents and PDF's are stored in the Connect Workspace for easy access. There are times when my co-presenters will work and edit the maps in real time- which is really a tremendous feature. With all of the maps and files for the conference n Mindjet Connect all of the presenters can keep on top of the schedule and gain access to the files if they need them. Having presenters all over North America and in Europe makes it easy for them to access them according to their schedule. So take a look at the screencast and then if you have the chance give Mindjet Connect a try!

IQ Visual Mapping Conference Website Live

It is hard to believe that IQ Visual Mapping Conference is just 4 months away and in our efforts to keep you abreast of all that is happening we have put together a blog dedicated to the conference. This is where you can go to find out the latest information about the presentations and the what is happening. We will keep you updated all along the way and please feel free to visit the blog and add your comments to the posts and get a conversation going. If you were not aware we announced last week that the conference will be a 2 day event, October 2-3, 2008 to be held on the campus of the College of St. Elizabeth in Morristown, NJ. The campus is in the Greater New York area and is just 30 minutes from the heart of New York City-so come to the conference and then spend the weekend visiting the city that never sleeps.

View Larger Map

I have received numerous emails asking me about what is going to be covered during the conference and to give you a flavor, Stephanie Diamond was kind enough to interview Wallace Tait, Arjen te Hoeve, Adam Clayman, Chuck Frey and myself. We have since put the interviews up on our conference blog so that you can listen to them and get a good feeling of what will be covered. Please come back often since this will be updated. As you listen to the interviews you will begin to hear some themes coming through about the conference which include: learning new strategies for using visual mapping, learning about the tools, doing some real social networking, becoming part of the larger visual mapping community and making yourself more valuable in the work that you do.

Since we moved to a 2 day event we have gotten a tremendous response from vendors and software developers, who not only want to exhibit but who now will be given the opportunity to present so that they can share with you the unique feature set of their software. So stay tuned to find out who will be exhibiting at the conference.

Top 10 Reasons to Attend the IQ Visual Mapping Conference

Check out Chuck Freys's Mind Mapping Software Blog for the Top 10 Reasons to attend the IQ Visual Mapping Conference on October 2-3, 2008 at the College of St Elizabeth, Morristown, New Jersey. For those of you who been following the conference announcement here is some breaking news! Due to the overwhelming response from exhibitors and conference participants the event has expanded to 2 full days. With the expanded venue we will be able to have our exhibitors share with you their latest software and developments. You will be able first hand to see the latest offerings from the software developers themselves. So sty tuned for list of software developers who will be attending the event. In the mean time here are the top two reasons to attend.

Here are the top 2 reasons why this is a don’t-miss conference:

1. It’s an opportunity to increase your value to your employer by becoming a more visually-oriented thinker, decision maker and problem solver.
2. Learn how to take your company's information management strategies to the next level of effectiveness.

To see the rest of the reasons go to Chuck Frey's Blog

To Register for the event click here

InstantConference to the Rescue

This past Friday I set up a teleconference for all of my presenters who will be speaking at the IQ Visual Mapping Conference to be held on October 3, 2008 in the Greater New York Metro Area. Before I set up the meeting I wanted to be assured that everyone could have access to a high quality audio teleconference. I scoured the internet for such a service and came across InstantConference. InstantConference is a free teleconference service with no startup or user fees. The only costs associated with it are long distance fees which your participants will incur. With today's phone calling plans this should not be too much of a deterrent. Once you set up an account you are given a phone number and access code and a pin number to get you started. Before the teleconference I did a run through with Arjen ter Hoeve in the Netherlands who was able to access the phone call via SkypeOut. It worked famously and so now I was ready to go. I figured if Arjen was able to log in with SkypeOut the rest of my participants would have no trouble.

On the day of the teleconference I dialed in and waited patiently as one by one my colleagues announced their presence. Soon Kyle McFarlin, Chuck Frey, Wallace Tait, Arjen ter Hoeve, Adam Clayman, and myself were engaged in our conference. The audio quality was fantastic and as the conference leader with an account, I was able to have the service record the conference session-this was free as well. This was a great feature since Stephanie Diamond was unable to make the teleconference. The group teleconferenced for over an hour talking about the October 3, 2008 event. All of us are really jazzed up about the event and are looking forward to sharing more information about the conference over the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned for some really exciting developments!

After our teleconference meeting was over within 2 minutes I received an email with summary information about who was in attendance and how the long the meeting ran. In about 15 minutes I received another email with a link to the recorded session which is formatted as an MP3 file. I was able to download the recording and listen to it with iTunes. I forwarded the email to my colleague, Stephanie Diamond who were not able to make it and she was able to listen to the entire meeting- pretty cool. I was totally amazed with the service and would highly recommend it for anyone that has to ad hoc teleconferences. (Note: It would make for a great way to do recorded interviews or podcasts.) Try it out and let me know what you think

Matthew Middleton- Real World Uses of MindManager 7

I had the opportunity to interview Matthew Middleton this past week on how he uses visual mapping tools and techniques to accomplish the work that he does. I find it incredibly interesting to learn how others are using MindManager 7 as well as other visual mapping tools to solve real world problems. You can learn more about the tools and techniques of visual mappng at the October 3, 2008 Conference: IQ Visual Mapping- A Systematic Framework for Business Success. So hold the date and hope to see you at the conference.

Here is some background information on Matthew which I thought you would be interested in knowing. Matthew has been working in I.T. in various roles for about 3 years now,
and is currently working as a Software Tester with PlateSpin ULC (A Novell Company), in Toronto, Ontario. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, gardening, and blogging about various topics of interest (including visual mapping) at www.matthewmiddleton.ca

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BSF: Can you share with us the work that you currently do?

