Mind2Chart- Project Planning Made Easy!

I had shared with you a couple of weeks ago about a new MindManger Pro 7 add-in called Mind2Chart that adds project planning to your visual maps. I had a chance to use Mind2Chart and find it to be a valuable add-in for those of you that want to take your visual maps to the next level and add project management. Mind2Chart uses the underlying MindManager 7 database to drive the application. In a sense they are one in kind- any changes to MindManager Pro 7 are reflected in Mind2Chart and vice e versa. The changes are immediate and Mind2Chart feels very snappy and fast when working with it. I for one know how wonderful a tool MindManager Pro 7 is when brainstorming and setting up the "what" of projects whereas a Mind2Chart is very adept of doing the "when" portion and providing the group with a Gantt Chart to visually see when deliverables are due and how far along tasks are.

Installing and setting up Mind2Chart was a breeze and once installed you will now notice a new icon on your Home tab called Chart Item. This lets you add items on your MindManager Pro 7 map to Mind2Chart. By doing a select all and then selecting the Chart Item bottom you can add all of your items to your Mind2Chart. To view Mind2Chart you simply click on the Mind2Chart button which is on the View Menu. This splits your MindManager 7 screen and displays your Tasks and Gantt Chart on the bottom of the screen. Any changes that you make in Mind2Chart are automatically updated on your MindManager 7 visual map. Using the Mind2Chart tools you can link tasks and control the dependencies for tasks. You will notice that Mind2Chart keeps the first task item as a Summary item that varies depending on the amount of time that the sub- tasks below take. You have the full complement of dependencies that you can use including: Start to Start, Start to Finish, Finish to Start, and Finish to Finish. To set the dependencies you simply click on two or more tasks and then select from the drop down menu the type of dependency and immediately you will see this relationship show up in the Gantt Chart. You will also notice that your MindManager visual map has a new relationship line with the type of dependency noted on the relationship line. Setting the Start Date is as easy as clicking in the field and selecting the date from the Calendar picker. Now all you need to do is decide how much time the task will take and you are ready to view your Gantt Chart. Using the Resource button on the Mind2Chart application you can easily add the name of resources who will be working on the task. If you prefer you can also add resources within MindManager Pro 7 using the Task Information pane. Once you are done adding Resources and Tasks you can create a Task and Resource Spreadsheet with Excel with a click of the mouse. It is also possible to use the Print Preview command to generate a preview of your Gantt Chart and Tasks.



Overall, I found Mind2Chart to be a very easy and powerful MindManager Pro 7 add-in for project planning. This is an ideal tool for those of you who are not full time project managers but who are using MindManager Pro 7 to orchestrate projects. Its split screen interface makes it very easy to work with when going back and forth within MindManager Pro 7. I have found the Mind2Chart Company to be very responsive to my feedback and they have already added features to Mind2Chart since its initial release. It would be nice if Mind2Chart allowed you to be able to color code your tasks in the Gantt Chart or for that matter to inherit the color from within your MindManager Pro 7 visual map. More importantly, I for one would vote for Mind2Chart to be able to generate the overall cost of the project based on your resource type, cost information and time. With the exception of these issues, Mind2Chart is a powerful project planning tool that continues to impress me. You should be aware that the folks at Mind2Chart are working on some of my recommendations and I hope to be able to report to you soon that the aforementioned recommendations have been implemented within a new release of Mind2Chart. If you are using MindManager Pro 7 to orchestrate projects you will find the Mind2Chart is a little gem to move you towards project planning. Likewise, once you have used MindManager Pro 7 and Mind2Chart to plan your project you can then export it to Microsoft Project to take advantage of its advanced reporting and charting features. You can download a free 14 day trial of Mind2Chart by clicking here. Mind2Chart has a full set of video tutorials on their website for anyone who is interested in taking a look how the application works with MindManager Pro 7.

Inserting a YouTube Video into Your Google Presentation

As I reported it is now possible to embed a YouTube video in your Google Presentation by simply using the Insert Video command and then searching for the video you would like to use. It is best to do your search within YouTube since it will help you to sort out which keywords to use to search for the video you will use. Here is a very simple Google Presentation showing you what a YouTube video looks like when it is embedded in your slide. I embedded a YouTube video that I created showing how you can Hide and Show the Ribbon in MindManager 7. Enjoy!

Mindjet Connect- Collaboration Comes to MindManager 7

For the last three weeks I have been part of a Private beta of a new product from Mindjet called Mindjet Connect. I am now longer under a NDA and can talk about my experiences using this new and innovative collaboration tool for sharing MindManger Pro 7 maps. In order to use Mindjet Connect you need to download a new version of MindManager Pro 7 which includes the Mindjet Connect component. Once you have installed the new version of MindManger 7 Pro and have set up your account you can invite your friends and clients to share a workspace that you have set up for them. As the owner of the workspace you can give your colleagues different Access levels as far as being able to edit or read your mind maps. Mindjet refers to these as Author, Owner and Reader. You can in addition to placing mind maps also store Word, PDF, and any other files that you would like to within the workspace.

I had the opportunity to practice using Mindjet Connect with Steve Rothwell and Gaelen O'Connell and it was quite amazing being able to change things within a MindManager Pro 7 mind map in real time as if we were sitting next to each other. Steve and I connected via Skype for the audio and worked on a mind map together. When another user is modifying an idea there is a legend in the top right portion of the screen showing who is making the changes and there are visual cues on the mind map when someone makes a change. The changes on the mind map occurred very quickly and the system as a whole was very responsive. As long as you store your attached documents in the workspace clicking on an attachment on your mind map, works as you would expect. Links to websites work as you would expect by opening your browser and opening the URL.

One of the really nice features which is part of Mindjet Connect is the ability to launch into a web meeting right within the application. This lets you share your screen and desktop and is very similar to a WebEx or GotoMeeting session. There is also the ability to use a chat feature to communicate to the users online and that are involved in the session. If you are interested in trying out Mindjet Connect let me know and I will see that you get an invite. I can also invite you to my collaborative workspace and you can check out the mind map that is there. If you would like to give it a try shoot me an email and I will get an invite out to you.

April Mindjet User Newsletter Now Online

If you are an avid MindManager User then you should take a look at this month's Mindjet User Newsletter which just hit the web. In it you will find some great articles by Jamie Nast and Stephanie Diamond who show you how their clients are applying and using MindManager to solve real world problems. Also, please check out my latest MindManager Quick Tip Video in the newsletter on how to add Resources and the Task Completion icon. The screencast video was created and produced using Camtasia Studio. Enjoy

Visual Mapping and the Information Economy

Visual Mapping and the Information Economy

By Wallace Tait- Visual Mapper

BSF: Hi Wallace can you share with us what is a visual map?

WT: A Visual map is: “A systematic and graphical framework expressing information and knowledge in a non-linear format”

We do indeed live and work in a linear world when it comes to academics and business. Taking a look at our established formats for communicating information and knowledge, there’s no denying, we clearly rely heavily on linear text and thinking.

Linear communications are natural; but not always the best format to convey information and knowledge in a succinct and clear manner. As visual mappers we firmly believe that non-linear information and knowledge communication tools that are readily available can, and do, enable you to experience an exponential increase in information management.

A lack of clarity and focus is what causes constraints within information exchange and knowledge growth. In this century, professionals are compelled by established systems to merely maintain the status quo of their respective information economies. Effective communication is essential to organizational efficacy, but we rarely see this as a reality within the overwhelmed business and academic environments where communication clarity and focus is not only expected but demanded.

BSF: What do you mean by the term information economy?

WT: The information economy is defined as: “Knowledge and information that ultimately affects process, system and organizational business investment”

Information has become a commodity that is exchanged both internally and externally within information economies. These economies are our established organizational systems, which in many cases have been overlooked with dire consequences to the organization. Corporate scandals of the late 90’s were characterized by the abject mismanagement of organizational information economies. This can be avoided by adopting the tools such as Mindjet MindManager Pro 7 and techniques of visual mapping into your business functions.