MM: I'm currently working on testing several different applications related to managing a physical & virtualized computing environment. In particular, I've been focusing on a tool called PowerRecon that can be used to gather inventory and performance data on systems and use
that data to help determine the appropriate path for physical and virtual migration.

BSF: What was is about the demands of your work that made you gravitate towards using visual mapping and MindManager 7?

MM: When working on software testing, especially when using a session-based method, visual mapping can help keep track of disparate information in a single package. It also allows the viewer to filter some information that may be included, but not necessarily pertinent to their inquiry. For example, I keep track of the versions of various applications related to the test that I'm mapping; they might only be needed in some cases for future reference, but by having that information in a branch that I can easily expand as needed, it keeps every pertinent detail available with a minimum of fuss.

BSF: How has MindManager 7 helped you to solve some of your business problems?

MM: Primarily, it helps those using session-based testing to better track and display the results of our tests. This is particularly helpful when giving an Executive Summary style explanation of what was done; I thread different "paths" taken in the test, which makes it
easier to demonstrate the results.

BSF: How receptive were your coworkers to the idea of using visual maps to convey and present information?

MM: The reception has been mixed, in that some people prefer a more linear description, while others respond better to the visual abstraction of the maps.

BSF: Since you started using MindManager 7 have any of your colleagues jumped on board?

MM: Not specifically, though it certainly piqued the interest of some who had been previously hesitant.

BSF: What would you say are the top 2 or 3 benefits of using MindManager 7 in the work that you do?

MM: The single big feature for me is the timer. When I'm exploring a new feature, I usually give myself a set time to focus on that feature. Another handy feature is being able to attach multiple files to a single idea - when attaching logs to a single thread of a test.

BSF: As a user of visual mapping, what suggestions would you give to other users who are on the fence or just starting out using this tool?

MM: Other people's templates can be a really good jumping off point, but you should be willing to change those templates based on your own needs. For example, I was provided with an great template to start with for session-based testing, but I found that it was time-consuming to enter some of the same data over again or make certain customizations over and over again, and since I was primarily focusing on the same product for most sessions, it was easier for me to simply customize the template to my needs. I also turned my template back in to a more generic model, and posted it for public consumption at Biggerplate



BSF: Can you share a specific application that really attracted you to using MindManager 7?

MM: To be honest, I haven't really applied it to any new uses yet. My main focus thus far has been to find the best way to use mind mapping for software testing, and I've found MindManager 7 to be an excellent tool for that purpose.

BSF: Matthew thanks so much for your time and for sharing your ideas about visual mapping with us.

Save with an Early Bird Registration to the IQ Visual Mapping Conference

There has been a great deal of excitement and buzz with regard to the October 3, 2008 Conference " Visual Mapping As a Systematic Framework for Business Success. "

And now we are offering a special Early Bird Registration of $375 dollars which is a $50 dollar savings. To take advantage of this savings Click here. Look for Educator & Student Discounts coming soon.

Please share this with your colleagues

On October 3, 2008 come join us for a full day conference on how to use visual mapping to your advantage in your organization. Learn how to take visual mapping to the next level and see just how powerful a tool this can be, to help you reach your personal, academic, or business goals.

The conference will be hosted and led by Brian S. Friedlander, Ph.D. and his professional team of preeminent visual mappers who include: Adam Clayman, Stephanie Diamond, Chuck Frey, Arjen Ter Hoeve, Kyle McFarlin, and Wallace Tait. His assembled team comes from such areas as banking, psychology, manufacturing, business management, marketing and college teaching.


Mindjet is a Corporate Sponsor of the Event

IQ Visual Mapping Conference - October 3, 2008

On October 3, 2008 come join us for a full day conference on how to use visual mapping to your advantage in your organization. Learn how to take visual mapping to the next level and see just how powerful a tool this can be, to help you reach your personal, academic, or business goals.

The conference will be hosted and led by Brian S. Friedlander, Ph.D. and his professional team of preeminent visual mappers who include: Adam Clayman, Stephanie Diamond, Chuck Frey, Arjen Ter Hoeve, Kyle McFarlin, and Wallace Tait. His assembled team comes from such areas as banking, psychology, manufacturing, business management, marketing and college teaching.


The conference will be held on the campus of the College of St. Elizabeth which is centrally located in Morristown, New Jersey, in close proximity to Newark Liberty International Airport and to Manhattan via New Jersey Transit. The entire team will spend the day sharing their insight and strategies to help you derive the benefits of intelligent visual mapping and to enable you to experience the power of visual mapping as your systematic framework for improvement. To Register and for more information about the conference click here. We are also offering a special VIP Networking and Dinner session for a select number of participants- so register early because space is limited. Registration for the full day conference is $425 dollars. The VIP Networking Reception and Dinner is an additional $175 dollars and will take place after the conference.

Presentations to Include:
Project Mapping: Visual Thinking in Project Management
Utilizing Visual Mapping for Personal and Professional Motivation and Goal Setting
Increasing Personal and Business Productivity through Visual Mapping Strategies
Visual Mapping as a Systematic Framework for Business Improvement
Visual Mapping Software- Tools of the Trade
Using Visual Mapping Tools for Marketing Your Business
Using Visual Mapping Tools in Academia

Highlights of the Conference

• Networking with fellow visual mappers
• Learn about the latest trends in visual mapping software
• Learn the tools and techniques of intelligent visual mapping
• Learn how to transform your organization with visual mapping strategies
• Learn how visual mapping can be used to organize your "information economy"
• Learn effective ways to use visual mapping tools in academia and business

Benefits

• Save time with visual mapping strategies
• Streamline your information management techniques
• Monetize your company's "ideas"
• See the big picture by using visual mapping tools
• Learn how visual mapping can streamline processes and business procedures

To Register and for more information about the conference click here.

Mindjet is a Corporate Sponsor of the Event.