BSF: Can you expand on your idea about knowledge and its relation to the

information economy?

WT: “Knowledge as the main element of the information economy is of no profitable use unless it is created with focus, managed effectively and re-invested as an improvement tool”

Information is what knowledge is made up of and, we must take responsibility for the successes and failures of our information economies, after all, our information economies are what enable, assure and secure our personal, academic and business future successes.

Visualize a national financial reserve being a knowledge bank and the information economy as being the supplier of the resources that secure the strength of this institution. It makes logical sense that the continuous supply of resources is essential to the strength of the reserve. This is indeed how we should be viewing our information economies. Whether you are an academic or business professional, the continuous development of your information commodities ensures your strength, existence and further survival.

Taking a further view of the information economy, we see that it is absolutely impervious to any kind of recession. Global economical recessions do not affect information economies, while a downturn or recession is happening; the one thing that remains constant is information
exchange. Information being a priceless commodity that supplies our knowledge banks ensures our survival through the most severe of global effects of recession.

BSF: Where does Visual mapping fit into this information economy you may be asking?

WT: We firmly believe that the software tools such as Mindjet Mind Manager Pro 7 and techniques of this graphical framework are more than capable of enabling you to experience an exponential increase in your information management skills. We are all information managers, whether we acknowledge it or not, the fact that we create, manage and exchange information to gain knowledge is a testament to the human need for expansion. Within academia and business we must manage information for greater good of the systems that we support. There are various degrees of information management efficiency yet, we see time and time again that the informant managers who connect with our visual mapping approach, see the bigger picture and gain absolute control of their information economy.

The exponential gains experienced using Mindjet MindManager Pro 7 and techniques of visual mapping add to the financial bottom line of the environment of use. For the academician the gain is effective formats for enhancing student and faculty information exchange and management. The business system is relieved of information gaps that may affect further expansion of information resources and organizational processing.

The gains to business at all levels are experienced by enabling corporate communications to be

managed from a “master map database”. This master map is the realization of visual mapping as being a “graphical framework for business improvement”, thus adding to the financial bottom line of corporate profit.

BSF: Wallace to summarize what are the benefits as you see it in using visual mapping

WT: Information management, quality system analyses and improvement are but a few of the benefits of using visual mapping to exponentially add to the bottom line of any business function. The financial constraints associated with time management and organizational training is known to be aspects of business and academia that often cause frustration at the base level and financial loss at a higher level. We firmly believe that using tools like Mindjet MindManager Pro 7 and applying techniques of visual mapping to benefit all aspects and functions of any business or academic institution.

Visual mapping will enable you to become a more effective communicator and information manager whom effectively improves upon the bottom line associated with your working environment.

Wallace Tait: Visual Mapper.

Come join us on October 1, 2008 for a full day conference on how to use MindManager Pro 7 and the strategies of intelligent visual mapping to help you to better communicate, manage your information economy, manage projects; to exponentially add to the bottom line of any business or academic organization. The conference will be hosted and led by Brian S. Friedlander, Ph.D. and his professional team of preeminent visual mappers. The conferences’ working title is: “Intelligent Visual Mapping: graphical information management, solving your real world problems.” His assembled team comes from such areas as banking, psychology, manufacturing, business management 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.

We look forward to meeting you on October 1. 2008; please contact Brian S. Friedlander for conference cost and booking arrangements. To register for the conference click here.

Conference: Intelligent Visual Mapping: graphical information management, solving your real world problems

Date: On October 1, 2008

Time: 8:30 am- 5:00 pm

Place: College of St. Elizabeth

City: Morristown, NJ 07960

Phone contact: 908-852-3460 Email contact: brian@assistivetek.com

We look forward to meeting you on October 1. 2008; please click here to Register for the event.

Mind2Chart Pricing

Several readers had asked me about the pricing for Mind2Chart and Dennis from Mind2Chart was kind enough to email me the information for this MindManager Pro 7 add-in. Below is a screenshot of Mind2Chart running with MindManager Pro 7. I just installed the trial version and will give you my feedback once I had a chance to use it a little more. So far I found it easy to use and the integration is fantastic!
Pricing
The base price for a single copy will be $79 excl. taxes. Volume discounts are
available:
5-19 licenses $69 each;
20+ licenses $59 each.

Mind2Chart-New MindManager Add-in

I just came across a new project management add-in for MindManager 7 called Mind2Chart which I though that you would be interested in learning about. I have emailed the company to see if I can get a copy of the add-in and hope to review it shortly. The text that follows is from the Mind2Chart web site.

With Mind2Chart just a couple of clicks will turn your discussion topics into tasks for plan. Our add-in will display them in the most popular way of graphical representation of projects – Gantt chart.

Mind2Chart add-inlets you:

• Observe the whole scope of work in your project or selected part of it;
• Set key dates of the project,schedule tasks;
• Set any kind of dependencies between tasks, automatically modify plan according to them;
• Distribute and manage all kinds of resources (e.g. human resources) for the project tasks, take in account resource limitations when planning;
• Detect problem allotted works, “bottle-necks” of your project, critical path;
• Get reports about current status of tasks and resource allocation in ready-to-print form;
• Evaluate the current state of the project completion and obtain information about project progress.

Benefits of Mind2Chart:

• Complete integration in MindManager Pro 7, no external applications required;
• Intuitive interface, all common project management tasks are covered, with no redundant extra functionality;
• No additional information; Mind2Chart operates only with information that is visible and editable with MindManager interface. Your colleagues can work with your plan even without our add-in installed;
• Two-way instant synchronization with mind map;

Such pleasant details as automatic time calculation, automatic taking into account task relationships and resource capacity, and also elements of analysis, representation of all obtained information on the chart, printable reports – everything that makes planning process as easy and clear like never before.

Consultant for Hire

Yes- I know this is a shameless plug but why not, this is my blog. I have been doing a lot of work with MindManager Pro 7 and some of the Third Party Add-ins and feel that these are some really powerful tools to help professionals and business people manage the onslaught of information that we need to handle. If you are interested in finding out how I can help you use these tools to solve your business or professional need, please feel free to email me. Additionally, I am available to help your organization create video tutorials for in house training using state of the art screencasting software. If you look at my blog you will see some examples of the work that I have done using Camtasia Studio 5.

MindManager Tip: Using the Paint Formatting Tool

I read today's Mindjet MindManager's blog post about using the Paint Formatting Tool and decided to create a screencast using Camtasia Studio 5.1 to show you how it is done. This tip was shared by Roger Parker noted author and mind mapping expert-who has done a great deal of work with MindManager in the course of writing and consulting. Click on this link to view the screencast.

A Reader's Comment

I wanted to share with you an email that I just received from Roberta today which inspires me to continue the work that I do on the blog. Roberta lives in Italy and has been an avid mindmapper in all realms of her life. I hope you enjoy this glimpse into how she is using mind maps and take the time to visit her blog. It is exciting to know that mind mappers all over the world are enjoying my blog. Enjoy Brian

PS; If anyone else is interested in sharing their mind mapping experiences and how they are using it in their personal, business or professional life just shoot me an email.

hi brian s. friedlander

my name is roberta
and i live in rome, italy

i love mindmaps !

i don't speak english very well
but i try to read your fantastic blog

this is my life map n.0
and this is my story

One day i got on a special train and started a research trip. During this trip i have discovered that my thoughts must not necessarily run straight like a train, but they can simply follow their natural course according to a radial structure similar to the one of the brain neurons. Now, thanks to the mind maps, i look at what happens around me from different points of view: not only the logic, rational one, but also the emotional and creative one i can think and write in a different way, effective and amusing:i can turn the sheet of paper from vertical to horizontal, pass from the linear to the radial writing, use all the colours i want free my creativity. Since 2004 i have been using the mind maps daily to organize my work: plan new processes with my colleagues, synthesize books and above all take notes during the meetings, lectures, brainstorming sessions. Thanks to the technique of the mind maps i have begun to slow down the train of my thoughts: looking at the landscape outside my window discovering myself like this!

if you want read all my story
Story of a thought which from linear became radial again
http://www.complexlab.com/Members/rbuzz/articoli/pensiero%20radiale

this is my blog
http://mappementaliblog.blogspot.com

today I have written this post
http://mappementaliblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/mind-map-library.html

i hope that you want to dedicate a post to my story

thank you
ciao
roberta

Using MindManager Pro 7- A Users Perspective

I had the opportunity to interview Alberto Martinez who I met through my blog who is a long time mind mapping user and thought it would be interesting to find out how he uses MindManger Pro 7 in the work that he does. Alberto recently started his own blog, MindMapping EveryWhere and has some interesting posts which you should check out.

Brian Friedlander: Can you share with us a little bit about your background and how you gotstarted using mind mapping?

Alberto Martinez: I began using mind mapping during high school. I had a teacher, who was an active Tony Buzan reader and follower who taught me the techniques. For me the combination of drawings and text stimulates both my brain hemispheres, and increases my creativity. To this day I still use papers and notebooks in a horizontal format while using colored markers, to create mind maps on the fly

I have worked during my career for three leading companies Accenture, Ericsson and Siemens. I have evolved from R&D positions as an engineer and currently hold a management position. During my R&D period I was an author or co-author of 3 different patents. When working on the patents I used mind mapping techniques to help streamline the patent documentation process.

BF: Why did you decide to start your blog?

AM: I have used different mind mapping tools continuously in my personal and professional life. In the work that I do, my colleagues have seen me taking notes, preparing meetings or gathering information using mind mapping strategies. Over the years I have had the opportunity to share with colleagues how I use MindManager Pro 7 both in my personal and professional life. I decided to blog about my experiences using mind maps to share my experiences and how the technique can be beneficial to those in the business world.

BF: Can you share with us how you use MindManager 7 in the work that you do?

AM: Sure. I normally use mind maps for everything in my professional life. I typically use MindManager Pro 7 to prepare for business meetings, note-taking, preparing presentations and for organizing different types of information. This is the first tool that I choose when I need to perform the aforementioned tasks. I find that having access to my mind maps for my my daily to-dos list is essential. I would also say these tools are extraordinary good for strategic purposes, and they are extraordinary for playing out different business scenarios

BF: What are the benefits of using MindManager Pro 7 in the work that you do?

AM: Certainly creativity! I find that I can brainstorm and generate more ideas and thoughts using MindManager. Productivity- Specifically by using to-dos lists, you are continuously
dedicating time to important tasks.

BF: How do your co-workers feel about the use of MindManager? Are they currently using
it as well?

I must say that in my current company about 10 of my colleagues are using these techniques, and they themselves feel these tools are boosting their creativity as well.

BF: What do you co-workers say when you present them with mind maps?

AM: Firstly, they think I am a weird guy:-) Secondly, they usually ask me about how I created them. Thirdly, they want to learn more about these techniques. After presenting my mind maps some of my colleagues have begun to utilize these techniques which is really exciting for me to see.

BF: Can you share with us a specific case in how MindManager Pro 7 was helpful? How did it help you in the work that you do.

AM: On January 8th, I will lead a very important business meeting (See mind map). Preparing meetings in advance with MindManager Pro 7 has really helped me to pull the important facets of the meeting together. In preparation for the meeting I have put together a MindManager Pro 7 map with an outline of the different points to be considered on the day of the meeting, so I can remember to address and focus on each of the key points during the meeting. One of the really important features of using this approach with MindManager Pro 7 is being able to export my mind map into a Microsoft Word document for people who may not be able to understand the mind mapping metaphor.

BF: In summary- what are the key points and features of mind mapping for you and what topics do you hope to discuss on your blog?

AM: I would say that one of the clear benefits of using MindManager Pro 7 is being able to see the idea communicated clearly on one page. Being able to integrate text, icons, color and images really enhances the mind map and people’s retention of the ideas.

On my blog I will try to show how mind mapping techniques can be used both in your professional career and in your personal life. I also welcome my readers comments and look forward to learning how others are using mind mapping techniques in the work that they do.

MindManager 7.1 Screencast

With the recent release of MindManager 7.1, I created this screencast to show you some of the new features that have been added to this release.

Here is the link

From Project Kickstart 4 to Mindmanager 7 Pro

Here is another screencast showing you how you can move your project management data from Project Kickstart 4 to MindManager 7 Pro. You will notice how easy this process is!

Click here to view the screencast

Project Planning with MindManager 7 Pro and Project Kickstart 4

In a previous post, I reviewed Project Kickstart 4, an easy to use project management software application and now wanted to share with you how this application can work seamlessly with MindManager 7 Pro. With many companies and individuals using mind mapping for all aspects of running a business it is great to know that there are other applications that can complement MindManager 7 Pro, in developing and managing projects. While MindManager Pro 7 is a wonderful tool to brainstorm and start project planning there will come a point in time when you will want to move the data to a project management piece of software. This is where Project Kickstart 4 comes in. Individuals can do their initial planning and brainstorming in MindManager Pro 7 and with a click of the mouse move the date right into Project Kickstart 4. Project Kickstart 4 adds a number of unique features for project planning and having access to a Gantt chart makes it a lot easier to track the project. I have created a short screencast showing you just how easy it is to export data from MindManger 7 Pro into Project Kickstart 4.

Click here to view the screencast

ProjectKick Start 4-Easy to Use Project Management Software

Over the last couple of months, I have had the opportunity to take a look at several project management software applications that work seamlessly with MindManager Pro 7. With this in mind, I took a look at Project KickStart 4, which is a very user friendly project management software application that can export data directly into MindManager Pro 7 and create a complete mind map. I would like to thank Roy Nierenberg at Experience In Software for providing me a copy of Project KickStart 4. for this review. Similarly, one can begin the project planning process in MindManager Pro 7 and export it directly to Project KickStart 4, with a click of the mouse. In this first posting, I will review Project KickStart 4 and talk about its features and ease of use.

Project KickStart 4 is a very easy to use project management software application that will have you up in running within minutes. Unlike other project management software applications, Project KickStart 4 is unique with regard to its interface and guidance that it provides along the way to helping you plan your project. Project KickStart 4 divides the project management process up into 9 different steps-which are all complemented with Libraries of reusable resources which move you quickly through the project management phases. Project KickStart 4 starts the process off by having you "name" the project which is then followed by identifying the "phases" of your project. As a project manager you simply move through Project KickStart 4 wizards by clicking on the Next button. If you need some assistance you can click on the Advisor button which is located on the bottom left of the screen. You also have access to a Phases Library of items that you can simply drag to the phases window making the process go very quickly. During the "goals" phase you have the opportunity to develop and think about your goals for the project. It is easy to move through this phase by using the Goals Library to open up some goals that you can drag into the window. You next move to "Similar" tasks, and from the Library of stored projects you can simply select tasks that might be similar to the project that you are currently working on. This feature really saves you a lot of time since many projects may have similar tasks that can be quickly modified or changed. As part of any project management you will need to list the names of the people that will be working on the project. You have the option of bringing in people from the People library, typing in their name(s) or you can also import names directly from Outlook. Moving to the next phase you will need to think about what "obstacles" may get in the way to reaching your project goals. Here you can identify some tasks that will help you minimize or avoid the obstacle as you move through the planning process. Now you are ready to "assign" tasks to people which is easily done by selecting the tasks and then clicking on the name of the person or persons. You can Control click and assign several people to one tasks to create a group task. As you move to the Task phase you have the opportunity to review, print and edit your task list as well as type notes and add attachments. Your final task in Project KickStart 4 is to review your Gantt chart and make any necessary revisions or changes. It is easy to change the working and non-working days by bringing up the Calendar and selecting the working and non-working days which will automatically recalibrate the length of the project. In the Gantt chart view you can quickly get an overview of your project milestones and set the percentage of the task that has been done. I would have wanted to be able to set the task dependencies in the Gantt view but this feature is not supported in ProjectKickstart v 4. However, the Gantt chart view gives you a great snapshot to keep your projects on time and within budget. While you can enter the costs associated with a task this is one area that Project KickStart 4 is weak. However, one of the really fantastic features in Project KickStart 4 is the ability to export the data directly to other software applications which in this case is handled very well. Project KickStart 4 can directly export data to: PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel, Word, Microsoft Project, ACT!, WBS Chart, and MindManager.

For individuals like myself, who may not be full-time project managers, Project KickStart 4, is a very well thought out application to help you plan small to medium sized projects with the ease and confidence of a seasoned project manager. Having worked through several projects with Project KickStart 4, I was really impressed with how the wizards and the Advisor dialogs made me carefully think through the project management process so that the outcome was realistic and manageable. I would have to say that Project KickStart 4 is in fact a very easy to use project management software application that delivers on its promise to get you up an running within 30 minutes without the need to have an advanced degree in project management.

In a future post, I will talk about the integration of Project KickStart 4 and MindManager Pro 7, which I'm sure will be of interest to you.

Mindmanager Pro 7 Updated

Mindjet, Inc has posted an update for MindManager Pro 7 as well as for MindManager Lite 7 which can now be downloaded from this link. You can also simply click on Tools and Updates from within MindManager to get to the link. This Service Pack 1 corrects for a number of issues and has some added features with respect to PowerPoint and the newly added Export Toolbar.

Drive Knowledge and Productivity with MindManager® Pro 7

Take a look at the recent release of the Minjdet User Newsletter to find out how I am using MindManager Pro 7 in the work that I do. I have found Mindjet MindManager Pro 7 to be an indispensable tool when I teach. Find out in the interview all the creative ways I am using MindManager Pro 7. You can also download the mind map that I used for my recent webinar which highlights all the ways I am using MindManager Pro 7.

TPAssist 2007 Free Training Videos

I just heard from Brad Allen at TPAssist 2007 that he has put up a number of free video tutorials that show you step by step how to use the MindManager plug-in, TPAssist 2007 with the My Life template mind map. These presentations are available via the web site and provide real working examples of how mind mapping can be an excellent environment for life management. You can get this FREE template RIGHT-NOW by using the Check For Updates button with-in the TPAssist 2007 Help Window. You can also download it from the web seminar page. This is a great resource and shows you the power and synergy of using MindManager 2007 and TPAssist 2007 together.

MindManager 30 Minute Power Training Videos

I tend to use MindManager Pro 7 daily to plan and organize information that I will need for my seminars and graduate classes, but if you are like me you tend to use only a limited number of features in any software appliction. While I was perusing the Mindjet website I came across their 30 Minute Power Training video sessions which really shows you all of the ways you can use MindManager to be more effective at what you do. The four training video modules include:

• 1. Meeting Effectiveness
• 2. Project Planning
• 3. Information Management
• 4. Collaboration & Communication

I had a chance to view each of the videos and they gave me some new ways I could think about using MindManager Pro 7 in the work I do. If you have 30 minutes to invest I would highly recommend that you preview the instructional videos. I'm sure you will find them as helpful and informative as I did.

Recorded Webinar Available: Innovate using MindManager Pro 7 both in and out of the Classroom

I want to thank Gaelen and Kymberly from Mindjet, Inc for all their help and assistance for putting together the webinar which I recently did focusing on: Innovative uses of MindManager Pro 7 Pro both in and out of the Classroom. I haven't had a chance to see it yet, but the webinar was recorded and is now available online for those of you who weren't able to see it live. To view the recorded webinar click on this link. I hope you enjoy it- I know I really enjoyed doing the webinar and look forward to working with Mindjet, Inc on some future webinars.